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Rakuten Kobo

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Limited career growth but a decent stepping stone - Anonymous employee Rakuten Kobo Employee Review

3.0
Feb 10, 2021
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great culture of people, competitive employee perks (e.g. free lunches, RRSP match, free weekly ebooks/audiobooks), dog-friendly, accessible through multiple transit routes, flat hierarchical structure results in less bureaucracy and formality This is a good option for young professionals looking to gain industry experience and the brand power from both Rakuten and Kobo serves as a good stepping stone into future opportunities.

Cons

- Pay is not competitive and is well under-indexed compared to market - Limited career growth opportunities; annual goal setting exercises are fairly fruitless if at the end of the day, there exists no opportunities for role progression - Questionable strategic decision-making within senior management; management tends to rush into business opportunities without fully considering the strategic implications and the product-market fit - The lax work environment is nice in the moment but does more harm than good in the long run. Echoing a previous review, "Don't let the illusion of comfort dull your skills. The longer you stay, the harder it will be to adjust in the real job market"

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Rakuten Kobo Response
5y
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Although your journey at Rakuten Kobo has only been for a short period of time, it sounds like you have really been enjoying some of our employee perks, which is great! We would however like to take this opportunity to discuss some of the areas above that you’ve pointed out. In terms of our compensation, our Total Rewards team ensures that our compensation packages are equitable, fair and adhere to industry standards through benchmarking data. Our Performance Management process is also a fantastic way to outline your annual objectives, creating alignment to your personal, departmental and organizational goals with mid-year and year-end reviews. Another great resource to discuss career development is with our dedicated in-house Training & Development Specialist. We encourage you to schedule some time with this person to discuss a career development plan. We also have Individual Development Plans, host frequent lunch & learns and have an online learning platform with training courses available 24/7. We hope to hear from you soon to further discuss these opportunities!

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5.0
Jul 31, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

It’s a good place to work

Cons

It’s Sometimes there’s short breaks

3.0
Jan 28, 2025
Anonymous contractor
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free ebook every week, good benefits, free lunch every day if you’re in the office.

Cons

Extremely siloed to the point where people in the same team don’t even communicate. A lot of people that are hired are not fit for the role they are hired for. A lot of favortism, same people getting recognition over and over again even for mediocre work. They try to sell this image of being a friendly brand/company to work for but there is a good amount of hostility, cliques and politics within the org that make it difficult to navigate. Pay is not competitive.

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