Culture

• "Softwire is privately owned and the three directors work in the open space with all the other employees. We are a very young company (the age average is remarkably low). I have always found all the support I have needed from my company and colleagues. Employees socialise together a lot. Most of us head out to the pub every Friday, and I have found that in just a few months, most of the people here have become good friends." -- Software Developer
• "There's an excellent atmosphere of mutual respect, and everyone is very helpful towards one another. Employees regularly socialise together, some of which is naturally occurring, but much of which is actively encouraged by the company and supported by our 'morale budget'. Management lines are relatively short and everyone works in the same open plan offices. There isn't an obvious distinction between "management" and "everyone else", since managers all come from the technical staff (and most of them still are technical staff alongside their management duties – there are relatively few dedicated managers and a lot of role switching), and people from across the whole company regularly socialise together." -- Developer
• "We have a fairly flat management hierarchy and the roles are somewhat fluid. It is not uncommon for someone to have multiple management roles and also be doing development work on a project. Colleagues do support each other – in my experience everyone gets on well with everyone else. We do socialise with each other, both at spontaneous drinks after work, and at the regular organised morale events that Softwire puts on." -- Project Manager/Senior Developer
• "The company is pretty hard-working in general, although that doesn't stop everyone from socialising. There are regular pub trips and plenty of situations where people can just chill out and play pool or table tennis. In terms of structure, there aren't many levels between new grads and the directors. Team sizes are generally pretty small (i.e. up to 5-6) and within each team there are generally a couple of people that you can go to for help if you need it. Outside of the team structure, people normally have a mentor and a line manager who help in more general ways." -- Project Manager 
• "Management structure is fairly flat, and all day-to-day management is carried out by former graduate-entry developers so there's not a big barrier between managers and more junior employees. It's also often the case that managers take a relatively hands-off approach and allow team members to have a good degree of autonomy. The environment is supportive and very much not a blame culture." -- Senior Technical Consultant
• "The company culture is great – really couldn't ask for better. The wellbeing and personal development of employees is taken very seriously, and a lot of thought and effort is invested in making the company a nice place to work – from the big things like how management is done, to the little things like having plants and free food in the office. Definitely a supportive place to work and there's minimal office politics. Social life is great – plenty of team dinners, drinks and cinema trips, plus an annual company party and conference; but there’s no pressure to go out drinking every evening if you don't want to!" -- Software Tester
• "Everyone has a task manager and a line manager, although for me they happen to be the same person. I feel extremely well supported by my manager and by others in senior management, and feel I can raise anything with them. There's a very social atmosphere to Softwire. I play football and other sports with colleagues, and look forward to the company outings, especially the annual picnic." -- Technical Sales Manager
• "There is a very open culture in which people listen and act, and do so cooperatively. Everyone has the same core values and objectives at heart. There's a relatively flat management hierarchy and opportunity for everyone to contribute to the company at a broad level. Socially, the company is very active, going on a team-building "conference" abroad every year, and having lots of parties, drinks, meals and other morale-building events on a regular basis. The budget for such activities far exceeds the average company, and the result is a close-knit working community." -- Project Manager
• "Softwire is highly democratic and meritocratic. Everyone gets a say in what's going on, and those with the best judgement are put in the most responsible positions. Developers are closely mentored (at least while they are inexperienced) and everyone has a clearly defined task manager (responsible for their day-to-day work) and line manager (responsible for welfare and longer-term development). Having two people to turn to means that you're never short of a friendly ear! The hierarchy is relatively flat, given the company size, with only a few levels of management between new developers and the directors." -- Operations Manager 

Hours

• "Hours can vary quite a bit. I typically spend about 40 hours in the office, but have worked 50 hours from time to time, and very occasionally more than this. I have worked at weekends, but this doesn't happen very often and Softwire has only once actually asked me to do this (and given time off in lieu to compensate). Hours are very flexible and Softwire is extremely accommodating about working from home, taking sabbaticals, working part-time for the short or long term, and purchasing additional holiday." -- Developer 
• "On average I spend about 40 hours in the office per week. On rare occasions I work at the weekend, although from home rather than the office. Softwire is very flexible about working hours: Our normal hours are flexible. We have a number of people working 4 days per week. Leave is granted unless there is a very important reason not to. Up to 10 days holiday can be bought or sold each year." -- Project Manager/Senior Developer
• "I spend more hours in the office than I have to because I want to produce high quality output. This should get easier as I become more experienced. The contractual minimum is 37.5. I have never had to work at the weekend. The company is very flexible with hours allowing you to come in and leave at any time (within reason). You are able to purchase or sell back days of holiday." -- Developer 
• "On average I spend 40-45 hours in the office each week. I cannot recall ever having worked at a weekend, but I have, on occasion, worked late to meet project deadlines. Softwire is very flexible with hours. Core hours are 11am to 4pm and you can arrive and leave to suit yourself as long as you work the core hours. You can purchase additional holiday and several members of staff work part-time. Softwire also supports extended sabbaticals and some members of staff have even worked remotely from abroad!" -- Operations Manager
• "Average hours worked: 45. Average hours in the office: 40. Softwire is hugely flexible in terms of working hours. While working hard is encouraged and rewarded, it's rare for anyone to have to work really long weeks (though urgent project deadlines do occasionally loom!). The emphasis is on working smart rather than working for long hours. There's no 9-5 culture – provided you're in by 11, and get enough work done during the week, that's normally fine. Working from home is easy. Weekend work is pretty rare. Softwire's very flexible in terms of offering part-time working, sabbaticals, extended holidays, buying or selling holiday at the end of the year, etc." -- Operations Manager 
• "Hours are very flexible which is great. Sometimes tight deadlines mean you work long hours, but that's because you care about the project, not because you're forced to." -- Software Developer
• "The company's very flexible when it comes to working hours and is happy to allow employees to fit their working hours around childcare arrangements, dentist appointments, etc. There's also the option of working from home. I rarely spend more than my contracted time at the office – and certainly I am never pressurised to do so by management. I have once spent some time in the office at a weekend, but nobody asked me to do this – and I won an employee of the week award for my commitment to meet my goals!" -- Software Tester
• "I probably spend around 42 hours per week in the office on average, but this will vary if I have a lot on at work, or a lot on in my personal life (in which case I can push back on my work hours). There is a focus on getting stuff done rather than being in the office, and it is up to you to set your work/life balance correctly. I never work at weekends. The company is very flexible with working hours: People have been supported in moving to or from part-time; many people regularly work from home; some employees have even worked from abroad for extended periods; there is a flexible holiday policy as standard (you can buy or sell up to 10 days holiday per year, on top of the standard 25); employees are supported in taking sabbaticals (I took an 8-month sabbatical from 2009 – 2010)." -- Project Manager

Pay

• "Remuneration is very good, especially for the hours worked." -- Software Engineer 
• "The system for calculating pay raises and bonuses is very transparent and it’s clear that a significant effort is made to keep it fair. In addition to our pay and year-end bonus, there is also a profit share paid out in June when the company has done well in the previous year. There's also a substantial morale budget to pay for social events." -- Developer
• "Remuneration policy is very generous. There's a large emphasis on the annual bonus which can become a very significant percentage of salary for high performers." -- Operations Manager 
• "I think employees are compensated fairly, in a meritocratic and open way. You could make more money in the software industry in London working for a bank or as a contractor, but given all the other benefits, I'm fairly happy with the remuneration overall." -- Software Tester
• "Bonus is a very big proportion of pay, but carries risk: it's related to company performance and your personal performance." -- Software Developer 
• "I'm still on the standard new-starter rate. Bonuses are paid at the end of the year, but calculated by various complicated metrics that take into account job role, competence, performance, broader contribution, and other factors." -- Software Developer
• "The pay is good. We have a bonus scheme and a profit share scheme which encourage us to help make the company profitable – because we share the rewards!" -- Project Manager
• "Bonus is a key part of remuneration, with more senior members of the company encouraged to look towards bonus and profit share as the main way to increase their earnings. This is intended to motivate staff to improve the whole company's commercials." -- Executive
• "Bonus scheme seems fairly allocated, and is much more transparent than the base salary arrangements. I would prefer less risk in my remuneration." -- Project Manager
•  
• "£29,500" -- Software Engineer
• "£25,000" -- Software Engineer
• "£32,000" -- Software Engineer
• "£28,000" -- Software Engineer
• "£35,000" -- Software Developer
• "£30,500" -- Software Developer
• "£28,000" -- Software Developer
• "£33,100" -- Software Developer
• "£28,000" -- Software Developer
• "£35,000" -- Developer
• "£28,900" -- Developer
• "£30,000" -- Project Manager
• "£28,500" -- Project Manager
• "£30,000" -- Project Manager
• "£50,200" -- Project Manager
• "£34,000" -- Project Manager

Interviews & Assessments

• "I had a telephone interview, then 1/2 day session with computer-based aptitude test and short essay question, followed by interviews with 2 or 3 interviewers (one at a time). Focus is mostly on general aptitude and problem solving ability, and is designed not to exclude people with less technical backgrounds." -- Software Developer
• "There are two interview rounds (and for 'cold' applicants, there is a CV-screening round before this). The first interview is a fairly short telephone interview (30 minutes, although can be longer for borderline candidates), consisting mostly of technical questions. The second interview typically takes a whole afternoon, involves a few rounds of automated tests, some programming-based problem solving, and a longer set of problem solving questions with multiple interviewers." -- Developer
• "Two interviews: one phone, one at the office. Phone interview was three questions, ranging from algorithms to just testing thinking processes. The office interview was quite long: a batch of problem solving tests, a short essay, and three longer problems worked through with three different interviewers." -- Software Developer
• "2 rounds – phone then in person. Both interviews were largely technical in nature, but very much looking for aptitude rather than any specific knowledge (I knew how to program, but I didn't need to)." -- Operations Manager
• "We do a phone screen asking general technical aptitude questions, followed by a half-day session in our offices. This includes multiple choice analytic questions, structured technical aptitude discussion-based tests and a personnel interview." -- Commercial Manager
• "Once an application's been sent in and reviewed, there are usually two rounds – a phone interview and a face-to-face interview. They mostly contain technical tests – not requiring prior knowledge of any specific programming language or technique, but assessing the candidate's potential for methodical thinking and handling of algorithms." -- Project Manager
• "There is a reasonably short application form online with sensible questions. There is a phone interview with either a manager or developer. There is a single interview with a number of developers and managers. The process is very relaxed and sensible." -- Developer 
• "I found the recruitment process really fun, which was a good sign! There's a phone interview and then a second interview at our offices. A typical phone interview might consist of: A hypothetical “real-world” situation where there are a number of methods that could be used to find the (usually numerical) solution – the discussion usually centres around finding the most efficient method; a computer-based problem, again with a number of possible solutions and a most efficient algorithm – something like “describe an algorithm to find the longest palindrome in a string”. The majority of the questions at second interview involve us giving the candidate a very simple programming language that can be used to control a machine. They are then asked to write down programs that will get the machine to perform certain actions." -- Technical Sales Manager
• "Two rounds of interviews. First up was a phone interview, which covered a number of reasoning-type questions. The idea is to assess whether you think in the right way rather than to simply find out whether you've learned to programme. The second stage is a face to face interview in the offices, consisting of a number of pseudo-programming questions, as well as a more general personal interview. Since I joined, the interview process has got considerably longer, although I would still say that the main intention is to determine whether someone thinks the right way and has potential, rather than to simply hire people who are already good programmers." -- Software Developer