Great community of smart, creative people doing challenging technical work.
Pros
CNI is a challenging and engaging place to work with a solid 40+ year reputation of providing technical expertise to an international client base. The employees are relatively tight-knit and there are lots of opportunities for motivated employees to learn and grow. The company is 100% employee owned (~30% of the employers are part-owners) which has a positive effect on company culture. For example: - The work environment is very flexible - as long as you get your work done, they don't put too many restrictions on how/when/where you do it (e.g., if you prefer to keep later/earlier hours or need to pick up a sick child from school and finish up from home, generally not a problem as long as you are available as your project work requires it). - The benefits are great - 100% of healthcare premiums are covered (not including vision and dental), vacation starts at ~2.5 weeks and goes up by 5 days every two years (max is 27 but you can roll over up to 5 and they buy back the rest). Sick time accrues indefinitely. - Engineers and geologists are paid hourly so those working overtime are compensated accordingly and the majority of profits are distributed amongst all of the employees (not just shareholders) as year-end bonuses. - The leaders of the company genuinely care about the work and their employees and their doors are pretty much always open (literally and figuratively).
Cons
- The lack of structure can sometimes lead to communication breakdowns. That said, the flat management style makes it easy to move between projects / departments and gain new skills along the way. - Feedback can be hard to get unless you ask for it but, when asked, superiors are open to sitting down to discuss your work, career path, etc. - Diversity and inclusion are valued in theory but not always in practice. They are making a concerted effort to correct this and it is becoming a much more inclusive place to work as a result.
