Pros
Excellent Onboarding Process: The first month was well-structured, allowing new employees to quickly understand the company’s business, people, and responsibilities. This helped in navigating the work environment efficiently. Friendly Colleagues: The team consisted mainly of expats, making it easy to connect with coworkers and build friendships. The overall workplace atmosphere was welcoming and sociable. Well-Organized Yearly Company Trip: The company arranged an annual trip, bringing together colleagues from around the world. It was well-organized and a great opportunity to bond with coworkers while having fun. While there was no bonus, the trip somewhat compensated for it.
Cons
Lack of Technical Work and Growth: The role lacked actual development tasks. Most of the work involved service configurations and minor connection implementations, leaving little room for coding, problem-solving, or career growth as a developer. Lack of Trust and Micromanagement: Despite management insisting they were not micromanaging, the reality was quite the opposite. There were three mandatory meetings per week, two team-wide meetings and a 1-on-1 with the direct manager, where employees had to provide detailed explanations of their work. Simply naming tasks wasn’t enough; the more details given, the more “productive” one appeared, even if no one seemed to be actively listening. Many discussions were repetitive, yet reporting remained mandatory. The 1-on-1 meetings were especially exhausting, requiring both verbal discussions and written reports. Employees were asked to justify their time usage down to specific hours, with questions like, “Why did this task take so long?” or “What did you do between 8 AM and 10 AM today?” The level of scrutiny over minor details created a strong sense of distrust. While this may not have been the case in all teams, in some Amsterdam teams, it was a significant issue, making it clear that management did not trust employees to work independently. Sick Leave and Lack of Trust: There was a lack of trust when it came to requesting sick leave. Every time I needed to take time off, whether for a dental appointment, a cold, or other personal reasons, I was demanded overly detailed explanations. I was often made to feel as if I was lying or not being truthful about my reasons for absence. The lack of understanding and the constant need for justification only added to the feeling of being micromanaged and untrusted. Poor Code Quality and Outdated Technology: Code quality was undervalued, and improvements in this area were discouraged. The technology stack was outdated (PHP 7.2, no framework, old Symfony components, excessive repeated code), with no plans for upgrades. Minimal Documentation and Knowledge Silos: Critical knowledge was not well-documented, making independent work difficult. The system relied heavily on long-term employees, and documentation was deprioritized despite complaints. Inefficient Management Approach: There was no structured management methodology like Scrum or Kanban. A technical person had to handle communication with non-technical stakeholders, without a dedicated Product Owner. This led to inefficient processes and wasted developer time. Lack of Transparency in the Hiring Process: During the interview process, there was no discussion about the company’s business model or how it generates revenue. It wasn’t until after joining that these details became clear. It would have been helpful to receive this information beforehand to make a more informed decision.