What makes you think this is in England?
I spent a year at the WFC corporate office in Austin. It’s a low key circus where nothing gets done. I was called “grandpa” by the team that I managed and I took it all in stride since I called them whining, spoiled children.
I took over three projects that would take about four months to complete. In month 10, I still couldn’t get a VP, 20 years my junior to make a decision on which color floor tiles to get for the store. I told him there was a standard since pretty much every store is built the same, using the same vendors. He wouldn’t believe it.
Every week, my status meeting was cancelled because of things like skateboard slalom in the aisles or who’s bike is the best decorated. After 10 months of status reports highlighting this and other items I could complete with a phone call, I was finally called into a senior staff meeting to explain why activities were six months behind schedule.
After being berated by someone half my age and with no clue, in front of a room full of directors and other meaningless titles, I said my piece.
“I’m six months behind schedule because the idiot who is the equivalent of a VP cannot make up his F’ing mind on what color he wants the floor tiles to be. They are all the same! And then apparently none of you bothered to read my status reports or would accept meetings from me even though I am telling you what the heck is going on. And to top it all off, why am I the first person in the office at 07:00 and the last to leave at 16:00? Doesn’t anyone work?”
I was thanked by someone ( because we have to give kudos at the end of a meeting) and went back to my desk to finish up the day. I stayed there for two additional months with no one talking to me. It gave be time to update my resume. Once I hit a year I left.