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Has lots of good, but still feels like a small company

Senior Software Engineer I
Current Employee
Has worked at Blizzard for 6 years
October 27, 2015
Irvine, California
4.0
RecommendsPositive Outlook
Pros

The benefits are great overall. Many, if not all, of the people you work with are super nice. Lots of swag for those who like free stuff. Also, some of the companies Blizzard works with have Blizzard-only discount codes.

Cons

Management needs to get a bit more organized. It's a hard balance, I know. But having more management does not solve poor management skills. Hire managers that went to school for a master's and have been managing professionally for years. Promoting from within is a good thing. But also take note of teams that avoid upper management. Good employees will be good no matter what their upper management is. This does not mean you can't ignore signs of bad managers.

Pay overall is a bit below industry salaries. This is somehow supposed to balance out with bonuses. However, the bonuses over time have become flat compared to prior years for a number of valid reasons.

Advice to Management

Listen and solicit anonymous feedback from your non-management employees. I am pretty sure almost every division in the company has at least one bad manager.

Checks and balances must be made to get a 5-star rating. Increase base salaries and even out bonuses a bit more, or provide at minimum a salary someone can live on in Irvine. Take a good look at housing + food costs in Irvine.

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