Good team, terrible management - Anonymous employee Swivel Group Employee Review

Directly working with the Client and good exposure

1. The Finance management lacks strong finance professionals, which often results in decisions being made without fully understanding client requirements or operational realities. 2. The company follows a "client is always right" approach, even when the client is clearly mistaken. Employees are often expected to absorb the blame to keep the business. 3. Every year the company increases its charges to clients, but when clients push back, even minor mistakes are treated as major issues and used against employees. 4. Employee feedback is rarely heard or considered. In most situations, management sides with the client without properly understanding the employee's perspective. 5. There is very little respect for employee loyalty or years of service. If a client complains or decides to leave for reasons beyond an employee's control, employees may be pressured to resign rather than being supported. 6. The company can terminate employment due to business needs or loss of clients, but when an employee wishes to leave, strict contractual obligations and legal notices are enforced. 7. The management culture feels like a family-owned business where managers focus more on pleasing senior leadership than addressing genuine concerns or standing up for their teams. 8. Career growth and salary progression are extremely limited. While client fees increase regularly, employees who do the actual work often see little or no benefit from those increases. 9. In some cases, clients themselves have recommended salary increments or recognition for employees, yet management remains reluctant to implement them.

* Direct client exposure and opportunity to understand clients

1. A number of leadership roles seem to be occupied by individuals who don’t have strong people-management or leadership experience, which often leads to weak decision-making, unclear direction, and limited accountability. 2. Senior management often appears disconnected from both client expectations and day-to-day operational realities, which results in avoidable issues being passed down to employees. 3. There is a strong tendency to prioritize clients at all costs, even in situations where the client may be wrong. This often leaves employees carrying responsibility for issues they didn’t create. 4. Situations are frequently assessed without a full review of employee input or a proper understanding of the actual work done, leading to one-sided conclusions. 5. The workplace environment often feels overly monitored and based on mistrust, where employees feel observed, encouraged to report on each other, or caught in internal gossip cycles instead of open, direct communication. 6. HR policies and disciplinary actions do not appear to be applied consistently. Similar cases can result in very different outcomes depending on the person involved, which creates a sense of unfairness. 7. Employee feedback does not seem to translate into meaningful action, which reduces confidence in whether internal concerns are genuinely heard or addressed. 8. Career growth and salary progression are quite limited. Even as workload and client expectations increase, recognition and financial progression often do not match. 9. Long-term commitment and loyalty don’t appear to carry much weight, and employees can feel easily replaceable regardless of performance or contribution. 10. Overall, the work culture feels heavily influenced by internal politics, with less emphasis on fairness, transparency, or employee development.