Nearly every employee can share one or more “horror stories.” Many of these experiences are already documented in other reviews — and they are not exaggerated.
If you are considering a role at Peoplewise, you should fully expect a toxic environment driven primarily by leadership culture and CEO behaviour. Examples include:
Extreme micromanagement and minimal autonomy. Basic conversations about workload or delivery projects are often avoided entirely. Instead, calendars are blocked without discussion — zero communication, zero consideration, zero care. Weekly 5pm Friday meetings, framed as “knowledge sharing,” function instead as surveillance to check that you’re working. Employees are treated like schoolchildren.
Rigid capacity planning that ignores work–life balance and realistic delivery timelines. Poor planning and last-minute decision-making at leadership level regularly result in employees being thrown under the bus to manage client expectations.
Unreasonable approval processes for basic tasks such as travel or annual leave. Holiday requests can take weeks to be approved, requiring CEO sign-off for every employee — an unnecessarily controlling and demoralising practice.
An excessive number of lengthy, unproductive meetings, including hours-long Monday sessions focused on reporting to leadership rather than meaningful progress. These meetings add little to no value.
An overbearing CEO management style, which at best is intrusive and at worst crosses into bullying behaviour.
Leadership and Culture
This is perhaps the greatest irony. Peoplewise sells leadership and culture solutions to clients, yet fails to live by those same principles internally.
Leadership understands what “good” looks like in theory, but repeatedly behaves in ways that erode trust, engagement, and employee wellbeing. The gap between what is taught and what is practiced is stark.
Attrition is extremely high (over 50% in 2025), and this is not coincidental. Speaking with former employees — which I strongly recommend — quickly reveals why turnover remains such a serious issue.
The acquisition of TPI was particularly damaging. Of the original 18 employees, only three remained. A previously solid business was dismantled with little regard for its intellectual property, products, clients, or people.
Pay and Benefits
Expect only the statutory minimum: holidays, pension, and no meaningful additional benefits. Salaries are below market rate, and achieving anything close to fair compensation requires aggressive negotiation.
Overall, the organisation does not genuinely value its people. It operates more like a production line than a people-first business, squeezing employees to maximise leadership returns so the CEO can buy her Jimmy Choo's and Maserati. There is no employee equity, so do not expect long-term loyalty to be rewarded or encouraged.
Final Advice
Do not be swayed by polished messaging, interview promises, or attempts to discredit negative Glassdoor reviews. Trust what you hear from former employees and pay attention to any red flags during the hiring process.
You may be able to survive at Peoplewise — but thriving in such a toxic culture is highly unlikely. And no one should have to endure that to earn a living.
