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Enigma Interactive

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Enigma Interactive Reviews

3.9

71% would recommend to a friend

(10 total reviews)

71% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

10 reviews
2.0
16 Feb 2024

The home of micromanagement

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There’s some really lovely people here. Everyone is keen to share their knowledge and skills across the wider business and the monthly tech talks are a great platform for this. There is a good social scene and colleagues are encouraged to build good relationships with each other. Good mix of projects and clients. A challenging but rewarding role.

Cons

Everything is micromanaged by the MD. You will be told what to do, how to do it and how long it will take you. There is no room for discussion or applying your own expertise and knowledge to tasks. You will be told how to do your job even though you have been brought in for your expertise. People are not recognised for their good work. No one is promoted beyond a certain level. They never promote people to senior devs but expect the devs to perform like seniors. They are terrified of people leaving but instead of focusing on why people would want to leave they take the huff with you and will take legal action if you recommend a former colleague to a new role. The remote working ‘policy’ is one rule for some and non existent to others. Some people work from home as often as they wish whilst others need to have an extremely good reason to even request one day. If the latter wfh more than one day a week, they are pulled up on it by the MD. Everyone is terrified of upsetting the MD who insists everything must be done exactly as he wants it (even when he has no previous experience or knowledge in the area he is micromanaging you on). After a while, your creativity will be nonexistent and you will start to question your worth.

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Enigma Interactive Response
2y
This seems a very strange set of comments. If you had worked here as a Producer, then you would know that far from being micromanaged, the producer is one of the Producer is one of the most empowering roles you can imagine. We pride ourselves on our supportive, open company culture where creativity is encouraged to flourish – something that is positively commented on by pretty much everyone who joins us. Recognising great work is something we do daily, and promotions are frequent. The vast majority of our senior developers and technical architects (for example) have been promoted from within. Everyone is encouraged to aim to get to the next level if they wish, but not put under pressure to do so. There is an open promotion nomination system, and there are no limits to how many people can achieve each grade. If you can achieve the standard, you will be promoted to that level. Far from being terrified of people leaving, we have an amazingly loyal team. Personnel turnover is incredibly low for this sector, with average tenures being well in excess of five years. With regards to WFH, we are a full-time studio-based agency. We believe it promotes creativity and collaboration and contributes to the thriving company culture we have here. This is made clear to any potential new applicants and has been emphasised to any new hires since 2021. The anonymity of this platform means that individuals aren’t identified, but given the similarity of tone and same misleading themes, it may be that this comment was placed by the same person as the only other overtly negative comment we’ve had, and we would question the motivations for placing it.
1.0
22 Oct 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There’s some nice and talented people who work here, it’s just a shame they’re not celebrated. The technical pro’s are very good, again, not celebrated.

Cons

It’s one of those environments that from day one ‘feels weird’ and the longer you’re there, you understand why. Everyone walks on eggshells around the managing director, nobody wants to ‘upset’ him in case he has one of his typical and very visible tantrums in the middle of the office. It’s a very outdated and unpleasant “leadership” style to be around. It’s a very toxic working environment where individuality and new ideas are not welcome. The company communicates a misleading message, promoting “women in tech”. Yes, all mangers were women when I worked there, but you are very oppressed. It was a collection of women, led by the male managing director. As a woman, I found a lot of the working dynamics uncomfortable. You are marked on how ‘Enigma’ you are, and that alone. Leave any previous experience or professional expertise at the door if you start here. You’ll question your value, and it’s really unfortunate. Prepare for derogatory comments and to be spoken down to like you are a little girl/child (even in front of clients) - it seems this makes someone feel more powerful and secure about themselves. Prepare to hear things like, “are you going to put on your big girl shoes and do this project for me?” As well as negative remarks about people who are flamboyant or creatively express themselves. The timesheets make for a rigid and fear driven culture. People, especially junior members of staff, are afraid to spend too long away from their desk. There is a time code for making a coffee. Because of this, people don’t talk to each other. This is the only example of ‘culture’ - Enigma looks like a prison, and it feels like one too. It is not a hybrid working style - they say ‘1 x day working from home per week’ but you are strongly advised against it - it is a hyper-controlled environment on all accounts. There are women who have worked there for a long time, but non are directors. None of the female managers had/have children or young families, it’s not a company that would be flexible to this. You will never be openly praised for anything, good work or promotions are kept quiet - heaven forbid you start to believe you’re more valuable than what they want you to think. There are so many other places to work that are better for work-life balance, promoting a modern culture and equality. Your self-esteem deserves better and I would advise taking all of the harsh realities into account before accepting a role here. There’s a very high staff turn over and bad mental health for a reason.

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Enigma Interactive Response
2y
We couldn’t disagree with this view more strongly. The comment contains a lot of factual errors, and the environment portrayed is a million miles away from the positive, collaborative workspace we experience every day. Enigma is widely regarded as having one of the most open, friendly and supportive company cultures in the tech sector. We pride ourselves on nurturing a strong, supportive culture, where people are encouraged to grow and progress without fear of failure. Promotions are regular (averaging more than one a month), and positive work is constantly praised and shared. We offer plenty of opportunities for our teams to mix informally away from their desks, including shared company briefings, drinks fridge Fridays, tech talks, show & tells, lunchtime Pilates sessions and subsidised socials. Chatting away between work colleagues is positively encouraged, and helps nurture a happy and harmonious atmosphere. We are full-time, studio-based, which may not suit people looking for hybrid or WFH roles. However, we make that very clear to new applicants. For those looking to be in a vibrant, studio environment that supports creativity and personal progression, that is one of the big attractions. If you successfully apply for a role here, we’ll invite you to come along, meet the team, and see all this for yourself.
5.0
20 Mar 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It's hard to find a place where you get up in the morning and are excited to go to work but this is what Enigma is like for me. We work with clients and deliver projects at the forefront of technology and of highest standards, something the whole company strives towards. The theme from the MD and us as the leadership team is that there's no compromise on the quality of work delivered and the service to clients. As someone who shares those values it's so satisfying to work with people who are genuine and care about what they do. I love how we're all like a little family, know each other well and most of us are friends outside work too. I'm proud to work with such clever and brilliant people helping me learn and develop as a person and manager. After having joined Enigma for only 3 months the MD trusted me to manage and deliver a project for a national healthcare provider. He worked alongside me and taught me the ropes until he was no longer needed. If you're good, confident and work hard, you can make the role your own and contribute your skills and expertise.

Cons

For a while there wasn't much flexibility around working from home or flexible hours during the week but that has changed in the last couple of years.

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Glassdoor has 10 Enigma Interactive reviews submitted anonymously by Enigma Interactive employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Enigma Interactive is right for you.