Pros
NWA (not nearly as cool or cutting edge of the musical group with the same acronym) is so-so. Some of the upper/middle management have some skill to be forward thinking and innovative, and usually those same people are decent human beings who treat their staff like the adults they are. The benefits are decent, but the pay is rather below average for specialized non-bargaining unit employees. There are no perks beyond a subsidized bus pass and yearly bonus, so cherish those. Some of the work can be challenging, and it can also be rewarding to help people with their benefits. There is opportunity for advancement, but beware the personal cost. The personalities represented by the employees are really varied. And that's a great thing. One of the company's biggest assets, in my opinion. They truly make being there bearable. If you treat NWA as a short term employer, maybe as a place to get some experience, then you'll be okay. You certainly get a broad overview of the extremes of office life. Don't stay too long; consensus seems to be that you become a worse, less caring employee the longer you stay.
Cons
Huge con: a lot of the managers and supervisors have never worked anywhere else, and as a result have no clue how to be an effective manager. This place is like a farm system for small-minded, clueless supervisors that could have sitcoms about them. Many of them waver between tyrannical micromanagement of the most inconsequential parts of their department to astoundingly clueless as to what their staff should be doing. Inept and inappropriate. Moderate con: It's unfortunate, but they tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. Instead of being up front and realistic when discussing job duties involved with potential promotions, they talk about special projects and things they "see you doing", but rarely follow through. I have both experienced and witnessed this type of disappointment. Frustrating con: They aren't great at recognizing how much work goes into projects, so you either kill yourself trying to meet a deadline or you have to scrounge up and beg for work to tide you over. People in management have been known to disappear for hour(s) during the work day without anyone in charge being the wiser. There are definitely work division issues, if not clear over staffing. Gross con: some of the bathrooms are disgusting with plugged sinks and toilets that splash violently when flushing. There is also no ventilation in the bathrooms - none. The recycled air is pretty bad, and illnesses pass through like a game of tag. HR policy cons: Ugh. Despite recent baby steps forward, NWA really is devoid of anything in their HR policy that competes with desirable employers. Unless you get excited about wearing jeans one day a week, I guess. They've banned music/headphones, some managers/supervisors strictly enforce the no cell phone policy, you get scolded for having too many personal items at your desk...the don't's are bigger than the do's. But if you can laugh when the entire company gets scolded for the actions of a few, you'll do okay here.