Pros
There are many pros to what TouchNet has to offer. First, the people I worked with are smart, hard working, and easy to get along with. My direct manager is one of the most intelligent people I have ever known who puts himself in front of his staff to take the brunt of any extra work load or early morning/late night hours. Something he could easily delegate. He doesn't micro-manage, supports new projects, and is an invaluable technical resource. The other department managers are equally as hardworking and dedicated to making TouchNet software the quality product it is today. For almost 8 years I have always been impressed by senior managements ability to effectively communicate to the staff. Dan, the president, would always go out of his way at company events to say hi to me and my family. At the office he was very personal and friendly. He has grown the company every year from 80 employees when I first started to 180 when I left and consistently increased profits year after year while responding to market changes accordingly. I have never once felt that he "...leads by fear..." as others have posted. He and the other executive staff are high quality individuals that are equally committed to making TouchNet a great place to work while continuing to grow and be profitable. Second, the work/life balance is excellent. I worked 40 hours a week on a regular basis. Working more hours was very rare and usually a decision that I made and not one that was expected by my manager or anyone else at TouchNet. If I had a situation where I needed to keep an eye on a sick kid then I was allowed to work from home. Third, the compensation was very fair and increased year after year. There were also yearly bonuses that every employee received. One year there was even a bonus in the summer as well as the end of the year because of some unexpected revenue. The bonus is not something that is guaranteed but we always received at least one because TouchNet is the kind of company that likes to give back to its employees. I am saying this because it is the impression that was made on me throughout the 8 years I was working at TouchNet. Fourth, the environment is well maintained and always being improved upon. If I needed software, hardware, or extra training, it was provided. As TouchNet grew so did the facilities for its employees. There were 2 showers for when morning/afternoon exercise required its use and a large fully equipped kitchen with plenty of room to accommodate the fanciest of lunches. The people aspect I consider no small thing. My wife, who works for the government, constantly tells me stories how a coworker or manager is treating her or someone else unfairly and without common respect. I would always tell her that behavior like that would never be allowed at TouchNet from an employee or manager. Nobody likes bad apples and they did not last long at TouchNet so perhaps that is where the negative reviews are coming from. I did not experience ANY of the cons that others have listed. I certainly didn't witness any negative interaction with Dan or anyone else on the management team.
Cons
The ONLY con was the drive from my home to work. Otherwise, my manager and upper management always supported working from home if the weather were really bad or if I had a sick family member to keep an eye on. It is things like this that made leaving TouchNet a very hard decision. A closer drive to my new job is one of the main reasons I left and not because of any problem I had with anything TouchNet did wrong or could have done better.
