It's been a long ride, and I'm happy to be on the trail
Pros
Management staff within all levels, even C-Level, have always been open to those who are willing to open their mouths. I have had times where I've engaged various levels of management and had deep, candid conversations, that in many organizations would see you shoo'd away or out the door. My feedback is always taken seriously, and while I have been put in my place occasionally, I never felt it to be a negative experience, only a learning one. Support is regularly kept well fueled with one of the greater benefits (and downfall of those on diets) of regular free food and a snack wall never seen before, as well as the occasional happy hour with real drinks. Benefits were previously 'great' before this year, though the cutting of health plan options and gym reimbursement are still in line with many other companies going through the changes from the ACA, they're still very good overall. The development and support staff are absolutely brilliant, creating a family community between many members, including coming together to help those who lost their homes in the South Carolina floods. We had a wonderful member of our staff, Wes, who passed away, and we all felt the pain. We all missed his smile and the wonderful work and attitude he brought to the office. That's not something you can buy, but rather is a nature instilled by the environment and comradery. Game nights have become a semi-regular thing as well, spending time with the friends and family of our coworkers. I feel I negotiated well for my salary, and though compensation plans are going through changes, I'm still able to stay positive that my management will be happy to fight to ensure I have that 'extra' for vacations, healthcare/dental, and the occasional splurge. Sometimes the work/life balance does get disturbed by what we do, but it's really just a reflection of the staff and culture. We have a great product and we know it, and we're passionate about seeing it thrive. Having dealt with many other products (and listening to customers tell us about them as they switch to us) shows how great it really is.
Cons
Intra-department communication has significantly slowed in my time here, often times I am left wondering what magical hotfix was applied, what new features entail and the caveats I need to know about without diving back into our massive administration guide. The 'silo-ization' of departments often creates a rift where management passthrough is becoming a blockade from informing other departments where the pain points exist, and increases tensions and load. Management changes have been more common in recent years than I feel comfortable with. The layoffs of several top performers within the sales department, then bringing on 'newer' ones (likely 'cheaper' ones) really starts to bring up interesting questions. I do miss some of the older management, because their personalities often invited the deeper conversations to make larger changes for the better an easier thing to accomplish. A lot of employees seem 'afraid' to speak up, to go above and beyond 'getting the job done', like they don't feel 'comfortable' to do it, it's not being fostered or regularly asked in a serious way.
