Talented people held back by poor leadership - Software Engineer Imagination Technologies Employee Review

- Compensation is far behind the market. Annual pay reviews don’t keep up with inflation, and there’s no recognition for seniority or performance. The total package hasn’t evolved in years, even as competitors offer better salaries, bonuses that are actually paid rather than empty promises, and RSUs - The last real perk, flexible remote work, is also being revoked. Starting in the new year, employees will be required to be in the office three days a week with no clear justification. This upcoming change has already caused frustration and concern, as it will hurt work-life balance, disrupt routines, and feels like a step backward driven by outdated management thinking rather than genuine business needs - Constant organisational reshuffling. Teams get moved around every few months, priorities shift weekly, and some groups are arbitrarily deemed "more strategic" while others are left understaffed. The constant uncertainty kills motivation - Leadership structure is extremely top-heavy. In some cases there are up to 10 levels from the most junior engineer to the CEO (in a company with less than 1000 people). Even tech giants with tens of thousands of employees have flatter hierarchies - The previous upper management was ineffective and their departure was positive, but the leadership problems remain. We have yet another new CEO (one of many in the past decade), whose clear focus is cost-cutting. His first moves included removing the few small perks left, and clamping down on communication. Official company updates are now rare, replaced by closed-door, in-person town halls where objectives remain vague and strategic direction unclear. At least the prior CEO regularly shared updates; now employees are largely left guessing - A major layoff roughly two years ago cut around 20% of the workforce, including many excellent engineers. The resulting understaffing has crippled productivity, while lower-cost hires in other regions or recent graduates were brought in as replacements, often with limited continuity or mentorship - Morale continues to erode as those who stay see no meaningful change or commitment from leadership to improve the situation