Pros
There is a good work/life balance with an average of 2-3 days a week in the office + additional flexibility when needed. Some of my colleagues who are from overseas will often travel home and work from home for the week, or other colleagues will work from home for the day if they need to e.g. for a boiler service.
The culture is excellent. We’re a really friendly team in the office with lots of banter and a few too many gifs! The teams made of intelligent individuals that you can rely on.
There’s regular events such as our quarterly away days, values day, socials after work, sporting activities (team dodgeball / volleyball / football etc) and even pumpkin carving, all paid for.
You’re also encouraged to go on regular one to ones with your colleagues where you can expense your coffees. I strongly believe the 1:1’s reduce the friction that I’ve found exists between teams in other companies, while you also get free coffee so that’s a bonus.
You’ll also receive private medical insurance through Vitality which offers you a free Apple Watch, more weekly coffees & monthly cinema tickets.
Overall I feel the company invests considerable money into its staff and culture.
Alongside the culture I find the work exciting. Pirical has clear progression framework that challenges me and has allowed me to quickly advance my career. I’ve also found working with top-tier law firms very rewarding, and working with these elite firms has helped me quickly acquire new skills.
I’ve not been micromanaged, been given a degree of freedom with my day to day tasks, and overall theres a strong sense of trust.
Managements goals, direction and decisions are transparent, regularly shared in company-wide updates, and most importantly just make sense (you won’t find this in every company). While Jason (CEO) is incredibly intelligent and a great mentor.
There’s clear values, contracts, policies and handbooks readily available, while compensation is also fair, with annual pay reviews.
Overall, my previous employers have never provided the range of benefits, flexibility, culture, or opportunities to grow that Pirical does.
Cons
As a few reviews have mentioned unfortunately a few new starters haven’t been a good fit for their role and have been let go, but I believe the company has handled these situations well.
It’s always unfortunate when someone is let go, but its unfair to say Pirical’s management is ‘ruthless’. I’ve seen first hand that if a new employee is struggling there’s clear communication, substantial support from their manager and a plan to help them improve. I’ve also been told by those that have been let go that they’ve received additional notice pay and support with their search for a new job too.