There are three PDSAs really:
Veterinary
Retail
Head Office.
You'll notice most of the good reviews on Glassdoor are from staff and volunteers from the Veterinary or Retail divisions. I can't comment on those areas since they seem to be culturally and operationally different to the Head Office operations, of which I couldn't be more scathing.
I worked there for six years and every year without fail there would be a huge restructure with entire departments put at risk of redundancy. Marketing, Finance, Marketing again, Retail, Marketing again, Legacies, IT possibly. Can't remember all of them. But the effect of seeing your colleagues fearing for their jobs constantly, then new blood coming in only to be turfed out 18 months later was soul-destroying. I constantly felt the pressure of the axe and would take that anxiety home where I'd worry about how I'd keep my family fed and homed if the Directors decided on a whim to target my department next.
The anxiety got to a point for me where I took a temporary position in the public sector just to escape the uncertainty. This was an excellent decision since I must have become somewhat institutionalised. It was only upon leaving that I realised what a dysfunctional place PDSA was and how normal workplaces with normal leaderships don't stoke this culture of fear and instability.
Since leaving, the restructures have continued. Eventually the axe fell on my former department, and whatever goal the leadership is aiming for has continued to evade them. During COVID-19, the ruthless, unethical, self-serving leadership decided it was another great opportunity for yet another massive restructure. So they turfed out another cohort of long-serving staff into a bleak economy. Former colleagues who gave PDSA their best years, continually delivering excellent results just thrown under the bus for another throw of the dice by the leadership, who then went on to hire a bunch of new staff with slightly different job titles. All while the failing leadership remains unchanged.
Do not accept a job at PDSA. Even if you thrive in your role, you *will* be put at risk of redundancy at some point. You'll see colleagues in tears as they are put at risk, you'll see new people come and go, and eventually it'll be your turn. It's just how PDSA operates.
