Long hours, no growth, outdated tech, and zero HR visibility - Senior Software Engineer (SDE3) Oracle Employee Review

1.0
Feb 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Job stability in early years Salary credited on time Good appraisal ratings on paper (received 4/5 consistently and one year 5/5)

Cons

No salary hike in 4+ years despite strong appraisal ratings Extremely long working hours (12–15 hours daily) with no compensation or recognition Worked only on very old, legacy tech stack, leading to skill stagnation and downgrade No interaction with HR throughout tenure; everything depended solely on manager No internal communication or transparency Strong office politics and favoritism, including family/close-circle bias Micromanagement culture instead of trust and ownership Career growth discussions are ignored; feedback goes nowhere Recently many team members were laid off, workload increased significantly for remaining employees Ongoing fear of further layoffs, creating toxic and stressful environment Performance ratings do not translate into growth, hike, or role change

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5.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work life balance, AI focus

Cons

RIF's, Long processes and approvals

4.0
Oct 21, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Every group/division can be different in how they treat their employees, but I'd say overall there is very good atmosphere of trust and fairness. There is a strong focus on education, and they reimburse for outside classes taken (Up to 5k/year I think). Benefits are good, and I'd say quite competitive in the market. Good 401K matching (they'll contribute a max of 3% of your 6% or greater). Free drinks in the breakroom. Flexibility to work from home at times. (If you live 50+ miles away from an office you can work full-time from home...policy).

Cons

They don't try to make the workplace anything special (maybe a pool table and arcade game are cliche or gimmicky?). In the 10 years I've worked there, they've given 2 measly %1 cost of living raises (this is the same with most everyone I've spoken to, some don't get any raises). You will not get a substantial raise ever, unless you leave then get rehired on (they will not match offers, better to leave). New employees that you train will make 10 - 20K more than you several years after you hire on (not just me, they do this to all tenured employees). They will give these untrained, less experienced people higher titles (again this is done to everyone not just me). You learn pretty quickly that you're dispensable. The company has billions in cash and they don't re-invest in their employees, just in acquiring new companies and hiring new people that know nothing that you get to train.

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