Electronic Arts

The people are fantastic to work with. Because EA is in the business of making games, you get all walks of life.

As an engineer, I find it very enjoyable working with artists, game designers, and professional management types because it gives me a bit more perspective on our industry in general. Typically, us "geeks" get very engrossed in the tech side of things, and a place like EA lets you come out of your shell a bit more.

Also, you are making games, which does add to the atmosphere of "fun".

I have worked for other big companies, and I feel that EA compensates well. They are trying to change as we, the workers, are aging (more time with family, etc).

Last, I would say as a "gamer", getting free EA games and having the library where I can check out movies and games for free is a big plus.

The hours can be a bit "crunchy" sometimes.

Also, these games are big money producers these days, and this adds additional stress to make sure everything comes out on time.

Just keep a constant open dialog with people. Sometimes it is very easy to fall into the "my door is always open" type of thing, but I feel a good manager should also feel like "the employees' door is always open" too and just swing by and shoot the breeze with people. This way, even your lowest employee feels like they can be open about things they see as wrong, instead of just handing you their two weeks' notice.