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      Cooper Parry

      Engaged employer

      Cooper Parry reviews

      Not the People-First Culture They Claim to Be - Anonymous employee Cooper Parry Employee Review

      1.0
      16 Oct 2025
      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Holiday and 4.5 working week

      Cons

      I joined Cooper Parry through the much-publicised acquisition of Haines Watts, which was described as a “groundbreaking” move. In hindsight, had I been given a choice, I would not have joined. Before the transition, I was managing ongoing mental health challenges with a formal diagnosis. From my first day at Cooper Parry, it became clear that this was viewed negatively. Despite the company’s strong public image and multiple awards for culture and wellbeing, my personal experience was the complete opposite. Support for employee wellbeing felt surface-level at best. I often felt isolated and stigmatised by both colleagues and management, with little real understanding or compassion shown. This ultimately resulted in a formal Performance Improvement Plan that appeared to be linked more to my health circumstances than to job performance. In summary, my experience at Cooper Parry did not align with the inclusive and people-centric culture the firm promotes publicly. I would encourage potential employees and clients alike to look beyond the marketing and consider whether the values portrayed externally are truly reflected internally.

      avatar
      Cooper Parry Response
      7mo
      Thank you for sharing this — even though it’s tough to read, it matters. We’re genuinely sorry that this was your experience. Mental health challenges should never be met with stigma or a lack of support, and it is not what we strive for in the support we aim to provide, the benefits we offer or the awareness and initiative campaigns we deliver. We know words aren’t enough, which is why we have brought in a group of mental health first aiders across all our office hubs, as well as incorporated an employee assistance programme with access to mental health tools. Additionally here's a look at what we are doing in the background: - Training for all managers on mental health awareness and how to support colleagues with compassion and understanding. - Expanding wellbeing initiatives beyond surface-level perks to real, practical support. - Creating safe spaces and confidential channels for people to speak up without fear of judgment or repercussions. We will continue to work to make sure that our “people-first” promise is real for everyone. If you’re open to sharing more, please reach out to our Head of HR, Caroline Jones, carolinej@cooperparry.com.

      Explore other reviews about Cooper Parry

      3.0
      31 May 2024
      Assistant manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      Nice work place good environment

      Cons

      work life balance a little bit confusing

      avatar
      Cooper Parry Response
      2y
      Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Building an environment where our people can feel motivated and enjoy their time at work is important to us, so we are glad to hear you have been able to experience that during your contract. Whilst work-life balance is something that we strive towards, we appreciate during busy times the flexibility can be hard to reach. We are continuing to look at ways to increase the flexibility when possible and if you would like to talk things through, we are always happy to support in finding ways to increase that balance. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us, in person, over email or anonymously through open door. Many thanks, CP Talent Acquisition team careers@cooperparry.com
      3.0
      6 May 2026
      Audit manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business outlook

      Pros

      - Flexible working - Supportive coworkers

      Cons

      The business is not quite as I remember it when I first joined. The private equity ownership has created a working environment has become much more pressured, with almost every level feeling constantly on edge. Managers often appear to be stretched across a very high number of audits, while Assistant Managers are also balancing several engagements at once. This has resulted in people being spread too thin, with work regularly extending into evenings and, at times, weekends. The recent change in audit software has also created challenges. While the business is placing greater emphasis on efficiency and recovery, the new workflow appears to have increased the amount of work required in practice. As a result, recovery rates often appear unrealistic when compared against the actual time and effort needed to complete the work properly. There also seems to be room for improvement in how juniors are trained and supported. In addition, the promotion pipeline feels quite congested, with a number of people remaining in the same roles for longer than expected. Overall, in its current state, it is difficult to see many clear upsides, and I would find it hard to confidently recommend the business as a place to work.

      avatar
      Cooper Parry Response
      4w
      Thank you for taking the time to share your experience in such detail. The themes you raise around pressure, capacity, ways of working and progression are clearly important, and it’s helpful to understand how these are being felt in practice. Periods of growth, ownership change and system transformation can increase complexity and intensity, and there will inevitably be times where the work feels more pressured than anyone would ideally want. Your comments highlight where that pressure has been most visible, particularly around resourcing, workload stretch and how efficiency expectations translate day to day. These are ongoing tensions we recognise within a professional services environment. Your observations around training, development and progression visibility are also noted. Supporting people at different career stages during times of change isn’t always straightforward, and experiences can differ across teams and roles. If you’re open to it, we’d encourage you to raise these points directly with your Senior HR Business Partner or leadership team, including via the anonymous feedback channels if preferred. These conversations help add context and depth to individual perspectives. Thank you again for sharing your views so openly.
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