Pros
The company presents a very challenging environment to work in, particularly in the Technology department, with its fair share of both positives and negatives. There's definitely a lot to learn in the fintech space. The company offers some positive aspects, such as a well-located office. They organise regular events. There are good learning opportunities, including free online courses and access to LinkedIn Learning, which are valuable for professional development. Additionally, the salaries are fair - probably not for everyone. Working on some cutting-edge technologies in ETS department and always striving to improve the team members' skills, knowledge and capabilities. A hybrid work environment with some flexibility in working hours - 2 days in the office
Cons
Many structural changes caused the laying off of some people without any clear reason as to how this would boost the company's productivity and improve delivery unlike whats happening on the ground at the moment, lots of confusion and unclarity being faced in this transitional period which will eventually collapse but the people at the top never listen to the experienced employees among the teams. The company suffers from a deeply toxic work culture, driven by ineffective management styles, especially in the Data Services and payments Domain. A significant concern is the company's disregard strategy for Software Testing and Quality Assurance processes and best practices. The focus on speed over quality has led to a decline in the software testing mindset, with the company expecting developers to handle testing tasks under a poorly implemented DevOps model that doesn’t suit the nature of these environments while delivering buggy products with a list of tech debts that never get prioritized. There is a clear lack of decision-makers and problem-solvers among stakeholders, resulting in continuous, unrealistic pressure on the development and testing teams. Specialization is virtually nonexistent, leading to inefficiency and role confusion. Some people would get involved in questioning other areas and people's work. The company also demonstrates poor loyalty, with little effort to retain high-calibre employees, contributing to high turnover and a loss of critical skills - all the good people leave. Stakeholders exacerbate inefficiencies by organizing excessive, time-wasting meetings that add zero value. Additionally, there is a worrying lack of technical knowledge and understanding of software and system design, making it difficult to address complex challenges effectively. Agile processes, including sprint capacity, velocity, planning, and retrospectives & risks are poorly managed, leading to misaligned expectations and overburdened teams. Despite the hard work of employees, their efforts often go unrecognized, contributing to low morale. Perfomance evaluation system that's not understandable by managers that they have to pass it to the teams that are never aligned with any pre-agreed objectives. The definition of 'Chaos' Some people with senior titles but the reality is different with a shocking level of skillset and professionalism. The People & Culture team, is plagued by inflated egos, leading to a significant waste of time and effort on less important matters, most of the surveys around employees' happiness and culture are terrible, with lots of gossiping, siloes and no integrity, instead of working on the ground and focusing on their core mission of supporting and collaborating closely with delivery and product teams, they often get sidetracked. This has resulted in a lack of proper oversight to ensure that team members are performing their duties effectively, sticking to their roles, and refraining from unnecessary criticism of others’ work. The department should be more proactive in addressing issues like micromanagement and bossy behavior, ensuring that such conduct is appropriately dealt with.