Pros
Two recent examples:
- Winter weather was forecast to hit hard and one of our C-level executives sent an all-staff message urging everyone to go home before the roads became unsafe. Given the recent reminder I got of the meme with the picture of five feet of snow and impassable roads with the caption "and the boss be like: But you're still coming in, right?" this is unusual enough to warrant kudos. The company knows a lot of us can still work from home, and we're all committed to the mission, so it treats us like adults.
- Employees had been asking about the possibility of a parental leave benefit recently, so with the turn to the new year, that was added to our benefits.
Not only that, but our CEO and COO make an effort to go out to lunch with all employees (in small groups) at least once a year. Our leaders value the informal contact and increased accessibility, and it shows in every interaction.
I honestly can't say I've ever seen these attitudes in any of the many companies I've worked for over the years.
Cons
The process of getting under contract with the government on a new project can be fraught with delays and other uncertainties. This means employees have to be willing to be flexible as they roll off one project's work to another, and can mean that employees land on overhead for a short, interim period until all the details are resolved.
For all that, I've never seen the company let go of an employee because we're waiting for a new project to start, which (again) speaks to the strong commitment management has to retaining its people.
