Executive Leadership Disconnected; Management Plays Favorites; Low Morale; Cut Benefits
Pros
**Good pay if you negotiated at start of employment, but don't expect department management to make salary adjustments to reflect fair market value if you started from a lower-paid position and moved up. **Having a job that requires a security clearance used to equate to more job security, however with the recent string of mass layoffs (700+ since June 2011), that seems to not be considered. **Sense of pride and accomplishment for the products and services that directly benefited the warfighter.
Cons
Disconnected Leadership: During his 2012 State of the Business address to employees, GDC4S CEO Chris Marzilli balked at the question posed by an employee who asked what the leadership was doing about the low employee moral due to the string of recent layoffs. Marzilli responded by stating that he was not aware of low moral and employees should just be happy that they have a job. Since the mass layoffs, moral has been so low that numerous talented engineers and other professionals have left, leaving the company 'gutted' of experience which has begun to impact programs and contract eligibility. Additionally, and as other reviewers have commented, many of those left have to now pick up the slack and work longer hours, for little in return. On the flip side, several new Vice President positions have been created in 2012 alone, causing many to question what are they the VP of? Many company business units are shrinking or have been shut down altogether! Management Favoritism: While not all departments may experience this issue, many did according to co-workers in other areas, and it greatly impacted the employee moral for those not in the 'circle'. Favorites were often chosen by the department manager or supervisor based on their loyalty, not their talent or experience. The favorites were often then selected for leadership positions where they had no experience or formal management training. It became so pervasive and obvious, it was a joke, but due to office politics nothing was, or likely will be said to address the issue. Low Morale: Since the mass (and continuing) layoffs, employee moral is at an all time low- according to several employees with 25-30 years with the company. Senior leadership places all the blame on the current economic conditions and defense budget cuts, but after speaking with folks at other local defense contractor companies, they are not experiencing anything like GDC4S. That has many wondering if it is really poor business decisions by senior management that have to do with the declining company revenue due to contract loss, and reductions in delivery orders. Whatever the case, senior management seems oblivious to the issue and doesn't seem to want to make the effort to reverse the outgoing flow of good employees. In addition, according to sources with access to this information, approximately 8 out of 10 employees who are laid off are over 50 years old. Cut Benefits: Due to the company's continuing decline- both in profits and employees, senior leadership thought it was good to reduce the accrual rate of PTO and floating holiday time- which lessened employees days off by an average of 4+ days per year. Additionally, GDC4S reduced its 401K program down to 50% matching up to 3% of pay. Also, though this is variable by plan, health costs went up for medical co-pays by 10%. While many may think that these are fair benefits in these times, one must consider employees who were hired with the understanding that they would receive much greater benefits, only to now have them cut.