Pros
The flavoured sparkling water drink machine
Cons
If you’re considering working at Lyreco Telford, do yourself a favour and look elsewhere, especially if you’re a woman or someone who expects to be treated with basic respect. They pretend to value mental health and employee wellbeing, but the truth is: they don’t care. Not really. They’ll run a webinar about burnout on a Thursday, and by Friday, they’re dumping even more work on an already stretched team and brushing under the carpet that some people in their own company are already off with stress and burnout with zero help or support. If you go to HR? Don’t bother. You’ll be met with lip service, empty nods, and then silence or worse, you’ll be labelled as the problem. Raising concerns puts a target on your back. And then there’s the culture. Misogynistic, cliquey, and blatantly unfair. If you’re a man who can “talk the talk” and schmooze the right people, you’ll rise quickly regardless of actual talent. If you’re a woman, good luck. You’ll be picked apart for speaking up, and quietly erased if you don’t. Say something, you’re a problem. Say nothing, you’re weak. Either way, you lose. Men are protected. Women are tolerated until they’re not. The leadership team is a revolving door of yes-men and self-promoters, with little vision and even less accountability. Strategy changes weekly. Priorities flip daily. Blame is always passed downwards. They build a culture of fear and self-doubt, where you’re never good enough and your value depends on how well you perform under pressure and how well you fit in socially. You can wear branded hoodies, host yoga sessions, and slap slogans on walls but if your people are miserable, unsupported, and afraid to speak, your culture is broken. Post all over social about throwing money at corporate conventions, and pat yourselves on the back with “values” awards but it means nothing if the day-to-day reality is toxic. It’s not wellbeing if it only applies when it’s convenient. It’s not support if it disappears the moment you actually need it. It’s not leadership if the only people who thrive are those playing politics and covering for each other. This isn’t a place that learns or listens. It’s a place where wolves dress in sheep’s clothing and where the culture wears a mask to hide the rot underneath. By the time you realise it, you’re exhausted, doubting yourself, and wondering how it got this far. I don’t regret leaving. I regret giving so much to a place that never once gave anything real back.
