Great Company to Work for...But Needs More Managerial Vision
Pros
-Amazing benefits plan. One of the best healthcare plans you can find at any company and generous 401K and Employee Stock Purchase plans. -Pay is at least average for the industry in the area. Anyone who is on here claiming different does not know a lot of employees at other technology firms in the area. And the benefits package cannot be outdone. -Very friendly coworkers. Garmin has an amazing team environment and there are rarely disputes (that I have seen) among employees. Everyone is focused on getting things done. -Great work/life balance. Garmin said from my first day there that they were focused on trying to maintain work/life balance and keep work hours at 40 (rare for a tech firm). I would say in my five years so far there have only been a few short crunch periods where I have felt compelled to work more than the standard 40. If I am working more than 50 in a week even in a crunch time it would be my fault, not the work load. -With the work/life balance also comes a lack of stress. Though the stress can ratchet up to meet deadlines, never has it been anything like friends have experienced elsewhere. I have never dreaded walking into the office in the morning...I know many at other companies who cannot say the same. -Despite size, Garmin has small company feel. Great corporate culture.
Cons
-Hard to advance into management. Garmin keeps a rather small managerial hierarchy so positions only open up or are created once in a while at the first level of management. This means a lot of competition for those positions and often the opening is outside of one's current department, which is not ideal. Also, the qualifications for those who are chosen do not seem to be well defined. -Garmin is under stress due to decline of the PND market. Though management has done a lot to limit the impact, more needs to be done. A greater vision, new markets, etc. is needed.
