Employee development is spotty, some groups value it and others don't give it a second thought. Management coaching does not occur until after one year, which is especially troubling for new people managers managing new employees. There is no new employee orientation, and team building events are rare.
The employee handbook does not require managers to create training and development plans or administer performance improvement plans; many employees write their development plans after-the-fact. Fully successful reviews can be followed within a few weeks by termination notice for lame and changing reasons (they are in cost-cutting mode this month). This cycle repeats itself every year.
Leadership abilities of VPs and EVPs range greatly. I wouldn't follow some to the cafeteria, while I'd follow others into a lopsided military campaign.
Although the company has a telecommute policy, many employees are expected to work in the office to justify a recent renovation, which turned 9' x 6' cubicles with 6' walls into 6' x 6' cubicles with 3' walls. Picture yourself in a overpopulated petting zoo while trying to talk on the phone.
I witnessed wasted resources...$50k purchase of software that was never used and projects with 1000+ hours of effort before being abandoned due to politics. Agile project management is a hit and miss effort.
Novel ideas are discouraged if you are not a long-term or "connected" employee. This is a target rich environment for grad school business cases.
I had much higher job satisfaction and sense of accomplishment as a contractor.
