The 5 Star Podcast

This week we're getting into Lush - the one with the soapy smell that drags you in off the high street like a cartoon character chasing a pie on a windowsill. Charlie's a fan. Jon is not. And someone on Glassdoor called it the most toxic, soul-crushing job they'd ever had. Fun times!We read the reviews - including a five-star that listed "I smell too good now" as the only con - and found out that Lush won Best Places to Work UK 2026 on Glassdoor, which tells you absolutely nothing, it turns out.There's a CEO guess, a broken metaphor so mangled it deserves its own bath bomb, and a take on mental health days that we absolutely could not post on LinkedIn. Charlie also tells a story from her corporate days that is genuinely brilliant management advice disguised as chaos. Reviews are unverified. We don't intend to harm the reputation of any business or individual. Particularly those who are high on their own supply.🔔 Subscribe, comment, tell your mates. It costs nothing and it means the world.

#lush #glassdoor #fiveStarPodcast #workplaceculture #businesspodcast #lushcosmetics #retail #hrpodcast #smeadvice #smallbusinessadviceChapters00:00 The Five Star Podcast presents: Lush01:30 Tangent: Parsons Bakery, Mark's Bread, and Charlie's cheese toasty problem10:02 The Company - Lush by the numbers14:37 CEO Guess - Jon has an unfair advantage15:07 Interviews at Lush: role play, group activities, Australia20:02 Five-Star Review - "I smell too good now"21:09 Bad Reviews - toxic positivity, "carrot on the stick", and the marketing team41:30 The One-Star - "soul-cresting"50:00 Bowls. Is my manager a prick?56:30 One Minute of Actually Good Advice

This week we're looking at what it's like to work at this notorious and very high traffic website via the medium of employee reviews from Glassdoor.

Some of employee feedback is from people claiming job titles we cannot verify.

And yes, one of them lists "edging is strictly forbidden" as a workplace con.

The site turns out to be owned by a company called MindGeek, which was acquired by a private equity firm with an incredible name.

Charlie immediately fell in love with the chairman based solely on his name, despite everything she'd just learned about him.

We also answer the question, when exactly should you hand in your notice? And get into the Jon Ronson rabbit hole, Jon's deeply formative experience cutting round product images pixel by pixel for a adult website in 2001, and discuss the most baffling resignation conversation between an employer and employee.

There's some actual good advice for SMEs about probation periods, among all the usual bad language and messing about.

Reviews are unverified. We don't intend to harm the reputation of any business or individual. We are nice people. Please sponsor us.

🔔 Subscribe if it's your first time here — new episodes every couple of weeks.

🔗 Bethany Joy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iambethanyjoy/

🔗 Joyann Boyce on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyannboyce/

Chapters

08:30 The Company

12:00 Five-Star Review

14:52 Bad Reviews

30:44 Ethical Capital??

37:07 When do you tell your boss you're leaving?

50:07 One Minute of Actually Good Advice - probation periods

Charlie's first proper job was at Halifax - back when banks had branches, customers had passbooks, and one regular had a disgusting weekly habit she'd rather forget. This week we're reviewing the Glassdoor reviews, discovering why you shouldn't drink and review, and debating whether customer service should be mandatory national service.

In the Bowls: someone's boyfriend wants to co-found a startup with his ex. Wtf?

A former buyer spent ten years at Poundstretcher and left a Glassdoor review so beautifully written we think it might be the best one-star review of all time.

"Single ply lavatory paper that dissolved at the touch of hope." Dickensian prose about discount retail misery, funereal carpet tiles, and loyalty rewarded with... an insulting gift, basically.

The full, glorious review is here: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/PoundStretcher-Reviews-E385986.htm?sort.sortType=OR&sort.ascending=true&filter.jobTitleFTS=Assistant+Buyer

Plus: the state of UK high streets in 2025, what happens when your remote job offers zero interaction, and Jon once called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs ... well, something not that.

The fluffy green energy company has a 2.6 star rating on Glassdoor. Ouch.

Jon and Charlie dissect OVO Energy's reviews, including a one-star review that's somehow praise, a software engineer with extremely specific grievances about "craft managers," and discover that the office slide injured three people on day one.

Plus: staff vs workforce, gifting in the Philippines, and knowing when your company has outgrown you.

Chapters

00:00 - OVO Background

05:15 - CEO Guessing Game: Chris Hampton

08:30 - Employee Reviews

27:30 - The Deranged Software Engineer's Manifesto

35:15 - The Death Slide Tangent

38:00 - Bowls: Gifting Your Philippines Resources

44:30 - Best Ways to Reward Your Workforce (not staff)

52:15 - One Minute of Actually Good Advice

Money Expert Charlie and Sales Guy Jon dig into Imperial Brands (formerly Imperial Tobacco) — the Bristol-based tobacco giant with a 3.3 star Glassdoor rating and an actual toxicologist on payroll. In this episode:🔥 Why Imperial Brands needs 500 words to justify selling cigarettes💼 A senior toxicologist gives 5 stars (and we have questions)📉 An SDR with grammar so bad we question everything🤖 Job farms, AI interviews, and why your remote interview might be a scam☕ Networking advice that actually works (shocking, we know)Plus: We apologise for disappearing, explain why the sound is a bit rubbish for the next few episodes, and Jon confesses his undying love for secondhand smoke.💬 Drop a comment if you've worked somewhere that makes you question your life choices — Charlie's giving away merch to commenters!Subscribe for more chaotic business content.Chapters0:00 Sound Quality Apology + Season Intro0:59 Welcome to The 5 Star Podcast5:09 Imperial Brands: Who Are They?10:07 Glassdoor Overview15:00 Glassdoor Employee Reviews37:33 Job Search Strategies That Actually Work59:41 One Minute of Actually Good Advice#5starpod #Glassdoor #ImperialBrands #WorkplaceCulture #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #Bristol #BusinessPodcast #GlassdoorReviews #businessethics #businessstrategy #businesstips

🎸 Gigs, Chaos & Questionable Odours: The 5 Star Podcast Hits O2 Academy Bristol 🎸This week, The 5 Star Podcast heads to the legendary O2 Academy Bristol — where the amps are loud, the crowd's rowdy, and the reviews smell a little... fishy.Expect:A LOT of gig chat (borderline obsessive, really).Pure, unfiltered Bristol anarchy.An unexpected detour into the world of prostate examinations (don’t ask).Jon reliving the trauma of a VERY slow prog gig he'll never emotionally recover from.A heartfelt homage to the stunning group that is Ezra Collective (all hail).The eternal debate: packed in like sardines, or just genuinely smelling of fish?It’s live music, life lessons, and classic 5 Star Pod nonsense, served loud.And remember: like, subscribe, and always wear earplugs (and deodorant).Peace, Love & Mosh Pits,Team 5 Star Pod 🎤P.S. Got a business to plug? Head over to ⁠5starpod.com⁠ and let us know!

Cherry Red Records / Van Der Graff Generator at Bath Forum 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztnAIgbpVdI

#

🚢 Posh Boats & Bad Reviews: The 5 Star Podcast Takes on Celebrity Cruises 🚢This week, The 5 Star Podcast sets sail into the world of Celebrity Cruises, where luxury meets absolute chaos—both onboard and in the reviews.Expect:Some lovely big portholes (size matters).Some extremely unverified Trustpilot reviews.The ongoing investigation into whether Charlie is an AI-generated Swede, half beaver, a CIA agent, or the reincarnation of Lady Di.Potentially—a drop of genuine business advice (but don’t hold your breath).The worst grammar ever seen in a review (prepare yourselves).A huge and shameless beg for sponsorship.And Jon’s deep, unwavering hatred for everyone with peanut allergies.It’s boats, baffling identities, and 5 Star Pod nonsense at its finest.And remember: like, subscribe, and always read the fine print before boarding.Peace, Love & Portholes,Team 5 Star Pod ⚓P.S. Got a business to plug? Head over to ⁠5starpod.com⁠ and let us know! (Seriously, we need subscribers, so like, subscribe and all that good stuff.)#reviews #podcast #5starpod

📦 Lost & Damned: The 5 Star Podcast Takes on Evri 📦

This week, The 5 Star Podcast braves the abyss that is Evri, the courier service where your parcel’s fate is as mysterious as Jon’s search history.

Expect:

Some serious camera troubles—get used to Charlie staring into the middle distance.

Chicken chat that never actually happens (they tried, they failed).

One of Jon’s deeply concerning sexual fantasies.

Bible facts from Jon.

A new feature - Bot or Not? Will it stick, probably not.

And Jon rapping a review—whether the world is ready or not.

It’s lost parcels, lost dignity, and Charlie losing the battle with the English language—classic 5 Star vibes.

And remember: like, subscribe, and if your package arrives, consider it a miracle.

Peace, Love & Lost Packages,Team 5 Star Pod 🚛

P.S. Got a business to plug? Head over to ⁠5starpod.com⁠ and let us know!