Pros
National Instruments is a very stable company. I think the executives are brilliant, and their overarching strategy is remarkable. They are fiscally conservative, and generally pretty transparent and communicative with employees. They're also a very stable employer. There have never been mass layoffs, and the staff that they've let go generally seem to part on good terms. They have a mostly relaxed style of management. They provide a lot of resources to their employees such a health center, fitness center, and social groups. Most policy is common-sense based. Hours are usually flexible. Feedback is typically prompt and direct.
Cons
I have worked with several different groups, and they've all been very different. Some managers are there because they get enjoyment out of helping employees develop. Some are there because they feel they need to tick a box on a checklist to progress their career. It's unclear if they do, as while there is a lot of transparency in career progression, NI operates on a broad, conceptual level; people will interpret the same guidelines very differently. With a fair amount of autonomy and good but vague guidance, a lot of groups have drifted very far apart. The right hand often doesn't know what the left is doing, tilling the fertile soil of misunderstanding for a bumper crop of contradiction. The stated expectation of a balanced 40 hour week is vocally contradicted by a manager who says 50 would be barely enough. The egalitarian advancement policy buckles under the weight of employees who are hand-picked for high-visibility opportunities. Some employees are coaxed into new roles because they feel turning down the opportunity would look bad. Information percolates slowly, which can lead to the spinning of wheels. It's hard to know how to bring something to the attention of the right people sometimes, and it may be too late by the time it gets there.
