Pros
Work with smart people, top notch pay and benefits, buy catalog items at a discount, can use (2) personal days whenever you want, no limit on legitimate sick days within reason, tuition reimbursement, holiday pay, company works hard to provide a comfortable working environment (facilities)
Cons
Work Culture Overview - Not conducive to innovation or independent thinking, resistant to change, conformity is the only way. People just seem to pick up the vibes and fall in line. It's like you're a cast member in The Truman Show. They are very concerned with image and perception. You're either management or non-management, and the gap in treatment and starting salary is huge. Inconsistency is one of the top complaints of employees (mixed messages, conflicting instructions). Unfriendly Systems - In both personnel and computer systems, they don't appear to operate with the individual in mind. Despite whatever expertise you demonstrate, most are hired under a generalist title so they can put you wherever they like. You have no say in what department you work in, and it will not be based on your skills or education. They can move you to a totally different position/department any given day without warning. This is neither punitive nor promotional--just a move based on company need. There is seldom any movement from grunt to management, despite performance and tenure. You don't know where you stand on any given day. When a new supervisor enters, you'll end up training your new boss on how the job is done. Inconsistent advice and instructions are the norm because you tend to have multiple, rotating "bosses." Most of the software is outdated and proprietary. You'll need to memorize dozens of command prompts and use multiple programs to piece things together. The customer assumes you're looking at a dashboard of information when they call in, but really it's a cumbersome collection of programs that they continually bandage internally to try and keep up with new demands and bugs. The customer doesn't realize you're quietly juggling and jumping through hoops to solve simple problems half of the time. From the top down, the company hires creative problem-solvers to support their wearisome systems instead of designing systems to support the users. They concoct a new feature to take 2 steps forward, but often take 3 steps backward increasing complexity for the same function or removing previous features that worked fine. Everything is measured - There is something to be said for measuring, but in this case, it can feel like you're under a microscope all day. Whether you're taking calls or working from a queue, your individual performance is constantly recorded. They know how many pieces of work you touch, the number of calls you take, and how long it took you to complete them. Supervisors, managers, and interns compile statistics constantly, but it is rarely discussed with non-management. Secrecy/Mystery - It's a private company in many ways, and there is very little transparency within and without. Operations are strictly need-to-know. They have their own version of "politically correct" when communicating to employees and to inconsequential customers. Beating around the bush and generic responses are common from management. If someone gets moved, quits, or gets fired for instance, it will never be discussed. You know what you know by overhearing conversations, the grapevine, and intuition. Lacking that Human Touch - The culture is stale and robotic for most, especially if you're not upper management. They try to make up for the daily malaise with occasional company outings but morale is function-only. Everyone is replaceable by design. The focus is on the system, not the individual. The person with years of experience in a specific role can be replaced by an amateur and/or transferred to another department. You are only given the technical access and minimal training to dryly go about your specific tasks. There are very few specialists (specialist = individual career capital = job security). A generalist can fill most positions. Daily tasks are often fast-paced, simple, and tedious, not challenging or rewarding. It's very easy to get mind-numbingly bored and feel overcompensated. Titles are broad and the company language tends to be emotionally neutral, in keeping with the system mentality. Not for the Career Conscious - Many of the people who resign do so to "further their career." This is a kind way of saying that they're going somewhere where they can have one, or to simply escape. Most who start without a graduate degree will never see a management position, and there's a lot of turnover within the first couple of years. The business practices and technical skills are foreign to most other jobs, so you don't build up much value to other employers and can find it difficult to place on a resume. If you're about innovation or change, don't work here. They have 100+ years of experience and are convinced that their premium-priced success speaks for itself.
