The 5 Star Podcast

Charlie Hunt and Jon Payne
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

The hilarious podcast about businesses with bad reviews. Each week, Jon and Charlie dissect some Google reviews, provide life coaching for the reviewer and unsolicited business advice for the business owner.

  1. Mar 31

    "A Lot of Carrot on the Stick Situations" — Lush Employees Review Their Workplace

    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

    58 min

  2. Mar 4

    "Edging Is Strictly Forbidden" — We Reviewed Their Glassdoor

    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

    55 min

  3. Feb 16

    She Actually Worked Here | Halifax Glassdoor Reviews

    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?

    53 min

  4. Feb 2

    Did We Find The Best 1-Star Review Of All Time? | Poundstretcher S4E3 Glassdoor

    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.

    50 min

  5. Jan 18

    Will A Death Slide In Reception Make For A Happy Team?

    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

    47 min

  6. Jan 4

    Revealed: What it's like to work for a tobacco company... Spoiler: TOXIC!

    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

    1h 2m

  7. 04/21/2025

    O2 Academy, Bristol - TOTALLY STANK OF FISH?

    🎸 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

    52 min

  8. 04/07/2025

    McDonald's Reviews - FRAUD FOR BREAKFAST

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    57 min
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About

The hilarious podcast about businesses with bad reviews. Each week, Jon and Charlie dissect some Google reviews, provide life coaching for the reviewer and unsolicited business advice for the business owner.

Information

  • Creator
    Charlie Hunt and Jon Payne
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Charlie Hunt and Jon Payne
  • Show Website
    The 5 Star Podcast