Management:
The constant management changes (ex: I've had four site managers since 2011) were a nightmare but after the IBM management takeover it has been at least stable.
I still do not feel that we have any coherent path to profitability though. Too many chefs, too many mid tier managers acting like they run the place. Direction seems to change day to day, director to director, or even team member to team member. If everything is priority then nothing is priority.
Career Advancement:
Technical advancement is non-existent. Titles mean nothing, they gave out a bunch 2 years ago (I got one) just to keep everyone quiet when they only matched the title bumps with a 5% raise and gave everyone else nothing. I had to fight for a year to get another 5% off cycle raise.
Personal stuff:
I joined the company young but very early in it's life and my salary is a joke. Absolutely no loyalty for an employee who stuck it out and helped the company build while turn-over rate was 3 out of 5 employees.
During that time I have only seen an 8% raise once and I am rated in the top 15% (4/5 rating with the mandated bell curve means top 15%) of our company come review time, all 7 years. This rating stuck across 4 different direct managers so it's not one guy who likes my small talk. Every other year it's 3-4% for the top tier and half my bonus which becomes a measly 5%, CEO has never allowed a full pay out.
Overall:
I cut my teeth in semiconductor with GF but I do not think that the future is bright. I found my niche in the company with a great manager and am very happy with the creature comforts of the site so it's a tough situation to leave.
