From The Best Place To Work...To The Absolute Worst - Software Developer System C Employee Review

Anyone coming into System C today will feel like starting their new job on the Titanic after it has already hit the iceberg. System C used to be a family orientated company. Employees were treated like human beings, we all used to get together twice a year and the company shared it's profits amongst all employees. The pandemic was a tough period, like it was for many businesses but under the previous leadership, the company could have bounced back and turned profits we had no doubt. But instead, a new CEO comes in and systematically and underhandedly removed all of the existing senior management team and replaces them with his underqualified buddies from elsewhere. This is followed by rounds upon rounds and then further rounds of redundancies stretching the workforce so thin that the people who are left are doing the work of three or four people. Bonuses were restructured and measured against unrealistic targets, company parties were done away with and the overall mood of the workforce now is one of extremely low morale and motivation. Ironically, line managers will have empathy because they are in the same boat. There is no strategy, the products are littered with bugs because all of the developers were let go, customers are leaving in their numbers and all we are told is "the business is going through a transition". They don't know what they are transitioning to though to start with. They claim they are investing in the business but this is just throwing good money at bad decisions because the people at the top don't know what they are doing. When business decisions don't work out, more redundancies are made but the decision makers themselves remain and ready to mess up again. We work to tight and unrealistic deadlines then get pulled into town halls and urgent meetings where we have to sit through mind numbing presentations about something irrelevant to 99% of the employees job roles. The CEO talks about EBITDA religiously using jargon nobody understands then tells everyone this is why we wont receive bonuses. People are working at breaking point then we are told we need to push harder. Is it any wonder people are leaving this company in their masses? Those roles are then not replaced. They send out twice yearly surveys to staff asking for feedback. Staff respond giving candid answers, the biggest being salary which is nowhere near market rate. We then get pulled on to yet another company meeting to go over the feedback and the first response is "putting pay aside". Why send out surveys if you are going to ignore the primary response and not take others seriously? I have been a remote worker at this company for over 10 years, even prior to the pandemic. My work was always completed on time, even if I had to work longer days. I was told out of the blue that from January this year I had to work from the office full time. My nearest office being 45 minutes away, I have school runs and I am a single parent so I explained this was not possible only to be told by my manager that the decision was already made (from someone higher than him). Come this month because of childcare needs I continued to work from home, all work was completed on time as usual but I receive a call from somebody in a very senior position that I was facing disciplinary action for this. That was the last straw! I write this review today after just handing my notice in and walking out. Good luck to all the hard working people still at System C and I hope you all get out and find something better soon. This company is doomed under the current leadership.