Nintendo of America Reviews in Redmond, WA

Pros

People are very good to work with; most people are experienced and know what they are doing; Most managers are good at what they do; very nice new headquarter; company gym, soccer field; good pay and bonus structure; longevity of employees

Cons

Culture is changing for the bad; many people are getting scared for their positions with the recent results; big lay off in IT; new systems going into place that people don't like; organization is run pretty lean

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in more man power; Pay attention to the mood of the company now that layoffs have occurred; pay attention to the competitors tactics or we could lose our market leadership

Pros

Incompetent manager wouldn't want you to work hard, so if you're determined to sit back, relax, and collect check, there's no other place better.
Good benefit
Fun product
No layoffs

Cons

No layoffs means no change. Many of the management are there for 20+ year, and proud of it. Many of them joined Nintendo fresh out of college, or in some cases, high school. They do not know how the world outside Nintendo works. They do not know managers in the other successful companies are highly educated and competitive.

Because the old timers won't leave, there's no room for young talented people to move up. Many smart young people left. Those who get promotions are lazy workers who spend 50% of his day sucking up to management, lying about his achievements. Very disappointing for honest, hardworking, capable people.

Advice to Senior Management

The review in ONLY top down. No manager gets comments from subordinates. No use to complain to manager above, as they all protect themselves, knowing the limitation of their competencies. They really need 360 degree review process.

Pros

pay is okay
decent benefits
product is fun

Cons

treated like a child, lack of communication, favoritism, micromanaged accounting of time and lack of acknowledgement for positive results, no praise, low morale, no consequence for doing a great job versus doing just enough to get by, general feeling that employees are dispensable

Advice to Senior Management

If you treat your employees with respect, they will work better for you.

Pros

Great People
Excellent Benefits
Treated well
Team atmosphere
Location

Cons

Few promotions from within
Few training opportunities

Advice to Senior Management

Provide constructive criticism
Provide clear path for improvement
Provide performance expectations
Keep people who have integrity

Pros

Good training on upcoming products, good work environment.

Cons

They don't hire enough associates on as full time employees.

Pros

One of the best reasons for working at NOA is the culture. Our dress code was jeans and flip-flops. My coworkers had green and pink hair and had pokemon sprawled around their cubicles. There is opportunity for growth but the company is relatively small for a MNC that new opportunities aren't exactly cropping up constantly. If they are, they're contract positions and usually, there's already someone internal ready to change positions - the only difference is they have to post up the opportunity.

As for the contact center itself - you're required to go through 2 weeks of intensive training about everything NOA from all of the troubleshooting steps for Wii consoles to negotiation. Despite dealing with stupid people frequently on the phones, I enjoyed my peers very much and it was acceptable to throw out a "That's what she said" comment with my cohort without getting any criticism.

Cons

It can be stressful working in the contact center, especially during the holidays. You will not get a single moment's rest -- but that is the nature of working with phones.

Advice to Senior Management

Less contract positions

Pros

- The company treats their employees like kings and queens.
- Pay (in this position anyway) is very competitive when compared to the same pay around the Seattle area
- Benefits package rocks
- HUGE discounts on Nintendo games, hardware, and merchandise
- Awesome company perks (free Mariners tickets, Sounders luxury suite tickets, Seahawks luxury suite tickets, 24/7 gym access on site)
- Constant classes being offered for continued career development as well as to more efficiently use your tools (Excel, Outlook, etc)
- Excellent bonus package
- The Executive leadership really does a good job of communicating the company's goals to everyone in the organization. We all feel like we have a part to play in the company success, regardless of department.
- Depending on position (and how hard working/reliable of an employee you are) there are lots of different projects you get to work on, so it's not the same mind-numbing work over and over.
- Pension!

Cons

- I have heard that it's difficult to eventually move into other departments....especially if you are just getting your foot in the door (Consumer Service, Product Testing, Tech Services, and Manufacturing Operations come to mind)
- Doesn't seem like there is a ton of collaboration between departments. Every business unit kinda does their own thing.

Advice to Senior Management

While it's important to always hire the best candidates for a position, it's also important to keep your eyes sharp on your current employee base. Employees that come in on the entry-level love the company...find innovative ways to allow them to have more expanded roles throughout the organization. Otherwise, keep up the awesome work.

Pros

Great team of people to work with.

Cons

Not a lot of growth. Come in, take calls, go home. No extra projects.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide extra projects to do when its not busy.

Pros

Great co-workers, the industry as a whole is constantly changing and there is always something exciting going on (whether it be new games, or fun internal events). Benefits package is decent, and the new building has brought a positive change to the culture.

Cons

Extremely difficult to move up once you get your foot in the door. Even with the right education and experience, very rarely do "real" job openings show up. The majority of jobs listed are either for contractors getting hired or internal promotions. If you do apply for a job and aren't selected, HR doesn't even take the time to respond personally via phone or email. You would think that current employees would deserve more than the standard "sorry you were not selected" template email, but apparently not.

Advice to Senior Management

The management problems vary drastically by department. I think it is quite obvious the management in departments with lots of contractors (those stranded in the old building) have little to no experience, and don't know what to do with so many people. For other departments, management seems to be stuck in their old ways, and have not adjusted to change over the 30 years the company has been around Until the younger generation starts to take over more senior management roles, unfortunately I don't see a way for this attitude to change.

Pros

It's fun, lots of people are young and friendly

Cons

too much micromanagement and politics, most men are promoted.

Advice to Senior Management

More communication between mid-management and higher management would be best. Start trusting your employees