Echoing the sentiment of other negative reviews re a once great business turned toxic - Anonymous employee Pion Employee Review

I used to love working for this company - I worked with amazing colleagues, enjoyed fab socials, the benefits were strong, strategy felt clear and coherent, and there appeared to be a real commitment to supporting its student users. But over the years, we saw those positives start to disappear. Endeared colleagues were made redundant, benefits (such as flexi Friday and unlimited AL) were scrapped, strategies shifted frequently, and the focus increasingly moved further away from its original student-focussed values. These changes constantly put myself and colleagues on edge. Every time a call was dropped in your diary unexpectedly or you noticed a 'busy' in someone else's calendar, you instantly assumed redundancy. When roles were removed, remaining team members were typically expected to absorb additional responsibilities due to not backfilling roles. There often appeared to be a lack of clear long-term direction. Strategy updates seemingly relied on the latest Linkedin business jargon, and teams were 'empowered' to independently own strategy execution without consistent guidance. Priorities changed frequently, making it difficult to feel confident that work aligned with senior leadership expectations. My ongoing concerns were raised through appropriate channels, but there was little evidence of meaningful action or change. Even within People/HR functions, I was told about frustration from the lack of SLT response to employee feedback. Management quality varied significantly, with few equipped with the right skills or training to people manage. In at least one instance, behaviour from an individual caused ongoing distress for multiple team members. Formal complaints were raised my myself and many others, but the issues persisted and working with this individual significantly impacted my mental health for the worse. Personal development is near non-existent. Whilst in the beginning we had clear budgets for personal development assets/tools and had clear steps for promotions, these quickly faded. Opportunities for development and progression also declined over time. Clear promotion pathways and professional development budgets that previously existed became less visible. When prompted for development support, I was told I could create my own pathways, just to then receive rejections and no clear communication on why I missed out. It constantly felt like we were being penalised for not hitting targets or meeting expectations that we didn't even know had been placed on us. There is now a strong emphasis placed on the use of AI within day-to-day working practices. While AI can be a valuable tool when used thoughtfully, its adoption was often measured through usage-based KPIs rather than the quality or impact of the output. In practice, this sometimes led to a focus on demonstrating AI usage rather than ensuring high-quality outcomes. Overall, while this company was once a positive place to work, the culture, stability, and support for employees deteriorated significantly over my tenure here. Many colleagues have fallen out of love for their work due to the feeling of constantly being battered down over time due to micromanagement, redundancy fears, disrespectful managers, and lack of appreciation.