The Cons. The company is getting younger due to an exodus, often unwilling by senior associates. I’ve had the benefit of working for three different groups (divisions) either directly or on an as needed basis. The organization is getting younger because of the type of work we are winning, and losing. 12-10 years ago the company (Mitretek then Noblis later on) was a forward thinking, research based organization which presented a lot of good ideas which at the time, were unique and progressive for the federal government environment. From that, the organization developed and hired those individuals who could continue to meet the future needs of clients, current and prospective.
However in the last 6-5 years, there has been a shift from being a leader in our field, to just surviving. This has led to many of those senior, experienced and highly knowledgeable people leaving. The circumstances range from no longer having an opportunity for advancement due to the lack of meaningful work, to the infusion of a younger work force who are working on a task by task basis, rather than a long term objective, or the inability to be promoted based on work, but rather who you know.
As I mentioned the pay is good, if not great for noblis employees. For the work you would do at any other contractor you are likely going to get a 10% more here than you will at say BAH, or similar. However, that gets back to the type of employees we are hiring. Most of the recent hires over the last 3 years in all groups have been students who were interns or those looking for a new experience after a few years working somewhere else. As the older employees have left or were asked to leave, we are replacing them across the organization with a younger generation. This allows us to pay well, but also pay well based on the work and the task. We pay people a bit better based on the task at hand, to maximize what we can earn from each FTE on the program. This is perfectly legal and just the way contractors do business. Related to this are the benefits. If you are a young, single person you will pay a great rate for health insurance. However, if you are married, as many of my colleagues are, you will pay a significant premium for less benefits. While the actual monthly rate for health insurance has not gone up in quite some time, the benefits you get for that same amount of money have decreased. You have a very high deductible as well, and if you look at the national average add about 30% to that, or so. That is not a type o. With these kind of benefits, you can clearly see the strategic long term goal of the company, which is to hire young, work quick, and on a task by task basis.
These ties into the type of work being completed. This is where I will say noblis still has the ability to shine, depending on what you do and where you work, as well as “who” you work for. The various site offices have become their own fiefdoms, with managers and directors being appointed more by the organizational hierarchy, rather than from performance. Nearly anyone who is placed into a management role, skipping ahead of their peers will succeed, especially when they are only accountable to “senior” management, rather than following the traditional career progression of doing good work and being promoted by your boss and such. Unfortunately, the word “nepotism” has crept into the environment, in a more than obvious way. This has happened and has led to more senior individuals willingly leaving the organization, which makes sense. If you can only be promoted based on a relationship with senior management and such, rather than on work, knowledge and skills, why stay? As I said we still shine in various areas, but that is becoming the exception, rather than the rule. I should clarify that I am speaking as someone who works on client based programs and initiatives. The staff positions for the organization are not the basis of this review. I will say that they are very stable, have little turnover, and ironically, are compensated much less than the industry average. These include but are not limited to HR, Finance, Recruiting, etc.
