Pros
- Driven, very intelligent employees and coworkers in many organizations - CEO with a good vision and enthusiasm (though execution through executive management could improve) - Excellent products and pedigree - enjoys a great reputation stretching back to HP - Average pay/benefits/work-life balance (but this is slowly eroding) - A TON of potential - and still maintains a strong market standing and possibility for great things, if the company can get out of its own way - Good, open culture - employees at all levels are free to speak their minds and provide feedback
Cons
- Shareholder value is paramount - resulting in many short-sighted and "knee-jerk" decisions and near constant re-organization to scrape a few extra pennies into shareholder pockets. If there is a long term business outlook or objective, it isn't being communicated well. - Ultra-conservative investment in R&D and infrastructure. Huge reliance on dated processes and software makes doing business very slow, frustrating to customers. - Continual erosion of post-sales applications support and service slowly but surely damaging the company's reputation as market leader/trusted industry partner. - Formerly a "standout" place to work, the current goal seems to be trying to be "more like everyone else" in the industry by eroding employee benefits to be "more consistent with other businesses in the industry." This strategy seems to work as one would expect - talented employees leave for greener pastures, mediocre/sub-par employees stay on. - Particularly bad batch of recent senior management decisions in certain business organizations (specifically, sales). Sales performance expectations don't match market reality, and new sales strategy erodes "premium" instrumentation brand position and has everyone selling on huge discounts instead. Excellent managers who energized their teams and drove business are being pushed out and replaced by yes-men and yes-women who toe the company line, keep their heads down, and bring very little to the table in terms of management, support, or enthusiasm for their teams. As a result, many sales teams' morale is in the dumps and successful sales professionals are looking elsewhere to competitors who will set reasonable sales goals and, thereby, pay reasonable commissions.