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Four Winds Interactive

Engaged Employer

Some great pros, some tough cons... - Anonymous employee Four Winds Interactive Employee Review

3.0
May 3, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Office: the new, swanky office is a nice, bright place to work. Co-workers: most employees are great and bring a lot to the table in terms of work ethic and being fun to be around on the daily. Flexible PTO: if used properly, this will be a really nice benefit. It was just implemented so it's hard to say how accepted it will be to take off, say, more than the 3 weeks "most people usually take". Work from home days are also something many people are allowed to take. Work/life balance: I love that most people are encouraged to work 8-5 and to not work insane hours. I've been in workplaces where it's expected to work way more than 40 hours, even if you don't necessarily need to (just to keep up appearances). Fun at work: we have Fun Fridays, product release parties, and other similar events to mingle with co-workers and to have a break from our desks. These are usually fun events and I appreciate the groups of volunteers who put them on. Wellness: while I'd love to see $$ in our paychecks for a gym membership, it is nice there is a gym/classes/showers. Hopefully in the future that's something FWI will consider.

Cons

Sexual Harassment: unfortunately, I can personally vouch for sexual harassment in the workplace. Reporting it does nothing except to embarrass you and give the HR girls things to gossip about with literally everyone they know in AND out of the office. I would never go to HR with anything ever because it 100% does not stay confidential. HR/People Opps: our relatively new VP of People Opps is really trying hard to cultivate a better culture for women, increase benefits, and help employees understand their value. Outside of her, it's hard to get responses from them...sometimes waiting weeks to hear back (or sometimes, never). They come and go as they please, usually coming in late and leaving early, and like someone else said...they seem to always be drinking wine and being loud/disruptive. "Boys Club": can agree with other reviewers here that, even after a few new women in leadership roles, this is a total boys club. While I do think it's important to take breaks from time-to-time while on the job, the good ole' boys are constantly watching golf on their computers, playing on the putting greens located throughout the office, and talking about future golf trips. The same men keep getting promoted and keep getting perks. Work ethic: while some employees work exceptionally hard here, it's not hard to walk around and point out the slackers. I've personally seen the same group of people over and over and over again doing things AT WORK such as taking naps on couches, watching Netflix on their laptops/iPads, browsing Facebook for hours, etc. It's SO frustrating knowing how hard so many work, then to see employees like this slacking off and always getting away with it. I'm too hard of a worker to stoop to slacking levels, but there are times I want to just because I know I can! We've been doing a fair amount of "fat trimming" but there are still plenty of people that I simply cannot grasp why they still have a high-paying job here. Pay: the pay discrepancy is HUGE not only between us and competitors, but also between employees working in similar roles. I'd love to see women promoted more, paid more, and for the company in general to up the level of pay. The top dogs are getting paid huge sums of money, while those lower on the totem pole are often living paycheck-to-paycheck. Parking: we have to pay a boatload for a monthly parking spot. It IS cheaper to obtain a spot through HR vs. paying for surface lots/meters, but I think we pay something like $90 out of pocket each month for a spot - OUCH! I know many similar companies that absolutely cover parking for their employees OR pay them to not park to encourage human-powered commuting.

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Four Winds Interactive Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We have taken some significant strides this past year to ensure a healthy work environment and we cannot correct concerns without employee input. I am concerned to hear some of the feedback you provided about specific teams. I feel confident that our People Operations team is working hard and producing great results. Like everyone, we are all continuously learning and growing. As the leader of People Operations, I am committed to coaching our team to top performance, providing direct feedback and supporting each other so that we can each show up every day, as our best self. We also take diversity at Four Winds very seriously and have launched a committee focused on inclusion initiatives. If you are interested in participating in this group, please reach out to me. I hope to hear from you so we may schedule a time to discuss your experiences. -Courtney Graham, VP People Operations

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