Pros

Nike provides good benefits, flexible work schedules in many but not all divisions, fun events and activities, and opportunities to gain additional skills and training to move to other areas or divisions. Additionally, there is a genuine effort to ensure that diversity is honored and developed. Managers receive extensive ongoing training in management coaching and leadership. Due to Nike's extremely competitive hiring process (see below for downside), it is often the case that the employees skilled enough to be hired are also a joy/fun to work around. Good communication skills and team orientation meaning.. get along well with others, go above and beyond at all times, avoid complaining, and be flexible for whatever new process, role, or workload is added to your plate at a moment's notice) are prerequisites for getting hired on.
 A comfortable safe work environment is provided to all employees. Any reports of mistreatment are investigated and handled immediately. Nike has a variety of network organizations to support and encourage understanding of a variety of minority groups including the gay and lesbian community.

Nike encourages community involvement in a way that few if any other companies can match. In addition to matching donations to non profits dollar for dollar, the company supports employees donating their time in the community by paying the employees wages while they volunteer.

Wage pay is average to the low end of the average , however, when benefits are considered the package offered is very competitive. In particular, features like gyms, on site childcare, restaurants, and employee stores/shopping opportunties make working on campus like being in the Emerald City in the land of Oz. Nike truly provides its employees with a beautiful city/college campus atmosphere.

Cons

Cronyism and nepotism unfortunately influence who gets their foot in the door and who in turn is promoted often inexplicably at a lightening pace more often than should be the case. It is not uncommon for management to be asked to interview candidates who are related or acquainted (often ridiculously remotely) to senior leaders with little regard to their qualifications. Note: Managers are never told they have to hire anyone. They are merely encouraged to consider a specific candidate. A published internal poll on Nike's intranet site a couple of years ago revealed that a significant number of current employees acknowledged they got their first Nike job due to networking and knowing the right people.

Nike's pay for performance system doesn't always reward performance in the way it was designed. HR monitors the process throughout the year and asks managers for prelimimary performance ratings for teams of employees to gauge if the distribution of ratings ensuring that it looks to be within the normal range. While managers and employees alike are assured that no forced ratings occur, managers are asked to "look again" if too many good ratings or not enough less than average ratings are being projected. Supervisors who question the process are seen as not being good/skilled managers and may be asked to take additional "coaching" training to ensure they understand that the process is not forced but "randomly" falls in a certain distribution pattern.

Managers are frequently hired for their specific subject matter expertise and then trained to be supervisors. It isn't uncommon in some areas of the company for managers to handle a full workload and also be managers as a part of their job. As a result, the quality of the manager you may be asked to work for may depend on how much previous supervisory experience they come into their job with. In Nike's defense, they are aware of this and place a large amount of time, money, and energy to ensure that all manager's have a minimum core skill level soon after being promoted into any roles that involve direct reports. Nike believes employees need to be coached effectively and correctly to perform at their best.

Advice to Senior Management

Transparency in hiring practices and internal promotional processes is critical if the company truly wants to be sure that the best person for the job is hired every time an opening comes available. Removing the disclaimer "lead candidate identified" from job postings didn't fix the problem of supervisors having made up their minds about who they wanted for a job before posting it; it just moved it underground.