Charlie's first proper job was at Halifax - back when banks had branches, customers had passbooks, and one regular had a disgusting weekly habit she'd rather forget. This week we're reviewing the Glassdoor reviews, discovering why you shouldn't drink and review, and debating whether customer service should be mandatory national service.

In the Bowls: someone's boyfriend wants to co-found a startup with his ex. Wtf?

A former buyer spent ten years at Poundstretcher and left a Glassdoor review so beautifully written we think it might be the best one-star review of all time.

"Single ply lavatory paper that dissolved at the touch of hope." Dickensian prose about discount retail misery, funereal carpet tiles, and loyalty rewarded with... an insulting gift, basically.

The full, glorious review is here: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/PoundStretcher-Reviews-E385986.htm?sort.sortType=OR&sort.ascending=true&filter.jobTitleFTS=Assistant+Buyer

Plus: the state of UK high streets in 2025, what happens when your remote job offers zero interaction, and Jon once called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ... well, something not that.

The fluffy green energy company has a 2.6 star rating on Glassdoor. Ouch.

Jon and Charlie dissect OVO Energy's reviews, including a one-star review that's somehow praise, a software engineer with extremely specific grievances about "craft managers," and discover that the office slide injured three people on day one.

Plus: staff vs workforce, gifting in the Philippines, and knowing when your company has outgrown you.

Chapters

00:00 - OVO Background

05:15 - CEO Guessing Game: Chris Hampton

08:30 - Employee Reviews

27:30 - The Deranged Software Engineer's Manifesto

35:15 - The Death Slide Tangent

38:00 - Bowls: Gifting Your Philippines Resources

44:30 - Best Ways to Reward Your Workforce (not staff)

52:15 - One Minute of Actually Good Advice