Do yourself a favour and stay clear of this company... - Junior Developer WeUsThem Employee Review

1.0
30 Sept 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The clients are cool and interesting. The work can be challenging and offers some good experience. You will get free BBQ's and snacks from time to time. The other employees are very good people.

Cons

After a couple weeks of working with them, I noticed that everyone I was working with was relatively new and that some folks seemed to be putting in a lot of extra hours. I asked the owners how overtime works and was told overtime is offered occastionally but that primarily they work based on deadlines and that if you don't meet your deadlines, you will be expected to stay late and work... I have experienced this before as I have over 10 years working experience, 6 of which were from salaried positions in a business environment. When working on salary, this expectation is normal however when you're paid hourly, you typically are supposed to leave when your shift ends and should never be expected to stay and keep working without pay. This seemed like an immediate red flag to me as well as the fact that there seemed to be a high turnover rate but no clear reason why. I learned in the following months that if you're not careful or assertive, they will trick and pressure you into deadlines that will cause you to need to work late in order to achieve them. Most times I was able to negotiate the deadline in order to make it fair for me but there were times when I was put on the spot and made to agree to unrealistic deadlines thus forcing me to skip lunches and put extra time in to achieve their wishes. They will pay you hourly and set your wage well under national averages. I was making $16.48/hour for 35 hours a week as a Junior Developer making my take-home salary well under $25k a year. The owners of this company will seem nice at first but if you go against them in any way, they will behave unprofessionally and disrespectfully towards you and expect you to just stand there and take it with no reaction because they have the mentality of "I'm the boss and can do whatever I want to you". They will always turn the situation against you and never admit their faults or offer an apology afterwards. I had two serious incidents with the owners of this company and both were completely unwarranted and unprofessional and left me feeling severely under appreciated and disrespected. Even though both events occurred with witnesses around, they still maintained their position that I was completely in the wrong and they were perfect in every way. These people are taking advantage of their employees and as the headline states, do yourself a favour and just keep looking for other opportunities. This company is not worth it in the long run.

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WeUsThem Response
6y
Reviews are always appreciated, as it gives you a chance to view the other side of employment, though we traditionally prefer folks coming and talking to us as we both have an open door policy and we have scheduled time set for all new hires to meet with the management team at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months leading up to their 6 months probationary period and then annually. This also does not mean that they cannot meet us if they have a concern. This is to ensure that expectations are clear and it is a mutually beneficial relationship leading to a successful relationship for the long term for both the individual and the agency. In this case specifically I will not go into the details as I respect the privacy of all of our employees, although it is quite evident as to who it is. I will however clarify a few things for public knowledge: 1 - It is a requirement to have overtime approved by a member of the management team. 2 - Everyone meets regularly for reviewing their tasks (client related or otherwise) and each individual team member provides their deadlines for when the tasks will be completed. These deadlines are to be met during working hours which everyone recognizes. 3 - Each member of the team is treated as a professional and therefore the deadlines they offer are based on the level of effort they will need to put into any task. The deadlines are discussed as a team, openly and transparently, and all projects have a timeframe that is set by the Account Manager that is reviewed by each member of the team before it is presented to a client. With regards to respect in the workplace, we take this very seriously. This above all else can determine whether an individual continues to work with us or not. Disrespectful behaviour directed at anyone is not tolerated. To the posters own comments, this is the reason we have as is quoted " other employees are very good people". The reason we have good people working with us is because good people recognize a good environment when they find it. I will close off by stating that we welcome any candidate who makes it to the interview stage in the recruitment process to openly talk about any of this with us before they take on employment at our agency. Joining our family is not an easy task, as everyone involved works closely with each other and this is why our recruitment process is a bit lengthy, but the outcome is the good people the poster refers to which inherently leads to familial atmosphere that we have.

Explore other reviews about WeUsThem

1.0
18 Oct 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are a lot of great people in the company. The office isn't a bad environment and some of the clients are interesting.

Cons

Pay is minimum wage or a few dollars above for most staff, and this is for jobs they insist on only hiring people with degrees for. There are no benefits beyond the bare, legal minimum, so you'll be showing up sick to pay the bills. The two principals can be very difficult to work with. They could have the entire team politely disagreeing with them on something and they will press ahead, often after insulting those who spoke up. Work often feels very pointless and you get the sense the whole place is just a PR firm for the two principals. They can be extremely rude to people and I've seen friends who are good workers be treated horribly by them, including shouting and personal insults. They fire people for dubious reasons, often against the advice of the victims' own managers. Workloads are through the roof and you are expected to just keep working without pay or face discipline, so a lot of people are badly burnt out and you worry about their health. I have seen practices that are legally questionable, like unpaid overtime for hourly workers and lying to clients and gov orgs.

1
5.0
5 July 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I was fortunate to receive my first offer from WeUsThem immediately after earning my degree. I still remember when I first joined, finding everything completely different from what I had learned in school. I was anxious for the entire week, feeling inefficient at completing even simple tasks. My boss reassured me that this was normal and encouraged me by saying that I would excel once I delved deeper into my work. I am truly grateful for the patience of my manager and colleagues in addressing my questions. Although I cannot yet call myself an expert, I now feel confident in my ability to handle projects independently. Working abroad alone is challenging, but WeUsThem has become like a second family to me rather than just a workplace. We celebrate each other's birthdays, go out for brunch, dress up for Christmas dinner, exchange gifts, and participate in many other activities. The office is diverse, with colleagues from all over the world. I greatly enjoy learning about their different cultures, stories, and cuisines. During my two years at WeUsThem, my professional skills and English proficiency have improved significantly. I believe I can continue to contribute more to the company while gaining a greater sense of achievement and satisfaction. PS: Another thing I love about the company is that it's only a 15-minute walk from my apartment to the studio.

Cons

There are a few areas where I believe we could improve. For instance, while the office environment is generally positive, providing more opportunities for professional development and training would be beneficial for career growth, especially for those who have just graduated from school.

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