Of course this is a large company so these vary based on division and department:
- Poor work/life balance. This seems to vary by department. "Crunch" mode can last a year or more on large projects with you and your superior working 50-60+ hour weeks. At least your 1st level manager is usually in the trenches with you. This has burned out many engineers who leave to work at consultancies, service companies or the majors.
- Poor project execution on large projects. This may be because a lot of seasoned PMs have left. Lack of adequate change management and focus on the wrong priorities (at the middle/upper project levels) means that you work a lot but accomplish less because it's done backwards.
- Lean / 6 Sigma is the way forward according to executive management, but some departments / managers don't take it seriously. Result - no real process improvement other than some Excel jockeys with arbitrary metrics and risk assessment meetings.
- The bureaucracy can go from manageable (for this size of company) to mind-numbing, depending which plant/location you are dealing with.
- Lack of 9 / 80's
- Salaries are 5-10% lower than competitors, 20% lower than clients (of same experience)
- Politics / favoritism thrives. The perks are great if you choose to play the game or if you're the chosen one. Not so great if you're not, as you will have a hard time to set yourself apart.
Despite all of these cons, there are worse places to work and every company has it's drawbacks so it's important to ask yourself what you can/cannot live with. Keep all eyes open during the interview process and ask if you can have an interview with a peer in your department.
