Pros
I've worked in the studio for many years and speak to a lot of colleagues across different departments, and the same issues consistently come up in conversation, which is worrying. Pros: Lovely canteen staff and food Free onsite gym Some lovely staff work here Games are doing well 2016 was a good year for the company CEO and CFO have improved the companies fortunes
Kontras
Cons: Lack of cohesion, decision making and poor communication creates factions and infighting within the departments. This then creates a strange political office environment. Always slow to react to issues instead of anticipating potential problems and addressing them early doors, this then creates panic and unnecessary stress across teams A strong blame culture exists and certain staff point the finger at others to cover up their own incompetencies Root causes to problems are never dealt with, it’s always paper over the cracks mentality, and that’s why nothing improves and people leave. Your confidence will take a battering, this is because you're never praised for the good work you do, but heavily criticised for what you don't do, this is partly due to some managers having no people development skills Certain members of staff will stab you in the back to save their own skin or position themselves for promotion or protect their own job security. You have to be very careful what you say to people, as you can quickly find yourself in trouble, this then creates a toxic working environment You don't feel valued or appreciated as an employee, part of the problem is nobody understands what your job role is or how much hard work is involved. Your value or appreciation is only acknowledged when you leave or threaten to leave the company. Some long serving loyal staff are treated unfairly due to the previous point There seems to be a inconsistent rule book. Employees are promoted in secrecy and it feels like there’s no clear rule or objectives for advancement, and it creates a sense of favoritism amongst employees. Senior management make bad decisons or play it safe and make no decisions Constant battle between quality of game and time needed vs cash flow and plugging financial gaps Money is constantly spent in the wrong places QA department are treated badly A gaming company is suppose to be a fun and creative place to work, unfortunately Codemasters feels anything but fun, the suppressive nature of the working environment will eventually wear you down, this won't inspire or motivate you to come to work.