Pros
Acuity provides free breakfast and lunch for employees working from the home office on Wednesdays. There is also a Wednesday happy hour with "dinner" that employees and their families are welcome to attend. The company offers other fun perks as well, including annual summer and holiday baskets. Acuity also contributes to employees' 401(k) plans, even if employees do not make their own contributions. The people at Acuity are truly one of the company's biggest strengths. The coworkers are some of the best people around and are a highlight of working here.
Cons
The leadership transition was never going to be easy, and anyone stepping into the President/CEO role had big shoes to fill. I understand that some changes are necessary and appreciate that leadership is trying to position the company for the future. My biggest frustration has been the communication around these changes. There has been a lot of time spent preparing employees for change and explaining concepts of change but not enough time explaining what is actually changing and how it will impact our day-to-day work. Most employees don't need another metaphor. We want clear communication about what to expect and how our roles may be affected. Another challenge has been the increasing workload. I appreciate that leadership has acknowledged the need to create efficiencies and take work off employees' plates, but those improvements feel too far into the future while additional responsibilities continue to be added today. Many employees are feeling overwhelmed, and it is difficult to see how we can sustain the current workload while waiting for those efficiencies to come into place. The reduction in flex time within our department has also been disappointing. The new guidelines are more restrictive than what is outlined in the employee handbook, and no additional compensation or other benefit was offered to offset the loss of flexibility. This has had a noticeable impact on morale. The company continues to perform well financially, but annual salary increases have not reflected that success or the hard work employees put in each year. Better recognition through compensation would go a long way toward showing employees they are valued.