Good Potential, But Needs Better Leadership - Recensione dipendente - Engineer presso SunDrive

Very smart people to work with Friendly environment Management are good people Good working hours This is a great place for a young engineer to learn and establish their career

Poor management and managment does not have a good relationship with the team. There is a disproportionately high ratio of executive-level leadership compared to individual contributors, particularly within the engineering department. CPO sticks her nose into everything and has significantly brought down the team morale. The current leadership style often prioritizes minor operational details over high-level strategic goals. Company does not have a strong business model for revenue generation. Lots of senior engineers have left and more employees are leaving (CPO has been a partial reason). The loss of knowledge and good people has impacted team morale. Location is very far. Pay is below average. Not a lot of career opportunities.

A group of talented engineers from diverse disciplines and technical environment is exciting and intellectually stimulating. We felt accepted and valued among colleagues (But not with the senior management). Work itself is challenging and exciting, typical of a fast-moving startup. Teams have good equipment and resources for engineering work.

Concerns about neutrality in disciplinary processes: From my experience, HR and legal functions appeared to operate primarily in the company’s interest rather than acting as a balanced facilitator between the organisation and employees. I was particularly concerned that the Head of Legal and Head of HR roles were combined into one position. In my view, this concentrates a significant amount of authority in a single role and can raise questions about independence and fairness during disciplinary or sensitive processes. Limited transparency in decision making In my experience, disciplinary or governance outcomes did not always fully reflect the broader context or mitigating actions involved. This left me feeling that my perspective was not completely represented in the final documentation. Head of HR/Legal has issued multiple warnings to several staff members, while presenting a very different image publicly. It is difficult to understand how someone initially hired in a legal role has since accumulated numerous titles and authority, despite what appears to be widespread disagreement among employees. Communication gaps during sensitive processes Expectations, policies, and potential consequences were not always clearly communicated in advance. In a fast moving startup environment where governance processes are still evolving, this can make it difficult for employees to clearly understand boundaries and procedures. Inconsistent application of governance policies As the company scales rapidly, I observed that policy enforcement can sometimes feel reactive or uneven. This can create uncertainty around how governance rules are applied in different situations. Employee support perception Risk management and organisational protection appear to be the number one priority. When it comes to employee wellbeing, the standard response is often simply: “Please remember SunDrive’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Uprise is available should you wish to access confidential support.” Limited conflict-resolution channels Outside of formal disciplinary processes, I did not feel there were many neutral avenues available to raise concerns or seek mediation. Greater separation between HR, legal, and governance oversight could potentially help strengthen trust in internal processes.