High trust, high expectations

We expect our people to work hard, which is easy when your work is fun. This typically involves working intensely during the working day, and then relaxing. We discourage working long hours, as being both unsustainable and counterproductive.

We expect exceptional performance.

If someone is under-performing in any area, we intervene rapidly with feedback and help. Our instinctive reaction is to support them in their development needs. It is a core value of our culture that anyone can ask for help and will be given the help they need. We will invest significant effort to support people who are trying hard to improve their performance. And we treat anyone in this situation in a fair and caring way.

We have a low tolerance for behaviors that go directly against our culture, such as laziness, complacency, selfishness, lack of integrity, disrespect, aggression, or arrogance.

The PortSwigger immune system

Ultimately, if someone cannot perform at the level or work in the way that we need, then they have to leave. PortSwigger is an organism and sometimes our immune system needs to remove cells.

This is never a decision we take lightly. We approach this situation by asking two questions about our people:

• If the person was considering an offer of employment elsewhere, how hard would we try to persuade them to stay?

• Knowing what we now do about the person, would we still hire them?

Without a firm positive answer to these questions, the best outcome for both sides is to part company.

We always aspire to handle this situation in a respectful, compassionate, and generous way, staying true to our own values. Wherever possible, we will help the individual learn from the experience and discover what roles are best suited for them elsewhere.

There is certainly no shame in being asked to leave PortSwigger. When a player is dropped by an elite sports team, they will generally have many other options available where they can thrive and succeed.