Pros
-Intentions
Decathlon has 4 clear values to buy into: vitality is the most important, then comes sincerity, responsability and generosity. It also has a clear mission statement that wants to make sport accessible to all. It also has other sound policies regarding customer service and human resources.
-Responsability
From day 1, a Decathlete has a lot of responsability and is in a position to make decisions that can drastically affect his business. For Sales Assistants, this can range from innovating or improving existing processes such as merchandising, taking on extra responsabilities such as the online marketing of the store, liaising with sports clubs, managing the delivery or the back store processes. For managers, this ranges mainly from changing your commercial policy, the way you want to manage your staff, the products that you want to sell, the staff that you want to hire and your team structure, and PR.
-Autonomy
Your boss will set you objectives, and you are to be autonomous in reaching those targets - within reason of course. Usually you will be asked to draft an action plan that you and your boss can agree on. You will be expected to carry out your action plans. And they will be debriefed on an, at least, monthly basis during an individual meeting. Management by objectives is usually a good thing. First proclaimed by Peter Drucker!
-Career Progression
Career opportunities are aplenty within the company because it is expanding and is conquering new terriroties. This is more true in countries such as China, India, and the UK (non-exhaustive). The standard path is to start in the role of a sales assistant or a department manager, then move up to operations manager, then store manager. Beyond store management, there lies a wealth of possibilities. From HR, to product management, to marketing. Decathlon is part of a much larger group named Oxylane that recrutes it's senior managers from Decathlon's cohort of store managers.
There exists also horizontal progression such as becoming national product trainer.
-Work Hard Play Hard
Disclaimer: some stores are like this. As of July 2014 there were only a few that had a good work atmosphere. Usually this is more the case in stores; in University cities (Southampton, Surrey Quays, Sheffield, ...) and in newer stores (Oxford, Glasgow Braehead, Southampton, ...).
Cons
The idiology of the company is great and the company has the potential to be an exceptional place to work. However, it is not. It can be in some stores, and under some managers. Under others it can be a debilitating waste of time. I know because I have worked in four different stores and under 5 different direct managers and with 5 different stores managers.
In my opinion it is a blend of several factors that are at play;
First of, store managers have all the autonomy and responsability bestowed by their title. Some managers are exemplary in their behaviour and their display of integrity and effectiveness. Others are less than that. Secondly, HR either does not have expectations regarding the handling of specific situations, or - as is usually more the case - does not have the will to enforce them. These are only some of the most common situations are known to cause havoc;
... incomprehensible internal promotions (there exist clear-cut defining criteria for chosing a man or woman from the inside, but this is more often than not overlooked)
... poor communications for all the stake-holders surrounding internal promotions (talented people leaving the company because nobody spoke to them about upcoming human changes and the - sometimes unfathomable - motives at play.
... discipline for staff. No clear disciplinary system like many other corporations have. This means that a manager is unable to discipline a member of staff, because staff on other teams are not being disciplined for the specific behaviour. Managers often feel powerless as discipline is very rare within the company and dismissals are even rarer, but do happen for Gross Misconducts. Expect to see a few staff behave inappropriately on a regular basis.
-Problem stores
Some stores are known to be unsatisfying places to work. Unfortunately it is often the oldest stores with the more experienced staff that are the hardest to work at.
