The targets set by HQ are seriously high and the pressure is enormous. Ingeus pride themselves on helping people find sustainable employment (i.e work that lasts at least 6 months), but if you miss your target by a little you can be out the door. Also, the probationary period is conveniently 6 months so nothing out of the ordinary shows to outsiders. The nature of long-term unemployment and welfare-to-work is challenging enough without the constant pressure to hit numbers based on financial income at corporate level.
Targets are also reliant on long-term unemployed staying in their new roles long enough (you get measured on sustainability - i.e. if you client gets a job, they must stay there for 6 months otherwise you'll miss your sustainability target). This is to avoid putting people into temporary vacancies, but it also means you are dealing with people who have "worked the system" for years to avoid working, and even if they are placed into sustainable jobs (i.e. permanent) and they mess up, it's your fault.
There also seems to be a culture of rewarding people who cut corners to perform well, which management and HR appear to turn a blind eye too. I personally saw a number of colleagues bending the rules to achieve their targets and a number of them have since been promoted to highly paid roles. Whistle-blowing is risky because you feel like an outcast in an instant. It seems that as long as the company is seen to be performing, then it's okay to cut corners here and there to maximise performance, even if it is to the detriment of other areas.
Promotions are also linked to performance, which is important but also crazy as it means some people constantly get overlooked for a role they would be perfect for because they didn't hit their target that quarter. Hitting targets doesn't automatically make you a good manager - you need more skills and qualities than that, but it is not the case here.
