Pros
I worked on a contract with upper management supervising me, which was a positive experience. There were numerous difficult customer issues to overcome, which made it a challenging environment with learning and leading opportunities. It was hard, but hard work was appreciated. The executive gave me space to do my job and successfully support the customer’s mission needs. He even sent my wife and kids a fruit basket for my absence (due to traveling for work). Upper management has intelligent businessmen and former engineers, who genuinely seem to care about their company and people, when you get the opportunity to interact and work with them. In this situation, the customer was happy and employees were recognized and rewarded for their hard work.
Cons
I also worked on a contract and was micromanaged by a PM, who expected people to work on the weekends – with no overtime due to exempt/salaried status. Overtime was expected, rather than appreciated. Microsoft Lync was used to babysit and micromanage employees. Management often checked it to make sure we were working at our laptops, and finishing tasks ahead of time was rewarded with more work. It was difficult to get time off, due to the crushing schedule, and employees used to not be able to get any compensatory time, regardless of the number of hours put in. The PM also questioned every travel expense, even for baggage fees. How do you cram your work laptop and change of clothes into something small enough to fit into the small overhead bins? Furthermore, the PM liked to terminate people early. If you gave your resignation notice, the PM would often set your termination date earlier. It is unprofessional, childish, and not something you expect from a leader. This contract was a nightmare, and working from home was like being a prisoner in your own house. The saving grace is that upper management genuinely seems to care about their company and people, so they try to do damage control, but are not always aware or successful.