A Sweat Shop - Project Manager Programus Employee Review

1.0
24 Jul 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The salary is paid in foreign currency, but it’s not competitive—and to make matters worse, your compensation isn’t kept confidential; everyone knows how much you earn.

Cons

This is a project-based company that operates more like a grind shop. As soon as you’re done with training, you’re thrown into a project—usually one that’s already midway and left hanging because someone else has quit due to the same toxic environment. From day one, you’re expected to work from 7 AM to 10 PM, with little to no breaks. Most of your day is spent on endless calls, and you’ll barely get time to even eat one proper meal. Forget about having a balanced workday. If you’re hoping to catch a break on weekends—don’t. Saturday and Sunday are filled with surprise messages: “Can you test this?”, “Can you complete that?”, “Just one small task.” Your time is never respected. And don’t expect Sri Lankan holidays off either—this place runs on a UK calendar, but only when it suits them. You’ll work Sri Lankan holidays, but won’t get a break on UK holidays either because “you’re at home anyway.” And if by some miracle you manage to become efficient—finishing your brutal 12–14 hour day faster—they’ll punish you for it by assigning you to another project. It’s a never-ending cycle of burnout masked as “project urgency.”

Explore other reviews about Programus

4.0
1 Dec 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working directly with clients provides excellent exposure and fast learning. Some of the senior leadership—especially the COO—bring exceptional clarity and problem-solving skills. He is tough but has a brilliant mind and consistently finds a way to navigate complex situations. I learned a lot from him and a few other senior team members who genuinely elevate the organisation. Same with CTO.

Cons

Not all team members are up to the expected standard, which often impacts delivery timelines. The QA function in particular requires stronger talent; the current setup makes it difficult to maintain quality and avoid issues late in the cycle. Delivery timelines can be tight, and there are periods of weekend or extra-hours work that could have been avoided with higher overall quality in development and QA. Productive times

1.0
28 Jan 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. Remote work - BUT you're expected to work around the clock. You step away for 10 minutes and the CEO himself will personally message you saying you're offline. 2. Foreign currency pay - BUT extremely below average and well if you're desperate well by all means, but you can kiss any expectations of increments for years to come. 3. Opportunity to work with clients globally - BUT all you will hear from the clients is how dissatisfied they are and be prepared to have an earful if youre a PM or a lead. Don't expect any support from your leadership because the CEO (who is involved with literally everything and needs to learn how to delegate) has a HUGE superiority complex and ask you to inform the client that's how it's done or you pay extra if you don't like it.

Cons

Sigh... Where do I begin. Job security - don't make the mistake of signing the contract blindly. You will be pushed to sign it in a hurry by your HR so that you don't contest the numerous loopholes in it where they could have zero liability even if you're in the permanent cadre. Ive seen people get terminated with absolute zero notice. Job role - expected to do everything, know everything, be everything. Employee turnover - employees join in flocks, employees leave in flocks. You start a project with one person and by the end of the month that person's gone in the wind. God knows what's up with that. CEO and COO - BIG con. They lead by instilling fear. Less than one month in and you've already had a sudden teams call from them where they assert dominance and nit-pick flaws in your "clear communication". Literally almost everyone I worked with had experienced the same. Senior Management - wouldn't hesitate for a second to throw you under the bus when push comes to shove to save themselves in fear of the CEO. They bad mouth the CEO behind his back and are loyal most grateful servants when he's on the call. The process - Whole thing is a huge mess. There's a new process every week.

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