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      Virgin Active

      Engaged Employer

      Virgin Active reviews

      3.4

      53% would recommend to a friend

      (1,225 total reviews)

      Dean Kowarski

      55% approve of CEO

      40% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.9

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.3

      Culture & values

      3.2

      Work/Life balance

      3.1

      Compensation and benefits

      3.0

      Senior management

      3.0

      Career opportunities

      Virgin Active has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 1,225 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Virgin Active employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Servizi personali per i consumatori industry (3.3 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      1K reviews
      2.0
      Jul 19, 2017

      Disintergrated

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I am struggling as it has left a sour taste... The staff were brilliant, because it takes a certain someone to swallow corporate nonsense and carry on with their job Free membership and discounts with Virgin brands

      Cons

      This used to be an amazing company to work for, who genuinely appreciated and valued their staff. Nearly 6 years ago after they bought Esporta, I saw the rise of VA, but then they seemed to just get greedy. It went very commercial and corporate greed seemed to set in. It was literally all about the figures. Over the course of the last 3 years, the company has disintegrated from 122 to 40 clubs, leaving huge amounts of people redundant/jobless. The chances of progression were literally swept from under your feet. TH new MD Robert Cook comes across as very untrustworthy, a sentiment shared amongst many people at ALL levels. The whole company knew about the sale of clubs po David Lloyd approx 2.5months before the announcement, yet the leadership team denied it (I guess they had too) Rumour has it they plan to sell all clubs outside of the M25 so be careful if you are planning on a carrer up North! They constantly change the "mission" and recently even changed the companies "Values" but held back on releasing the "straight up" value seeing as they were not being straight up about DL!!

      avatar
      Virgin Active Response
      8y
      Thank you for taking the time to review us. Thank you for your hard work over the 5 years you were with us. Although you don’t seem to have had a positive experience recently, we hope there were some good things that kept you with the business so long! It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the team you worked with and benefitted from the complimentary Virgin Active membership and wider Virgin discounts. We have made some changes in the last year and this has meant a reduction in the size of the business. As a result of the sale of Clubs, all staff were allowed to transfer along with the new company. This had been strategically decided and an important step in our international strategy to focus on developing and operating sites in metropolitan and commuter hubs. We have considerable opportunities for investment and growth in the UK and a great future for our existing and new clubs. Our Senior Leadership team is fully on board with this strategy and committed to driving the business forward with our people and members at the forefront. The Values were a great new launch for us and we’re really pleased with how they’ve been received. With 6 new Virgin Values, we chose to concentrate on 3 of them at Virgin Active that resonate with our clubs the best. We feel they’re really making a difference to our people and members. Thank you again for your feedback, all the best for the future. Radha
      5.0
      Jun 3, 2017

      Challenging but rewarding!

      Fitness and personal training manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      I've been with Virgin Active since the sale of Esporta and have found my time at the company challenging but enjoyable and rewarding. If you're willing to work hard, you really get out what you put in. I've found Virgin have been very supportive of, if not actively pushing, my career progression. My development is constantly reviewed and I am given the tools not only to do my job but also to continually increase my skill set. It's been a lot of fun and I've got some great memories. You do work very hard but it's also a great culture to be a part of.

      Cons

      The hours are long and unsociable, sometimes messing with your body clock. Service Management shifts in particular can cause problems.

      avatar
      Virgin Active Response
      8y
      Thanks for the awesome review, 5*’s is really encouraging! Being a long term employee, you certainly have experienced the benefits and experiences of career progression and development within the company and it sounds like you have added to the successes of the business as well as being supported and consistently been reviewed. The nature of our industry does require early starts and late finishes, which I appreciate can be tough – thank you for your commitment! Radha
      1.0
      Apr 3, 2017

      General Manager

      General manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Club environment can be enjoyable with dedicated and hard working staff. You also enjoy a free membership for yourself and a friend.

      Cons

      It has been a shame to see a complete shambles of a UK strategy see the company grown to 120+ clubs in 2013 to selling off the vast majority with more likely to go. Whilst it is clear senior leadership will never be in place for longer than 18 months, poor decisions have ultimately seen many good employees lose their jobs. Ultimately, Virgin Active lacks any care for people and will treat you as a number. It is a real shame to have personally experienced shabby treatment and having served the business as a loyal General Manager for a number of years have now totally lost my faith in a business I once loved working for.

      avatar
      Virgin Active Response
      9y
      Thank you for your review, it’s good to hear your thoughts, although a shame you feel that way. We have made some changes in the last year and this has meant a reduction in the size of the business. This has been a strategical decision and an important step in our international strategy to focus on developing and operating sites in metropolitan and commuter hubs. We have considerable opportunities for investment and growth in the UK and a great future for our existing and new clubs. Our Senior Leadership team is fully on board with this strategy and committed to driving the business forward with our people and members at the forefront. We really hope as we do this, to gain your trust back in the business, which is really important to us to retain great people and reward you for your hard work. I’m really keen to discuss this with you further and if you’d be open to a confidential conversation, I’d appreciate if you can contact me directly by email on jeanette.hartley@virginactive.co.uk Hope to speak to you soon, Jeanette
      Viewing 25 - 27 of 1,225 Reviews
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      ReviewsVirgin Active reviews

      Glassdoor has 1,459 Virgin Active reviews submitted anonymously by Virgin Active employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Virgin Active is right for you.