Pros
They pay money in return for work. They may even get it correct after several attempts at filling out W4's. There are some really good employees on my contract, but given how low the bar is for getting fired, it may just be a coincidence.
Cons
The process of getting all my paperwork, forms, benefits and everything else completed is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. After a verbal agreement on transferring from a sub-contracted company to SAIC, there was a lengthy application process (for a job that I had). It was as much work as signing on to my sub-contractor AND filling out my security clearance application. After more than a month into the whole process, nothing has gotten better. It seems like my information is and data is dispersed over nearly a dozen different websites, none of which are interconnected, and several keep trying to time me out as I'm trying to get information. Overall, I'd rank the experience somewhere more difficult than AP Calculus. At one point, I was asked to download a .doc file that would only open correctly in Word (not LibreOffice nor Google Docs), fill the file out, and fax it in. (*note* SAIC sells IT support services) I went through more than an hour of training on filling out my time card (in a freezing office) and learned nothing about a process that could have been well covered in 5 minutes. Their intranet is may actually be less streamlined than the Federal tax law, and it's definitely not as well organized. I had to decide whether to pay for a variety of insurances (e.g. short-term & long-term disability) without knowing the terms of the insurance. I only found my HSA account because I was trying to Google my 401(k). I'm not sure whether my HSA direct deposit information is for an HSA account I want to use or for reimbursements, and still haven't found my 401(k). I've heard complaints about people feeling like they were just a number. From where I sit, it doesn't sound too bad. I get the feeling that HR thinks of me as a nuisance, and not even a number.
