- Recent company buyout and rebrand:
There's been a LOT of corporate talk about the company's objectives, culture, and their "commitment" to the employee experience. They don't back up that talk where it matters though. They seem more focused on their appearance to prospective employees than how they treat their current employees. As an example, the company's office was relocated from Gaithersburg, MD to Washington D.C. (45-75 minutes away), yet they still mandate the same number of days in office. It's a tremendous middle-finger to the loyal employees that remained after the buyout without any regard for the time or inconvenience that it imposes.
- Hybrid work/Office:
As mentioned, there is a mandate to be in the office at least two days a week (3 for middle management) - even for those not in positions that require interfacing with customers in person. The C-suites like to say that "You can't build trust over teams calls," yet Teams calls constitute 90+% of in-office communication anyway. They also say that there's "no substitute for the meetings between the meetings" which is corporate speak for water-cooler conversations.
- Work-life balance:
Chances are that you WILL have to work overtime at least semi-regularly. This is a direct result of poor adherence to AGILE, failing to hire staff according to the needs of the company, and excessive meetings. There is no compensation or recognition for working overtime; it's simply expected. Additionally, the "Unlimited PTO" is a convenient way for the company to avoid paying out accrued time off. There is no minimum mandatory time off, so you'll likely have less time off per year than you would if the company had a standard PTO benefit.
- Benefits:
The 401k is absolutely abysmal. Health insurance plans are also pretty expensive. The company offers $60 a month for transit/commute expenses, which is insufficient to cover the costs of commuting via metro or car
- Compensation:
The starting pay is unexceptional. Despite the cost-of-living crisis and OPEXUS wanting to be a "known employer in the DC area," they haven't adjusted their pay commensurately. If they want to be a big DC tech company, they need to pay for it - especially since they're unwilling to use remote work to hire talent throughout the states. Even if they did pay above-market rate, I would say that it doesn't make up for the inevitable burnout.
