The PortSwigger staff handbook
Working hours
We are happy to support additional flexibility if this works for your team and the people you work with. For example, some people prefer to start later to accommodate the school run. We don't impose hard and fast rules, because arrangements that work for some teams might not work for others. If you would like additional flexibility, please discuss this with your team leader.
When arranging regular team catch-ups, such as daily standups, please be mindful that people on the team might have different preferences on start and end times. When a new person joins a team, be aware that they won't automatically have the same routine as the rest of you.
You are encouraged to take breaks during the working day when you need them. In our Knutsford office, lunch is provided free of charge in our restaurant between 12 and 1:30 PM.
Working location
We are flexible in supporting people in working elsewhere from time to time as the need arises. Examples of this would include staying at home to let in a plumber, receive a delivery, or look after a sick child at short notice. It is hard to codify rules for every situation and we prefer to trust people to do the right thing for their team and for PortSwigger. If in doubt about any planned working arrangements, please speak to your team leader.
Traveling to work
Out of hours access to office
Quiet spaces
Dress code
Names and faces
Company organization
Swiggers are organized into small teams, generally up to around 10 in size. Within each team, things are fairly flat and self-organized. There is a designated team leader, whose role is to support the rest of the team and to act as the default go-between for other teams. But we view leadership as shared and contextual.
Teams are organized into four tribes: technology, growth, culture, and finance. Each tribe has a designated tribal elder, whose role is to support the teams and team leaders within their tribe and to act as the default go-between for other tribes.
Meetings
We do have various meeting rooms throughout the office which can be used when needed. There is no meeting room booking system, and meetings rooms cannot be reserved by anyone.
All-hands meetings take place every Friday at 3 PM (UK time) in the atrium of our Knutsford office and are live-streamed to our London and Atlanta offices to allow for full engagement across all locations. This is an opportunity for teams to give updates on their work, share news and other updates, meet new joiners, and ask questions.
Gym
There’s a gym onsite at PCM — please ask at the
front desk for joining info. This is a paid
facility.
There’s also the Atlanta BeltLine: a 22-mile
loop of parks, trails, and green space, directly
accessible from PCM. Perfect for a lunchtime
walk or active commute!
Lockers
Reimbursement of expenses
If you have a Soldo payment card, please use this for all expenses and upload receipts via the mobile Soldo app. Otherwise, please make payment yourself and give your receipt to the finance team to be reimbursed.
Holidays
U.S. Swiggers: What to know
Sickness
On some occasions, you might feel you are well enough to work some or all of the day at home, but not well enough to travel to work. We would encourage you to prioritize recovering properly, but in this situation it is fine to work at home. Please let your team leader know what is happening.
U.S. Swiggers: What to know
Performance and conduct
If there is evidence that your work or conduct are routinely below the bar we set for ourselves, we will in the first instance work with you to resolve the issues identified. If this is unsuccessful, we might suggest that you look for another opportunity, and we might ultimately ask you to leave PortSwigger.
Covid working arrangements
The office ventilation system is Covid-safe. It draws air out of the building, pulls in fresh air from outside, and filters the new air. There's no recirculation of air within the building.
We realize that people have different attitudes to risk around Covid, and different preferences on Covid safety (maintaining distance, shaking hands, using hand gel, etc.). You can decide yourself what practices you wish to follow, and please respect the preferences of other Swiggers.
Grievances
A Swigger sends their grievance in writing to their team lead, a tribal elder or a member of the culture team. PortSwigger appoints a suitable person to hear & handle the grievance. The grievance hearer engages in preliminary investigations (such as reviewing documents & speaking to relevant people to gather their perspective) The Swigger is invited to a grievance meeting, where they may choose to be accompanied e.g. by another Swigger. If they would like to bring somebody, they should communicate this in writing at least 24 hours before the meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to talk through the grievance in detail, for the hearer to ask questions and review any documentation or evidence brought by the Swigger. There may also be a note taker present in this meeting. The grievance hearer will look into any additional points raised. Once ready, the grievance hearer will produce a written outcome letter of their findings. This is then shared with relevant parties. The Swigger who raised the grievance will be given the right to appeal the findings of the grievance.
U.S. Swiggers: What to know
Appeals
In the event that discussing these matters informally fails to resolve the situation and a Swigger wishes to appeal a decision, the process is as follows:
A Swigger sends their appeal in writing to their team lead, a tribal elder, or member of the culture team. In this message, they should state that they wish to raise an appeal and state their full grounds of appeal, within a week of an outcome having been communicated. PortSwigger appoints a suitable person to hear the appeal in an appeal meeting. The appeal hearer engages in preliminary investigations (such as reviewing documents & speaking to relevant people to gather their perspective) The Swigger is invited to an appeal meeting and may choose to be accompanied e.g. by another Swigger. If they would like to bring somebody, they should communicate this in writing at least 24 hours before the meeting. The person hearing the appeal then reviews all of the information provided. If they feel unable to make a decision based on the information provided, they may investigate any missing information accordingly. Once satisfied that they have all the relevant information, they make a decision. The decision is communicated to relevant parties. This is normally the end of the procedure and there is no further appeal.
Leave for new parents
Please speak to the Finance team and your team leader about taking the time off.
Leave entitlements for new parents can be shared between the parents.
Other situations related to parental leave might also arise. If you have questions about specific situations, please speak to your team leader or anyone on the culture team.
Please discuss parental leave arrangements with your team leader if the need arises.
Compassionate leave
We have a variety of resources in place to help our people look after themselves. The Culture Tribe are always happy to support in any way possible. A full summary of the available support, including details of our Employee Assistance Programme, can be found on the intranet.
We encourage social time during lunch, for example, in our Knutsford office where the restaurant provides a great space to connect with colleagues. Feel free to sit with anyone and join in on existing conversations.
We have regular social events that are facilitated and paid for by the company. If you have a suggestion for a social event, please let the culture team know.
Many Swiggers self-organize social clubs based on particular hobbies and interests. If you have an idea for a social club, you can share the idea at an all-hands meeting or with the culture team. We are happy for people to use the office for social clubs during lunchtime or out of hours, provided this doesn't cause any mess or disruption. Please speak to the workplace team to arrange this. There is a social calendar showing details of social events that are happening.
We have company parties at Christmas (partners welcome) and in the summer (partners and children welcome)..