A vertical drop to the bottom after the acquisition
Pros
It had average benefits but pension contribution could’ve been better. They stopped timesheeting. Please note that this section would’ve been much more full if I was reviewing my employer prior to acquisition.
Cons
Somo was the company I worked for before, it was a company full of genuine talent and leadership who cared about the employees. The biggest contrast was CI&T leadership did not care for the employees. We were seen as numbers and everything was transactional. The company meetings were reduced from weekly to monthly and good quality communication became non-existent. Some key information were only verbally conveyed so if you couldn’t make a meeting, you wouldn’t get the information, no formal email communication. It became a big game of Telephone, inviting misformation and fearmongering. Even when it came to resourcing teams for projects, the meetings were like a cattle market where no one trusted each other. They retired the excellent resourcing system we had at Somo and meant no one knew what individual contributors (IC) skills and experience were, sourcing teams was a game of luck and chance. When the stealth layoffs happened (silent due to legalities, and looks better for CI&T’s position on the stock market), it was the last straw for many of us. The lack of communication about the company position when your colleagues were disappearing was non existent and made everyone miserable. Morale is an all time low. I also found it traumatising that Brazilian leadership did not account for the culture shift for a British heritage company. There was a big push for Somo colleagues (UK/US/Columbia) to accommodate our Brazilian colleagues but not vice versa. Brazilian leadership disliked questions asked anonymously and always encouraged an extroverted method of participation. Clients wanted UK leadership so CI&T provided this but senior and below staff were “right-shored” to Brazilian colleagues who did not understand nor conform to US/UK client needs which made projects underperform and ultimately, extension of projects became less and less. The final straw for me is when leadership made clear that ICs have to find their own projects once their contract with the current client has ended. We literally have to job hunt internally or face the bench (you will be laid off if you don’t find something quick). The system to find roles is also incredibly poor, you don’t know if a role is an internal or external hire. There was an expectation interview for the project too. Why should I go through this process when I could just go freelance?! CI&T laid off most of the Somo sales team and put the onus on individuals. I have worked agency side my entire career and never have I felt this fear of job insecurity in my life. I’m a designer by trade, not a salesperson. I also don’t have access to decision makers client side so how am I supposed to upsell? It was major red flags when 80% of Somo leadership quit within two years of acquisition. My own leadership was (allegedly) forced out the door. The most sad part of all of this is that Brazilian leadership does not believe they did anything wrong so course correction isn’t even on their mind. The cherry on top for CI&T showing the lack of care to employees is cancelling or not even attempt to schedule exit interviews. Fundamentally, I no longer felt valued for my skills and what I brought to the table. I also felt like I would be laid off at any given time and felt I needed to leave before I too suffer from the same fate as my extremely talented colleagues who were let go. I had hoped Somo/CI&T was my long term career, the acquisition ruined that. I’ve now joined my first corporate in-house role just to get away from CI&T. Incredibly bittersweet that they chased all the talent away. I wish the best for those who are still stranded at CI&T.
