Pros
ECI is a good company to work for and offers a competitive benefits package. The profit sharing 401k employer contribution was great and hard to beat. Also, the employer contribution to the HSA account is nice and offsets the high deductible health plan well. Overall the management of the company looks out for the employees and I enjoyed my time there. Total compensation at year-end was competitive with other employers, but the structure varies depending on your position in the company.
Cons
Communication from upper management can be frustrating and there is a lack of it. When you reach Project Engineer level and above your compensation turns from hourly to salary and from one year-end bonus to two bonuses (mid-year and year end). The base salary for salaried employees is less than what you will get elsewhere but ECI tries to makeup for it with the two bonuses. The bonuses are supposed to cover overtime, performance, company well-being, etc., but the actual equation is a closely held secret. It was difficult at times as a salaried employee to predict my annual compensation because of the unknown bonus equation and also to set my monthly budgets because the base salary was smaller. The bonuses are substantial however, and typically are 20-30% of your base salary at year end, so getting a large bonus check was always nice.
