The Co-operative Group

Culture

• "The culture is very good in the business, as everyone is very supportive and willing to help you if needed. As for the graduate scheme, you start with 19 others so you automatically have a large group of colleagues who you can rely on for support and help but who you can also socialise with outside of work." -- Graduate Finance Projects Officer, Manchester 
• "Company culture varies hugely depending on the department you are working in. I have worked in several different areas, all of which have had supportive teams where I have felt confident and comfortable with my colleagues. Although there is a clear management structure, I find that managers give me a lot of their time and are keen to know how I am getting on with my work and my development. I work the number of hours necessary each week to get the job done. Most of the time this will mean working my core hours, although when approaching a deadline this could increase significantly – however, I feel that's my own choice and personal need to achieve. Teams do socialise outside of work although I have found that some departments need more encouragement than others to do so." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "All the offices are open plan thus encouraging communication at all levels. We have weekly team huddles to keep everyone informed of progress in the week and in addition to that will have a department briefing every month to go over the company wide performance and encourage team building activities. As a department we'll go out for drinks, dinner and nights out at least fortnightly and organise lunch in a restaurant of choice every pay day. The culture is very inclusive – because the social aspects are encouraged (including food treats for the department) it makes it easier to integrate and ask for assistance with work needs." -- Assistant Commercial Accountant, Manchester

  "The culture varies from one business to another, and from one department to another. For example, some businesses have a culture whereby it is expected that you work longer hours than the standard set hours of 8.30-4.45, whereas some departments up and leave right on 4.45 every day. The Food business has a much larger hierarchy, with several different levels of management, whereas Funeral Care has a much flatter structure so you can expect to speak to senior managers on a daily basis. The general feeling throughout all the businesses however is one of great support and personal development – colleagues will always help you out when needed. Socialising is definitely something which is more 'normal' in certain departments than others, but the general theme is that colleagues are encouraged to get to know each other both in and outside the workplace if they wish, with most departments organising socials on a fairly regular basis." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "The culture here is open and honest. I've worked in three different businesses/departments, and have found them all to be supportive, hardworking and fun. Some departments are more flexible than others in their approach to agile working, travel, etc. I've found the Food business to be much more hierarchical than Funeral Care, but my work and opinions have always been well received, and we get the chance to present our work to the Exec which is great." -- Projects Officer, Manchester 

  "I think it's a great organisation to work in, in terms of the support you receive and the work life balance. Compared to other organisations I've worked in, especially in banking, the business really does care about its employees. There are always social events going on, whether it's raising money for charity inside or outside of work, or tickets to events. I play football with two separate groups of people all from within work, for example, and know there are many other people that do the same." -- Projects Officer, Manchester 

  "Culture varies MASSIVELY between the different businesses. Co-operative Food is very hierarchical (everyone knows and cares what role band everyone else is), whereas in the smaller businesses, e.g. Funeral Care and Pharmacy, it is much less hierarchical and interaction between more and less senior colleagues is more fluid and flexible. On the whole though, colleagues are supportive, and as long as you've made good working relationships you will have a supportive atmosphere. The expected/average hours of work also vary massively across the Group – some floors in Food everyone will vanish at 4:45pm on the dot, however in Funeral Care people tend to work longer hours on the whole. I'd say that if there was a particular team dynamic and culture that you wanted, it would probably exist somewhere in the Group – you'd just have to find it!" -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

Hours

• "I normally spend around 40 hours a week in the office and I rarely work weekends. My business is extremely flexible with hours, and it is possible to work from home as well. You cannot buy holiday, but you do receive a large amount." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "The working hours of the business are 8:30am-4:45pm. Most days I will work 8:30am-5:30pm. If I have deadlines approaching or feel I would benefit from taking work home then I do work the occasional weekend – about once every two months – but the reason I do this is not because I am told to but because of the deadlines I set myself and my wish to exceed my line managers expectations. The business is very flexible when it comes to working hours – if I wanted to start work earlier and leave earlier then I would not feel worried about this. I sometimes leave work early if I have personal commitments, and feel I can do this because overall I meet (or exceed) my core working hours." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I am contracted to 37.5 hrs a week and there has very rarely been a time when I felt I have had to stay and work any longer than this. As a business you are not expected to work late and come in on weekends however this doesn’t mean that you are not expected to get your head down and do your best in your role. There are also some departments which allow you flexible working which can either be working from home on certain dates or not having a strict start or finish time." -- Graduate Finance Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I work 8.30 – 4.45 with a 45min lunch. I have never worked on the weekend or taken work home with me, I could count on one hand the number of times I have been in the office after 5pm since I started 2 years ago. It is a flexible company and leave can be taken at short notice in most cases." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I like flexible working, but some offices prefer you to be in for presence sake. I do not think this is productive for the majority of people and should be discouraged where flexibility is applicable to a role. I do not keep a tab on my hours; I just ensure that my work is done. This may mean I work longer hours than contracted, but since my work is flexible I do not feel tired/stressed/pressured." -- Graduate Projects Officer

  "At the moment my work-life balance is about right; in previous projects I felt like I was working too many hours. On average, I work around 45 hours a week – I try to spread this across the week, as I don't like working weekends unless absolutely necessary!" -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "The company is very flexible with holidays and I have never had a problem with taking holidays when I have wanted to. I have found myself working extra hours and sometimes having to take my work home at the weekends, but this is usually if I have a deadline to meet or a presentation which I want to rehearse – this is not expected practice." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I probably work 38-40 hours max. Our core hours are 8.30-4.45, but I typically arrive just after 8 as I like to settle and have things ready, sometimes I’ll come in earlier if I have an 8.30 meeting but it's rare. I never have to work weekends. The business is very focused on flexible working, so most people hot desk and work at least one day from home per week. Sometimes I may take a longer lunch or may leave work earlier, in either case I would make the time up, but it's a trusting culture where people are empowered to manage their own time and work." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

• "Overall I think I work a standard 40 hour week, with very occasional weekends or evenings when there's a big deadline coming up, or something in particular. There is good progression towards flexible working, both through adjusted hours and working from different locations. Holiday allowance is fixed though and there's no formal process for compensation for overtime." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

Pay

• "£25,000" -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,575" -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,000" -- Graduate Finance Projects Officer
• "£25,500" -- Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,000" -- Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£25,525" -- Assistant Commercial Accountant
• "£23,000" -- Graduate Projects Officer
• "£23,000" -- Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,000" -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,000" -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester
• "£23,000" -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "We have a salary review after 12 months of service, as well as the company-wide increase of ~2.5% every year. The company pension is excellent – my contribution is 6% and the business contributes 16%." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I think it would be better if those on the finance graduate scheme were able to receive a company bonus. This doesn't currently happen because of our official role band saying that once the scheme ends and you are fully qualified, your pay in comparison to your non-finance colleagues is much higher." -- Assistant Commercial Accountant, Manchester

  "I feel the pay is good for a northern city; we start on £23k and can increase by £2k per year if we meet our objectives. Once we become CIMA qualified our pay jumps up to £34k which is guaranteed for 2 years." -- Graduate Finance Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I think the pay rise should either be staggered as an incentive after 6 months in the company. Or the £2,000 should be paid after the second project, since the pay rise is based on project work and when the yearly bonus is considered, it is halfway through the third project and therefore the third project has no bearing on the pay review." -- Graduate Projects Officer

  "Would be good if a bigger proportion was incentivised." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "For this graduate programme, based in Manchester, I am broadly satisfied with the compensation package; if it were based elsewhere I might feel it was a little low, but then my living cost would probably be higher. There's no formal bonus system, but a clear process for salary increase after 12 months, with the opportunity to be raised by up to £2,000." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "Unfortunately the business does not offer a joining bonus to graduates, whether you relocate or not. This makes it extremely difficult for people that have to move then wait 6 weeks for the first payment, with rent deposit, etc. I had previously been part of another company’s graduate programme where the basic was higher at £25,000 and you also received a £2,000 joining bonus (this was in 2008), and yet my business will still be offering less to graduates that join here September 2011 of a basic of £23,000 and no signing bonus. I raised this point at a graduate meeting run by the programme manager as she looked for feedback on ways to make improvements, but sadly the feedback I received was that research showed the package offered is on par with the market. Whilst this may be the case, I for one believe the business should be offering a joining bonus, or interest free loan at the least, at a minimum for people that have to relocate. The bonus is also calculated based upon various factors, half of which only accounts for performance, and is built up from reviews by three different managers. With everyone having different managers on different projects in different business areas, there is invariably a wide degree of discrepancy on what one manager classes as outstanding performance and what another classes it as." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "Compared to other schemes I applied for, the salary is not that competitive; however, there are other perks, e.g. development budget, support, company discount. One of the major negatives for me was that there was no relocation budget; I found it difficult financially and stressful." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

Interviews & Assessments

• "You don't need to have a 1st, but the assessments are rigorous enough that if you don't have a 1st or high 2:1 then there must have been mitigating circumstances, as there are plenty of people I attended university with who gained a 2:1 but would not pass some of the tests required. Also, just gaining a degree does not make you suitable for this role as the interviewing and assessment process ensures applicants also have the right personal qualities (business acumen, integrity, strong work ethic, co-operative nature)." -- Graduate Projects Officer 

  "Online application form – only 5% of applicants get past this stage. It's based on our behaviours, work experience and some questions about the business. Psychometric online tests – verbal reasoning and maths. I found these quite straightforward, although many people tend to struggle with this part. The business is only looking for you to hit a minimum score and is not looking for the best. Face-to-face interview – my interview was with two senior managers from the business (one was a former graduate) and took me through my career aspirations and background, and a series of competency questions around the business' behaviours. Assessment centre: second interview – interviewed by two different senior managers. Same format as the first interview, but with different questions. Re-testing – paper tests to confirm that I was the person that did the online version of the tests. The paper tests are different to the online ones and I found them harder, although this many have just been because I felt under more pressure in an assessment centre environment. Group debate: a debate in groups of 4 – 5 candidates, in which we had to decide on the best outcome between all of our individual case studies. Presentation – given a huge load of commercial information and had one hour to put a presentation together and present back to three senior managers about my recommendations for what they should do with the business in the case study." -- Graduate Projects Officer, Manchester

  "I completed an online application form, then numerical and verbal reasoning tests, then a face-to-face competency based interview. Following this, I attended a one day assessment centre consisting of: another competency interview with pretty much the same questions; a group debate; more numerical and verbal reasoning tests; analysing a case study and presenting back. I've had the experience of being on several assessment centres and think that our business keeps pretty much to the standard format, and is by no means as hard as others. For example, you present back only to one or two people (not a room full of assessors), you do not have to do a role play, you aren't sent anything to prepare before the day, and you aren't put into a role play with an existing senior manager." -- Projects Officer, Manchester

  "To get offered a job you need to complete an application form, psychometric testing, pass an interview with two managers, then attend and pass an assessment centre which involves a second interview, further psychometric testing, a group debate and a case study presentation. Although this sounds like a tough process, it is all done in a friendly way which makes you feel very relaxed. They get about 2,000 applicants for 20 jobs but it is definitely attainable." -- Graduate Finance Projects Officer, Manchester

  "Compared to other graduate schemes I applied to I would say this was very much standard but still very competitive. I had online verbal and numeric reasoning tests when completing my initial application. On successful completion, I was invited to a telephone interview before being invited to a competency based face-to-face interview with members of HR and finance. Because this was successful I attended an assessment centre. At the assessment centre we had paper based verbal and numeric reasoning assessments along with a debate where applicants had to successfully argue a proposal given to them 20 minutes prior. In addition, we were given ~40 pages of information including financials and asked to make a presentation for a group of assessors. This was very challenging because of the volume of information and the time given to prepare for the presentation. Finally we had another interview which was led by finance (I'm on the finance programme) covering competency and career aspirations. The best part of the assessment centre would have to be the networking drinks at the end. With hindsight I would say it set the tone for the work environment of the Co-operative group – work hard, play hard." -- Assistant Commercial Accountant, Manchester

  "Application form, HR interview, psychometric tests, assessment day. The assessment day was extensive and tough. We had an interview with senior people, a group session, further psychometric tests and a presentation (no pre-prepared notes for it). It tested everything about a candidate and showed who would cope in a business environment and who wouldn't. The interview is based on the company's behaviours and questions are of the "name a time when..." variety. Typical questions centred on team work, leadership, customer focus, achievements, success in the face of adversity, etc." -- Projects Officer, Manchester