Stability, Professionalism, and Growth - UX-UI Designer Sprung Studios Employee Review

3.0
23 Apr 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- The project structure offers unique opportunities for mentorship. - The company is comprised of highly skilled professionals in user research, design, and engineering, making it a top-tier workplace. - There is a strong emphasis on diversity within the company. - It's an ideal environment for learning best practices in the gaming industry. - The company experiences minimal crunch, unlike other companies that often face sudden client-driven milestones. - Employees enjoy stable growth prospects without the fear of layoffs. - The company promotes internal talent, fostering career advancement. - Social events and snack offerings facilitate bonding among colleagues. - The company employs up-to-date technology across all departments. - Competitive and comprehensive benefits packages are provided. - The HR team is professional and thorough in their approach. - The hybrid work model offers flexibility, catering to both remote and in-person preferences. - It is the best place for individuals willing to learn in an entry level position. - You'll have the chance to work on major title games.

Cons

- Compensation is not competitive, with raises primarily tied to inflation rates that may not align with rising living costs. Increases in pay often require title changes or being considered irreplaceable, which is extremely rare. - Promotion opportunities are limited by a strict hierarchy, and title changes necessitate significant shifts in responsibilities. This structure, coupled with limited positions, can lead to stagnant wages over time. - Management has become increasingly distant from projects, transitioning from regular involvement to more private offices and less interaction with non-management staff. While this improves privacy, it also reduces transparency and communication. - There's a disconnect between management and employees regarding remote work preferences and commuting challenges. This lack of relatability can lead to frustration among employees. - The company's practice of replacing senior employees who leave the company with lower-level staff can strain remaining employees with additional training responsibilities, leading to increased stress and workload. - The focus at Sprung seems more on business operations than on artistic creativity, impacting the team's motivation. Management's prioritization of financial goals sometimes conflicts with employee values, which may not resonate negatively with everyone.

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Sprung Studios Response
2y
Thank you for sharing your feedback about working at Sprung Studios. We appreciate the positive highlights and the areas where you feel room for improvement. Your insights are valuable, and we take them seriously. We appreciate that you consider Sprung Studios a top-tier workplace, mainly due to our highly skilled professionals and strong emphasis on diversity. We are proud of our efforts to create an environment that fosters learning, mentorship, and the application of best practices in the gaming industry. Your recognition of our minimal crunch culture, stable growth prospects, internal talent promotion, social events, and comprehensive benefits packages is greatly appreciated. Regarding your areas of concern, we acknowledge that compensation and promotion opportunities are crucial factors for employee satisfaction. At Sprung Studios, we provide competitive salary bands aligned with market rates and continuously evaluate our compensation practices to ensure fairness and competitiveness. The disconnect between management and employees regarding remote work preferences and commuting challenges is a valid concern. However, Sprung Studios has always championed the hybrid working model to ensure we have core collaboration days, which benefits our employees and projects. We also offer additional work-from-home days to mitigate the commuting challenges. We note your feedback on the potential strain caused by replacing senior employees. We understand the importance of maintaining a balanced workload and providing adequate training and support, such as our in-house coaching and mentoring workshops and commitment to leadership development. We value your perspective on balancing our focus on business operations and artistic creativity. While financial sustainability is crucial for our long-term success, we want to reassure you that we remain committed to fostering an environment that nurtures creativity and aligns with our employees' values. We will continue to strive for a balance that resonates with our team and supports their artistic aspirations. Thank you for your valuable feedback. We are committed to continuous improvement and creating a workplace that meets the needs and expectations of our talented employees.

Explore other reviews about Sprung Studios

5.0
17 Jan 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Sprung Studios has always prioritized its employees. Whether it's learning and development, inclusivity, support, or celebrating accomplishments, Sprung always prioritizes employee satisfaction, no matter the company's size. The company has grown drastically over the last five years, but despite this growth, the enjoyment and daily satisfaction of working here have not shifted. The work completed and the team you work alongside daily is always so refreshing and uplifting. It's a pleasure to work on what I must say are the top games in the world developed by a top UX/UI studio that I am proud to work for. The work expectations are clear, the salary is competitive, the benefits are excellent, and the support structure is phenomenal. This is truly a great place to work and I am forever grateful for the opportunities I have had here and the opportunities I look forward to.

Cons

I can't think of any.

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Sprung Studios Response
1y
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you’ve had such a positive experience at Sprung Studios. Creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported and excited about their work is a top priority for us and it’s great to know that this is reflected in your experience. Your feedback about the senior leadership visit is greatly appreciated - as always, we loved the opportunity to connect with the team in the Brighton studio. Thanks again for being a part of Sprung Studios. We’re grateful for your contributions and excited for what’s ahead!
3.0
22 Apr 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great foot-in-the-door opportunity Great quality of work and understanding of UX/UI design requirements across the industry Great people Studio trips (sometimes) No crunch

Cons

Very clear favouritism across the board with heavy differences in treatment received between the Brighton vs Vancouver studios (with the latter being heavily favoured and looked after better by the CEO) Gender pay gap (compensation and benefits in general severely lacking) Lack of recognition to hard-working people, especially women A certain member of the senior team is essentially allowed to put in minimal effort without ever being questioned and gets away with acting in a very unprofessional manner way too often. Production in general felt like the most troubling department to work with; they seem to push for pleasing clients more than protecting their own teams from being overworked Certain other department heads equally unprofessional, especially towards female members of the team Senior management allows clients to verbally disrespect Sprung employees without batting an eyelid It was admitted by a senior member of staff that pay rises are not earned for working hard, but rather for loyalty (so just staying longer at the company; performance doesn't matter)

10
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Sprung Studios Response
2y
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We value all perspectives as they help us improve. However, we were disheartened to read about your experience, which doesn’t align with our organisational values and the experiences we provide our employees. Therefore, it is essential to address some inaccuracies in your review. Regarding the alleged discrepancy between offices, we assure you that all our locations operate under the same standards and policies and strive to maintain consistency across all locations. While our offices are in different places, such as Brighton, UK, and Vancouver, Canada, we treat all our staff equally, no matter their office. Fairness and equity are the foundation of our company's operations. We have robust policies in place to ensure fair compensation practices regardless of gender, such as our banding structure. Regular audits are conducted to address any discrepancies, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to equity in all aspects of our business. We also provide a range of benefits to support our employees' well-being, including private health care, well-being days, and a hybrid work model with additional work-from-home days. Our company conducts salary reviews that inform our pay banding structure to ensure all our salaries are competitive and in range with all departments. Performance reviews occur annually, and pay increases are received in alignment with our banding. We recognize loyalty at the organisation with annual bonuses and loyalty bonuses. Recognition is a pillar of our culture, and we actively celebrate the contributions of all team members. From peer-to-peer recognition to formal awards, we strive to ensure that every employee feels valued and appreciated for their hard work and dedication. We take professionalism seriously, and unprofessional behaviour is addressed promptly through our established HR processes. Our company culture emphasizes respect, integrity, and collaboration, and we hold ourselves and our employees to the highest standards. Our employees' well-being is a top priority for us. We have a core value of 'no crunch time' and mechanisms in place to monitor workloads and prevent overworking. We actively encourage open communication to address any concerns about workload imbalance. This is facilitated through regular one-to-ones with employees and their managers, mid-year check-ins with HR, and annual reviews throughout the year. We want every employee to feel supported and empowered to succeed in a positive work environment. We have zero tolerance for disrespectful behaviour, whether from clients or employees. Any instances of misconduct are thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with our policies and procedures, which are set out in our Employee Handbook. We understand that individual experiences may vary, and we encourage you to contact HR or management directly to address any concerns. We are committed to fostering a positive work environment where every employee feels supported and empowered to succeed. While it's unfortunate that this employee wasn't satisfied with their experience at Sprung Studios, we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
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