A sinking ship - Anonymous employee Oyster Employee Review

Oyster used to be an excellent company to work for, but everything changed after the layoffs in 2025 and just before. They are now replacing genuinely good people simply because they can hire in cheaper locations like the Philippines, India, and Hungary for a fraction of the cost. It’s causing real disruption, with decisions clearly prioritising cost over hiring the right people. Motivation is low across the board. Pay increases have been frozen for 2.5 years despite strong profits, and just before the April 2026 review cycle, a new process was introduced to determine who gets an increase. It feels like a convenient excuse to avoid rewarding people who genuinely deserve it. Everyone is overworked and constantly hustling. Leadership turnover is high, and those leaving are often replaced with a more aggressive, “whoever shouts the loudest” type of culture. There’s also no consistency. Plans change constantly. In one department I’m aware of, around 70% of projects in a year, which made up the majority of their day-to-day work, were put on hold indefinitely after significant time had already been spent on them. The culture has shifted into a much more corporate environment, and not in a good way. I’m aware of situations where leadership knew about sexist behaviour from a top performer and chose to ignore it, using performance as an excuse rather than addressing the issue or protecting the women affected. I would avoid this company completely. It used to be one of the best places to work, but in the last year and a half it has changed