Does Hays pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Hays employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Hays. This rating has improved by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Hays?

67% of Hays employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Hays 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Hays?

Recruitment Consultant (1005) , Consultant (379) , Recruiter (365) , Senior Recruitment Consultant (229) , Associate Recruitment Consultant (224) , Senior Consultant (208) , Associate Consultant (199) , Manager (169) , Account Manager (148) , Business Manager (121) , Director (90) , Senior Manager (87) , Intern (79) , Consultant en recrutement (76) , Key Account Manager (74)

What are the pros of working at Hays according to real employee reviews?

"The company wide training is good and comprehensive." ((in 688 reviews)); "The culture here is great now and the business is transforming in a positive direction." ((in 424 reviews)); "I worked with really great people over a number of years with Hays and made some fabulous friends." ((in 309 reviews)); "I was lucky to be part of a great team who weren’t cut throat and were caring." ((in 221 reviews)); "Great support and colleagues." ((in 166 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Hays according to real employee reviews?

"Long hours and often expected to stay behind which can lead to burn out very quickly." ((in 354 reviews)); "Industry has low salaries for junior staff and Hays is no different" ((in 329 reviews)); "Low pay and sometimes less shifts" ((in 145 reviews)); "Flexibility for working hours" ((in 132 reviews)); "KPI's are really high and no work life balance" ((in 131 reviews))

What are employees saying about Hays layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Hays layoffs and their outlook for job security at Hays in 2026.

Hays reviews

3.6

67% would recommend to a friend

(5,762 total reviews)

Mark Dearnley

99% approve of CEO

53% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (5,762 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Hays has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 5,762 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Hays employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Personalwesen industry (3.8 stars).

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

2.0

May 20, 2017

Recruiter - Typical Agency

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Contract team has competitive salary If you're in the right line of business, good money to be made

Cons

Some backstabbing personalities Perm team pay isn't competitive Very high school type issues

Hays Response

9y

Could I ask for us to have a more detailed conversation about your comments and experience? You can reach me on 0203 465 0202.

2.0

May 17, 2017

Recruitment Consultant

Recruitment consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Big organisation with huge PSAs

Cons

Been treated like a number. Very low base salaries and very low commission structure. Been put into a very narrow desk with not much chance of doing deals (placements)...then my desk got split again in 6 months bringing in one more new employee

Hays Response

9y

I'm disappointed to read your review as I know the ANZ business has a great culture and strong management team to support development. Desks do get split but only there were is a need based on growth in market or our market share so I would see this as a positive and the opportunity to mentor someone new in the team. Director packages are structured the same way everyone's is. We offer a base salary and uncapped commission - everyone is treated the same.

1.0

May 8, 2017

Terrible firm masked by good PR and a faltering reputation

Recruitment consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

As they have been a long time in locations, they have a lot of candidates on their database

Cons

As a company they value whether you fit their cliché mould over whether you are good at your job. Horribly two-faced team, awful uninterested management. Most workers are not proactive and sit around waiting for business; awful for a sales company. Top down 'one methodology suits all' approach, no chance to learn, management do not inspire or lead by example. Any creativity is crushed until you lose motivation. Hays are basically building a team of clones that are tasked with filling the database with info, which will probably be the first 'technical' recruitment service that means they no longer have to pay commission. Terrible firm that is disliked by most that work there and a huge amount of clients in the market

Hays Response

9y

I am disappointed to read your comments about one of our London businesses and would like to understand why your experience at Hays is so vastly different to that of the majority of our people. If you are open to discussing your glassdoor review, please call me on 0203 465 0202. Thank you.

Viewing 313 - 315 of 5,762 Reviews

Jobs at Hays

Maintenance Supervisor

Service Delivery/Customer Success Manager

SNP Data Migration Specialist

Hays

Hays reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Recruiter - Typical Agency

Recruitment Consultant

Terrible firm masked by good PR and a faltering reputation

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