Pros
Up until recently, long term employment potential. Overall a great place to work. There are just about any job function one could imagine which falls outside the realms of strict academia: from marketing, IT, to finance and accounting. A great place for people to find a long career if their department is well funded. Work life balance is excellence. Most non-Union roles are allowed 4 weeks of vacation, Christmas recess, personal days, holidays and sick days. Excellent access to further education: Harvard Extensions courses at $40 each means one can get a degree for less than $3,000 Convenient on bus and subway lines; *excellent* benefits package Smart coworkers who seem to care about their jobs Career mobility and development is largely dependent on the school/business unit one works in and the skill of the person's manager. You make your career happen here. Harvard's Center for Workplace Development (CWD) offers great programs for professional growth
Cons
Recent reactions to the economic climate meant that many good people were forced to leave. A lot of focus is put on the HUCTW jobs that were lost because they have strong advocacy. For those who are not affiliated with a union, Very slow to change. It takes a mountain to convince the system that things could be done more efficiently/effectively. Innovation is not a driver to success. Decentralization means that the schools and business units operate in their own way so there is little consistency across the universtiy. There are no rules here, only recommendations. A nod to the highly decentralized format