Honeymoon is Over! Your happiness is directly linked to your immediate group and management
Pros
Overall, it's a lovely place (aesthetically) to work (if you're in the main campus). There are some nice programs that maintain the original core values (environmentalism, being a fun place to work, great employee attitudes) which have persisted since the founding. When I started working there things were really taking off and the entire company had a really positive vibe/energy.
Cons
Over the years (post-IPO) the culture has REALLY suffered greatly. There's been an influx of people who have no clue what the core values are and do nothing to align their groups with the company's vision. Employees in IT have it particularly bad since our products and vision are geared towards ending the actually need for an onsite IT department so naturally the senior management (and it's been like this for years) places zero value on IT or its personnel. IT is housed in a building off the main campus (which should ease the transition when we are completely outsourced). The end goal and indicator of the success of our products will ultimately manifest itself in the elimination of the people who have implemented it. Unfortunately what was a great place to work has become an entity which has lost its way. There are sufficient pockets of mercenary cronyism that exist that taint the entire corporate culture. There are numerous examples of people in decision-making positions that have no clue what is going on nor the expertise to succeed. And, instead of surrounding themselves with talent like good management they often surround themselves with obsequious henchmen who serve as a sacrificial buffer when things go south (but they all manage to leave with our hard-earned money). This is unfortunately ruining our culture, our products (which WERE amazing but are profit rather than feature-driven now) and our futures. Employees are not respected nor given the opportunities to grow professionally and it's a real shame. I will not turn people away from working here because if you are lucky enough to have a good core work group then you will be sincerely happy, productive and that positivity will spread to your team. But, if you are unlucky and have poor leaders who expand their poor leadership via cronies then you should very much consider another company. To quote Dickens..."it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I used to look forward to every day at work when I could develop new innovative solutions but now it's difficult to actually drag myself into the office....and no one should should suffer in a place they spend 1/3 to 1/2 of their life!
