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?

66% 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 (1002) , Consultant (378) , Recruiter (365) , Senior Recruitment Consultant (229) , Associate Recruitment Consultant (224) , Senior Consultant (208) , Associate Consultant (199) , Manager (169) , Account Manager (148) , Business Manager (119) , Director (90) , Senior Manager (85) , 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 674 reviews)); "Most of the teams have a great culture and it’s a very success driven company." ((in 435 reviews)); "I worked with really great people over a number of years with Hays and made some fabulous friends." ((in 316 reviews)); "I was lucky to be part of a great team who weren’t cut throat and were caring." ((in 206 reviews)); "Great support and colleagues." ((in 161 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 361 reviews)); "Industry has low salaries for junior staff and Hays is no different" ((in 334 reviews)); "KPI's are really high and no work life balance" ((in 132 reviews)); "Clearly the management training is failing as all the managers do is micromanage instead of nurturing and supporting." ((in 108 reviews)); "Aggressive and condescending Vice President and Senior Management" ((in 44 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

66% would recommend to a friend

(5,756 total reviews)

Mark Dearnley

99% approve of CEO

52% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

3.3

Compensation and benefits

Hays has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 5,756 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 Recursos humanos industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

2.0

Sep 2, 2008

Good Training, for a career head elsewhere

Recruitment consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good spirit and morale betweeen colleagues. Good people work there and I have made some great, life-long friends.

Cons

Favouritist towards certain members of staff, rewards based on length of service, not skill. Bad management style and strongly in denial towards the staff about any threat of credit crunch/recession. Very long hours and often it seems that if you don't stay late most nights you are scowled at and it is noticed. Also as the workforce is quite young there is a lot of immaturity and inappropriate behaviour in what is meant to be a professional environment. Very poor comission structure in relation to others in the industry.

5.0

Nov 23, 2015

Hays Review

Associate recruitment consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Consultants are encouraged to run their desk as their own business which gives recruiters the chance to take ownership of their work flow, KPI's, effort and most importantly their commission. This job proves that the more you put, in the more you get out. Training is second to none. A nine month programme is in place for Associates to complete before being promoted – this training programme does not prevent associates from earning well via commission. If anything, the good habits and text-book ways can ensure quick turnaround placements and fees. The management style in my team is encouraging and at times completely selfless. Efforts are made to make sure that hard work is always recognised and rewarded.

Cons

Long work hours (which is to be expected in recruitment.) On average, the working day is 08:00 - 18:00. No parking on site complemented by terrible city traffic (the latter is obviously no fault of Hays.)

Hays Response

10y

Many thanks for your review on our Cambridge office. I have passed your comments and advice onto the Regional Managing Director.

5.0

Nov 3, 2015

A great 10 years!

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great training, from day 1 I have felt like I am running my own business with the support of a Plc. Progression is there for anyone who wants it and I love that I have complete control over my pay - if I stay late I am rewarded.

Cons

Long hours but that would be the same anywhere in the industry and don't see this as too much of a downside as i see the reward in my pay!

Hays Response

10y

Thank you for a great review and here's to another 10 years in our business.

Viewing 5752 - 5754 of 5,756 Reviews

Jobs at Hays

Senior Incident Response Engineer

Service Delivery/Customer Success Manager

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Hays

Hays reviews

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Reviews by job title

Good Training, for a career head elsewhere

Hays Review

A great 10 years!

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