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
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
Leave entitlements for new parents can be shared
between the parents.
Other situations relating to parental leave might
also arise. Please speak to your team leader or
anyone in the culture tribe if you have questions
about specific situations.
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)..