Pros
Not micro managed. You enjoy the people you work with. Most employees really enjoy the work they do. For the most part it is a laid back environment. They do have a nice Christmas dinner as well as a company lunch a month. You get two movie tickets and a gift card for your birthday. If you're into self-improvement, you take 60 hours a year of required company training. Depending on your department, you may have an additional 30-60 hours of skills training. So if you liked school, you'll really like the training. PTO is generous and better than many places. You can accrue it and roll it over. It starts immediately which many employees love. The 401(k) is very generous and starts upon employment if you desire. They also cover 80% of the health insurance and help fund a good portion of your HSA every year. If you're into it, they have quarterly fitness challenges that many employees enjoy. A key feature that many employees really love is the flex time. As long as your manager and team knows, no one cares if you have to cut out for an hour or two for an appointment or an errand. If it matters to you, most desk spaces are in large cubicles and you can decorate it anyway you want. Something else that is encouraged although not always voiced is to solve solutions on your own. So if you see a problem, especially one across departments, you're encouraged to work with key people to solve it. Some of the best solutions have come when employees saw a need and they just fixed it without running it by management, as long as it is in line with the company's goals and directions. One of the best benefits that everyone loves is that we shut down from Christmas to New Years. We get Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Black Friday off, and Christmas - New Years.
Cons
Company perks keep being taken away. While management does what they believe is beneficial to the employees, morale has been down for the last two years and continues to go down. A lot of it is due to three things: (1) you can't voice your opinion without getting black listed, (2) the mandatory company training is a bit much on top of all your other training and meetings, and (3) the pay system is wrong. In the past it was preached for several years to think like an owner and then we would all share in the profit at the end of the year. Now you get evaluations and might receive 1/5 of what you originally received and that is disbursed into four payments throughout the year, if you score well on your evaluation. While management says we are competitive, most employees don't buy it. Some would say we're turning into a cult because of the nepotism (which is growing) and the way the "culture" is protected. If you want a place to work with great people and settle in and get comfortable, this is a great place to do it. However, you won't get paid much year to year so it comes with a cost. As long as you understand this and check with many current employees and ask a lot of good questions during your interview process, you'll know what you're getting and you can make the decision if it is right for you and your family.
