Pros
Somewhere in all the toxicity and deception exists a thread of true passion for civic good. The reason I joined Accela was because I too wanted to strengthen the bond between government and community through software and I did find that some co workers demonstrated devotion to this cause as well. Its mission to enable governments to serve citizens more efficiently and effectively is absolutely something worth working towards. I met some truly intelligent, driven, and remarkable people at Accela and it's those people that inspired me to work hard and strive. On a more day to day basis, I enjoyed the free/healthy lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays and the company's health initiatives. Matching 401k and decent healthcare packages were nice too. The work life balance is also pretty great. My commute was pretty long but I definitely was able to get home in time to workout and make myself a nice meal.
Cons
Oh man, where do I start. There are lies, everywhere. I was told I'd receive a pay raise twice and never saw a bump in salary during my time here. Employees in other departments saw frequent and outside-the-normal-cycle raises and adjustments. I signed an offer to work out of the smaller SF office but gradually was required to commute more and more to the HQ in San Ramon, where I lacked proper equipment and a desk for several months. Due to poor communication between departments and appalling bureaucratic rigidity, I was unable "follow my dreams" and transfer to another team internally - despite the willingness of the receiving department's managers. I worked my butt off and it felt like I was being punished for...aspiring and being ambitious. A lot of Sr. Management is pompous and egoistic and you can definitely see a trickle down effect here. To keep your head down is to survive. I am absolutely disconcerted at the lack of respect in this organization. Simply because someone is more tenured or has a greater role, they feel entitled to have you do things for them. Accela is absolutely a hierarchical environment, an environment saturated with title-flaunting and power struggles/trips. I was either micromanagement by individuals who were merely more sr. members of my team or was shrugged off and ignored by my direct sr.’s.
