Ventajas
Most of my coworkers were great and I've met a few life-long friends during my time at Rakuten. "Drinkshare" the once-a-week happy hour at the bar right in the office was a nice perk. It was a great way to get to know coworkers who you would otherwise have minimal contact with. Some focus on employee happiness - although initiatives to improve this are usually too ambitious and get forgotten about too quickly . Office parties were always creative and a lot of fun. Most people take part in them and its another great way to bond with colleagues. The once a week All Company Meeting (ACM) was a great platform to keep the whole company in the know about how we're doing. However, more information could have been shared in a more engaging way.
Desventajas
Little visibility between management and lower-level employees. Therefore, little upward mobility can be expected when yourboss has no idea what you've been working on or what improvements you've made unless you shout it from the top of your lungs. VERY little focus on supporting departments. Unless you're on the client services team, don't expect to get included in any company events, such as Symposium or Off-site. Events like this should be open to more teams to build trust and equality between the departments - and not to mention help educate us on the industry itself. It's hard to motivate yourself or your team to work to better the company if you feel excluded from it.