ITO EN (North America) Reviews | Glassdoor
ITO EN (North America) Reviews
Companies
  • Jobs
  • Companies
  • Salaries
  • Interviews

    ITO EN (North America) Reviews

    16 reviews

    Filter

    Filter

    Full-timePart-time
    2.1
    StarStarStarStarStar
    Rating TrendsRating Trends
    Recommend to a friend
    Approve of CEO
    (no image)
    Yosuke Honjo
    8 Ratings

    16 Employee Reviews

    Sort: PopularRatingDate

    1. "matcha LOVE"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Store Associate in Costa Mesa, CA
      Current Employee - Store Associate in Costa Mesa, CA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I have been working at ITO EN (North America) part-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      They care about their employees.

      Cons

      It's really hard to talk to anyone important.

    2. "Sales Planning Manager"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Sales Planning Manager in Brooklyn, NY
      Current Employee - Sales Planning Manager in Brooklyn, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at ITO EN (North America) full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Working for Ito En can be an amazing and exciting career move. You will be working in an extremely international environment – our products are produced and imported from several Asian countries and a large portion of our employees and vendors are from Asia. Asian business is expanding rapidly not only in Asia but also here in America, and working for Ito En gives you invaluable experience learning about and doing business with people and companies of different cultures. Furthermore, Ito En puts a large amount of trust and independence in their employees, giving them the opportunity to expand the realm of their individual positions, contributing their all to the company while learning and bettering their resume infinitely.

      Cons

      Work never ends. You have to be good at multitasking and time management. You need to travel a lot for some of the positions.

    3. Helpful (9)

      "Assistant Manager"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      Pros

      They have benefits for all employees. Get to work in a great neighborhood. Discounted tea as employees only pay $1 per bottle.

      Cons

      If there was a top ten list out there for the most terrible places to work then this place most certainly will be on that list. It's more like a jail. Get up from your seat any time of the day and it will be noticed.

      Advice to Management

      Please keep promises you make to employees. You are all talk and no action. There is a reason why everyone here quits and the reason is you.

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      Jul 26, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Glad to hear that you enjoy our extensive benefits and office location in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn. I am disappointed that you don't enjoy working here. Regarding your "advice to... More

    4. Helpful (4)

      "Career Killer"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend

      Pros

      Company makes good and healthy product that consumers love. Office is located in a central area and is easily accessible by trains.

      Cons

      If you are a male chauvinist, you will definitely reach far in this company. However, If you are a motivated individual that works well in a team environment, that loves development and want to build on your skills, please don't apply! This company has the highest rate of staff turnover I've every seen.

      Advice to Management

      You will never change, SO STOP saying that you're trying to change things and that you're listening to the employees!

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      Jul 26, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Glad to read that you agree that we make good and healthy products that consumers love. And, yes, our office is in a great neighborhood of Brooklyn with easy transportation. Your comments about... More

    5. Helpful (1)

      "Happily Employed in Sales"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at ITO EN (North America) (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      - Strong opportunities for advancement based on proven performance.
      - Honest and friendly co-workers with integrity, great work ethic, and dedication to teamwork.
      - Premium and trending products to feel good about selling and making people healthier.
      - Freedom to make decisions and work independently...self-autonomy to get the job done.
      - Very loyal employer toward employee retention and strong foundation of job security/stability.
      - Good insurance benefits and 401K plan.

      Cons

      - Must have patience to work here and willingness to roll with unique hybrid of Japanese and American company culture. Not for everyone and some personalities won't fit.
      - Office environment is quite sterile with an old-school, cubicle environment.
      - Conservative nature of company can stifle growth evolution and limit ability to be nimble.

      Advice to Management

      - Improve corporate culture and office environment to fit with modern employee standards by adding perks and benefits (casual dress policy, office artwork & furniture, flex time, gym fitness benefit, employee mixers, off-site retreats).

      - Start bench marking the work culture against other employers to be more current and relevant, especially for young employees.

      - Innovate with greater speed and efficiency.

    6. Helpful (6)

      "Terrible place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at ITO EN (North America) full-time

      Pros

      Transit, 401K, health insurance was pretty decent compared to some others, the Brooklyn bridge is right there, the view of Manhattan

      Cons

      EXTREMELY low pay so this negates the pros, rewards employees who work long hours instead of what they accomplish, HR is corrupt and will be the ones causing problems for you. The people who stick around are those that really NEED a job (sponsorship, lack of English, been laid off recently, etc). My career expectations were never acknowledged and I was stuck doing the work no one wanted for several years until I had the "experience" (aka years to put in my resume) to leave. My career has proliferated ever since I left this company. You can do better.

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      May 11, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Thanks for recognizing the great benefits that the company provides! We are constantly working to make our wages competitive in the marketplace. And, I believe that our wages and benefits package... More

    7. Helpful (2)

      "Full Time"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      Current Employee - Staff in Brooklyn, NY
      Current Employee - Staff in Brooklyn, NY
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at ITO EN (North America) full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Great company to work for. Great benefits. Matched 401K.

      Cons

      Quite unprofessional HR but we all get used to it. You don't get paid during your maternity leave.

      Advice to Management

      HR needs a lot of improvement.

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      May 11, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Thanks for your comments about working at ITO EN (North America) INC. Glad to hear that you enjoy working for the company and our great benefits! Regarding HR, it is always a challenging to be... More

    8. Helpful (5)

      "Unbelievably terrible"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Costa Mesa, CA
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Costa Mesa, CA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      Pros

      Great product, buuuut that's about it. I think that made my experience even more disappointing because there is room for potential with the products they are producing, but they keep losing employees because they hate working here.

      Cons

      Oh dear, where to start? I think the largest issue that REALLY needs to be addressed is how this company treats its employees. They'll smile to your face, but treat you like trash and put unreasonable expectations on you based on unrealistic goals. I saw my manger spend all his time and took away for this company only for him to be metaphorically slapped down into the dirt. I saw him work overtime without the overtime pay and volunteer his time for this company all for naught. It was hard to see him endure the treatment upper management have him.

      For even the most basic associates even, we were constantly looked down upon just because of our position and our concerns were uncared for. All of them. Even if it was for the benefit of the store. A couple of times, our store ran out of MATCHA, the very thing that was demanded for. The disorganization of this place was infiltrating, I often felt like we were left out on our own, forgotten about.

      I felt at times it was like they wanted their employees to suffer. If you were happy, you weren't working hard enough. How does that work? We got told a couple of times to our face that we were TOO happy. What the hell?! And we weren't loud or obnoxious, they were really genuinely concerned with the fact that we were enjoying ourselves too much with smiling or whatever.

      And again, unrealistic expectations were placed on everybody, and we were yelled at when we didn't meet their impossible (literally, not remotely attainable) goals.

      Don't bother working hard for these guys if you expect to be rewarded at all. They don't care. All they care about it profit.

      Advice to Management

      Treat people like humans, not like slaves. Seriously, the way I saw employees being treated by upper management was disgusting to say the least.

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      May 11, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Glad to hear that you recognize Ito En (North America) has great products. Unfortunately, there is a worldwide shortage of high quality matcha from Japan. We certainly don't ever want to be out of... More

    9. Helpful (2)

      "ITO EN"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Honolulu, HI
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Honolulu, HI
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook

      I worked at ITO EN (North America) full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Great company to work for. Managers are friendly and fair.

      Cons

      Not the highest pay out there.

      Advice to Management

      Better pay is needed.

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      May 11, 2016 – Chief Operating Officer

      Thanks for your positive comments about Ito En. We pride ourselves on having great products and a great team! Thanks for your advice regarding better pay. We are constantly working to make sure... More

    10. Helpful (2)

      "Sad truths"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend

      Pros

      Friendly to your face, salaried pay for sales

      Cons

      Though it would never be said aloud, there is an obvious favor towards the Japanese employees. Hr doesn't really have your back and don't expect a raise above an already low salary.

      Advice to Management

      Listen to suggestions of employees. Just because they aren't Japanese or didn't come from the Japan branch doesn't mean they don't have good ideas. They never made a change unless the idea came from an all Japanese manager staff

      ITO EN (North America) Response

      Sep 4, 2015 – Chief Operating Officer

      Thank you for your feedback and review. We are constantly reviewing our compensation programs for all employees and strive to have competitive salaries and benefits. In addition, we recently... More

    Showing 16 of 17 reviews
    Reset Filters