Toxic Work Environment: Unfair Practices, No Benefits, and Favoritism Dominate - Developer FirstHive Employee Review

1.0
Jul 28, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is no benefit to being part of this organization unless you become a favorite, sitting at home doing nothing while lecturing others.

Cons

No employee benefits: You pay for parking, you pay for not being able to attend a meeting (Open House), your leaves may get deducted without your knowledge, and there's no career growth. Additionally, there's no support from seniors, likely because they have limited or no knowledge themselves. They don't care if you travel for 2 hours to the office even when you're sick; it's your duty to be at the office. They would ask you to attend a meeting even if you are sick and also in cases of emergencies, which clearly shows no understanding. You may or may not get salary on time. No work-life balance: They will call you after 10 PM on weekdays and won't spare your weekends, escalating if they don't get a response. The deadlines are almost insane, regardless of the complexity of the job. Someone who has nothing to do with the development work will decide and commit to the timeline, making it your responsibility to get it done no matter what. It's a toxic workplace full of politics: The favorites and those who have been here for half of their career after re branding from Emart (another experiment of the CEO) get the maximum benefits. For example, WFH, leaves without being logged on Keka, better appraisals, and they are offered better designations (e.g., module lead) just by pointing out others' work, regardless of their awareness of the scenario. The company always runs at a loss: When you ask for negotiation or deductions in your salary (e.g., parking fees), they refuse, except for the people referenced in the previous point. Meanwhile, you will see people being hired not only in India but also in the US, with new office spaces being built in both countries. The company's infrastructure is always being improved, but people dealing with escalations lose count. Events are organized in the name of employee relationship building right after. False promises: Some people make false promises about WFH, reducing the notice period, negotiating compensation, and later claim credit for it to impress higher management. For example, promising Saturdays off and reduced notice period. Hypocritical management: The CEO, HR, or whoever wants to will lecture you on WFH (regardless of the geography they work from) while they continue to work from home or come to the office for just a couple of hours or don’t show up at all. They will treat you so badly that it becomes toxic, and no response would come from the HR even if you raise a concern about that. The CEO's role seems to involve traveling to India, making judgments on hard-working employees, and rewarding those who don't even show up or are from marketing. Meanwhile, he spends his time giving condescending lectures and showing TED Talks, completely detached from the realities of the workplace. There is no appreciation even after you burn the midnight oil to meet a deadline. Constantly claiming to adopt a better tech stack: This has been happening for four years now. They reject candidates with better and advanced tech stacks because they ask for better compensation in interviews. Unrealistic expectations: They want people to join immediately but act as if the world will end if you request a reduction in the notice period. If you resign, they ask you to fill the position you are vacating, making it your duty. Unresponsive management: They do the exact opposite of what is suggested in reviews. For example, they laugh at negative reviews instead of understanding why they exist. If someone joins who is good at management, they either fire them or pressure them to leave, later claiming that their vision was different. Lack of team collaboration: There is no teamwork; you are either talking to the client or running campaigns, and that’s all. Fake positive reviews: All positive reviews are hoaxes written by loyal employees. The positive reviews seem similar, almost like a template, talking about good work-life balance, good seniors, and growth opportunities. For every negative review, they force employees to post two positive reviews just to maintain a 4-star rating on Glass door.

avatar
FirstHive Response
1y
We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. We understand your perspective and would like to clarify a few points. Some of the information mentioned doesn’t fully reflect the situation, and we’d be happy to discuss this further to ensure a clearer understanding. As you know, we value open communication and have always been open to constructive conversations.

Explore other reviews about FirstHive

5.0
Mar 27, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is not a place where you sit through weeks of boring shadowing. They throw you into the actual work from the start, and it’s the best way to learn. I look at my friends in other companies who are still doing training sessions or doing the same job everyday for long time, while I am actually delivering and learning

Cons

They keep underperformers on for months, moving them from one team to another to find a fit that just doesn't exist. It’s frustrating for the rest of us who have to pick up the slack.
When these people finally leave, they’re bitter because they didn't develop any skills. They end up trashing the company online even though the company gave them way more chances than they deserved. It's a waste of everyone's time.

3.0
Apr 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Good office Culture - Good Salary

Cons

- Work from the office - Extended working hours

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All