Thoughtworks Company Reviews

Cons

In various areas, I have observed a decline in recent years. This decline is reflected in mass layoffs and the constant drop in market value. We are falling behind in terms of diversity, compensation, environment, and benefits. Confidence in management: After the mass layoff in February 2023, it was said: "We are doing this now so we don't have to do it again." In August 2023, there was another layoff. At the end of 2022, it was said that layoffs would be the last resort and that the situation was bad. As bad as the situation was, the February layoff came as the realization of a possibility, and the August one came as a bombshell. I will not go into the details of the decision, but the response is that the company does not "make this decision lightly." Today, I find it impossible to trust the company's management. It was not the employees' mistakes, who are repeatedly praised by customers. It was management errors, demand forecasting, contracts, hiring accelerated beyond what was necessary. It was portrayed that TW was one of the companies with a vision for the future and more capacity to plan for the long term, but it proved to be yet another with a short-term vision, with little capacity - or interest - in really thinking long term. In 2022, they bought a design consultancy, only to say months later that the financial situation was bad, and during 2023, they laid off several designers. What kind of vision is that? I don't know if it's a lack of management capability, or lack of communication between key parts of the company. Either way, it makes no sense. Culture of diversity: More and more, the feeling is that diversity is more a topic among people within the company and less an agenda in leadership decisions. It turned into a management number, a less priority goal. DEI groups have turned into extra tasks on schedules, are taken into account in performance analyses, but it is still expected to deliver almost all working hours to clients. The priority is to bill, which makes sense, that's what brings in money. But acting in the community is demanded. When? With what energy? Complicated. Performance evaluation: It changes frequently and never ceases to be ambiguous. This ambiguity is present in various areas of the company. The "being the owner of one's own journey" becomes a great burden on people's shoulders, as it comes with almost no direction. There are a series of general expectations, by grade, function, which are extremely broad. They help when writing what yours are, as there is a guide, but there is no guidance about priority, the company's moment, because these discussions are always very open and full of "depends". The feeling is like a constant guessing game. "But what do you want to develop in your career?", the fear is that the answer will clash with the company and we will be on the next list of layoffs. Ambiguity: The company is transparent in many aspects, that is a fact. But, over time, it becomes apparent that this transparency is quite selective. I am fully aware of the legal limitations, this comment is not about that. In performance evaluation is where I find this most evident. Future demands, areas of specialization. Example: The way of measuring people's English was changed days before the last mass layoff. Fluent colleagues were cut off without having the chance to adapt to the new rules, and it is not explicit at any moment, for those who were laid off and for those who stay, if fluency was a factor. Overload: Each day that passes, people are more overloaded, working at bad hours, having meetings at dawn due to the time zone. Especially the people in OPs, increasingly bogged down and accumulating functions. The situation is terrible. Compensation: There was a general adjustment to become more competitive. Then cuts were made to reviews, promotions... It raises the question of how prepared the company was for the adjustments. The saddest thing is that it continues not to be so competitive, with various companies paying better.