Don’t work here as a temp - Customer Assistant Marks & Spencer Employee Review

2.0
Apr 9, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The job itself is easy, fast paced and productive. Staff are fairly paid for what they have to do. Some coworkers were very friendly and helpful which made working long shifts a lot more tolerable. Discount was 20% which is alright.

Cons

A handful of staff made my experience at M&S unpleasant. Several staff created a very hostile work environment and were reluctant to work with the “rubbish new people”, as I overheard a manager and colleague say. This was very off putting, as it was clear staff would rather gossip about new staff than to actually help them. Furthermore, I had not been told my contract had been extended, which I realised was only for their benefit. Despite this extension, I was not given any shifts during this period even after raising this issue with a manager. They again left me in the dark with no shifts, defeating the whole purpose of extending my contract? I had to take time off work due to injury. In accordance to their sickness procedure, I sent my doctor’s note to a manager, who couldn’t even be bothered to open it even after they asked for evidence of it. Instead of sorting out sick pay which I was entitled to, they removed me off the system as an employee as an easy fix. No notice to say our contracts had ended, not even a thank you or goodbye! Overall Very sketchy and unprofessional behaviour, which was a shame as initially I enjoyed the job.

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Marks & Spencer Response
3y
Hi there, thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for your honesty. We're disappointed to hear the concerns you’ve raised and would like to take this opportunity to apologise for how you felt during your time with us. This doesn’t sound like the way we do things at Marks and Spencer and completely goes against the values we've worked so hard to uphold. As a business we want to make sure that all of our Colleagues feel supported and enjoy being a part of the Marks and Spencer family. The health and wellbeing of our colleagues has always been our priority at Marks and Spencer. As the issues you've raised are serious, we'd hope that our Colleagues know that they can raise their concerns to another Manager if they're not supported by their own, or reach out to their local Big Rep. We also have a team of Policy Specialists which thoroughly investigate all formal grievances raised. It would be great if you could contact our Line Manager Advisory Team (LMAS) via LMAS@marks-and-spencer.com, with your previous Colleague number, so that they can further look into the issues you've raised. Thank you for bringing these matters to our attention. Marks and Spencer

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5.0
Aug 5, 2025
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Pros

I love how positive the working environment

Cons

I dont like some of the names of the bread

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Marks & Spencer Response
11mo
Hi there, thanks so much for leaving such a great review – it’s lovely to hear that you enjoyed working for us! We're so grateful for your kind words, so thanks for sharing your review with us and the Glassdoor community. Our success relies on the dedication of employees like yourself, so we thank you for all your hard work! Wishing you all the best, Marks and Spencer
1.0
Jul 27, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

-20% discount -I must enter 5 words

Cons

Never before have I worked for a company where the threat of gross misconduct is thrown around constantly by management. Senior members of staff have been given wrriten warnings over sudden changes in policy. Instead of carrot and stick you're just given the stick. A sudden change in policy comes in and immediately a TM or TSM will tell you "if you can't do this you will recieve a written warning or disciplinary." That is a best case scenario, the alternative is nobody tells you and you continue to do everything as normal and you get punished for an absolute absence of communication. Regional managers pressure Store Managers to hand out punishments like quotas. Worst of all, the company promotes immature and lazy managers for the most part, who will happily stand around doing absolutely nothing, but drive workers aged 60+ like a cart horse. Sorting basic worker's rights like annual leave is a chore to them, and they act as though they are doing you a favour when you do the bare minimum. Favouritism in my store is endemic. Not all managers are like this, my store manager just happens to like a handful of staff and puts down everyone else.

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Marks & Spencer Response
11mo
Thanks for raising your concerns. We're really sorry to hear you’re unhappy and we want you to know that at M&S, we care deeply about doing the right thing and acting with integrity, building trust, supporting one another and taking the time to listen. You have already addressed the first step of voicing your views on here, and now we encourage you to talk to your Line Manager. If you feel you cannot approach your Line Manager, then tell a more senior person or someone who you feel most at ease with, for example your BIG rep or your HR Business Partner. Thanks again for sharing, - Marks and Spencer
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