Pros
So many pros! - People: Everybody here is passionate about what they do even if they aren’t necessarily hardcore anime fans (and there is no pressure for you to be one either, just an appreciation for anime is perfectly fine). I feel inspired and supported by my direct co-workers and colleagues from other teams. Folks are easy to approach and talk to, and it’s easy to become friends outside of work if you so wish. - Culture: What stood out to me the most when I first started working is the sense of environment fostered. I don’t feel like I need to present myself in a certain type of way (vs other companies I’ve worked at) and I’m able to be my authentic self here. Employees are unafraid to share feedback which I think is a testament to the safe space nurtured. Our People Ops team is clearly actioning on feedback provided to further develop D&I initiatives. The leadership team is approachable and feel accessible, and they make active efforts to connect with employees outside of All Hands by participating in ERG events. Overall, the company feels like it’s in a good place as an established company especially with the support we get from our Sony parent company while maintaining the intimacy one would get from a startup. - WLB: The first thing I noticed when I started working here is that people respect your lunch block if you have one on your calendar. Very rarely does it get booked over for urgent meetings when there are no other times available for a group meeting. There’s an unspoken rule to not book meetings Friday afternoons. I’ve seen some folks who have late start times and end work later to match times with Japanese partners and I’ve also seen folks with earlier start times who end earlier due to family care commitments or to match times with teams outside the US. It’s really up to you & your manager so long as your work is done. - Work: Definitely very cross-functional no matter what role you take — this may not be for everybody but I personally like it since I get exposure to a variety of work and it keeps things interesting. The anime industry is fast growing and CR is in a great position and has a clear strategy to lead it. There are opportunities to pitch new ideas, initiatives, and processes no matter where you are in the ladder.
Cons
Honestly no major cons! Two minor ones I can think of: - If you are coming from a larger corporate type of environment you may need to learn how to adjust. A few processes are still being fleshed out and formalized. There are some workstreams you need to do yourself that might have been supported by a separate team otherwise if you were at a larger company. I would say that’s pretty standard for a company of this size though and I know managers are actively hiring to meet the pace we’re growing at and got help formalize processes. - WLB is also dependent on the role/team you’re in. Some teams are low on bandwidth due to brand unification work, but this is also why management is actively hiring to fill roles.