Overall, a good company to work for but outdated/not progressive enough
Pros
My education team has put me on a variety of contracts ranging from federal, private sector, and foundations. Compared to previous academic research I used to be involved in for my graduate work, the work that I've done at Westat has implications for real world problems and we provide feedback and possible solutions for our clients. My have a very nice cafeteria and gym on campus with fairly flexible work hours for research staff. It is also a very laidback company and everyone I've met is friendly and approachable.The level of work has been of moderate complexity, but I still feel challenged every week in some aspect and have been supported by my supervisor to continue my professional development in and out of the office. Benefits are good as well - Company stock, 401K matching, health & dental, metro discount, and good paid vacation time if you are Grade 13 or higher staff (15 days + 1 extra for every 2 years employed). You also have access to a great gym on campus for a fraction of the cost of many gyms in the area ($10 per month - pretax deduction).
Cons
I had little room to negotiate my salary, and it is sub-par for DC metro cost of living with a masters and couple of years of work/research experience. It's not the place to make a career at if you plan on doing any kind of advancement as a junior/mid-level staff member. I've seen some staff members stay in positions for several years without a promotion which makes me think that they're complacent or not career-focused enough. In addition, the company's marketing department has not listened to many of the younger and senior research staff to start promoting our projects and work via social media channels because they are adverse to change. If Westat doesn't change the way they market their people and projects, they will lose out on valuable contracts. Paid holidays are also stingy - Westat only recognizes 6 national holidays a year. This is pretty bad in comparison to some of our competitors who give their staff 8-10 paid national holidays a year.
