Pros

Employees can be well compensated (depending on your manager). It is a collegiate place to work with nice people. It's an intellectual environment with focus on scientific investing and not much focus on leadership skills such as ability to effectively communicate, ability to challenge the norm to resolve issues and ability to manage people. The company has good medical, dental, family leave and vacation benefits compared to other US companies.

Cons

The company has become very hierarchical and senior managers are improperly incented to protect their expense lines rather than to focus on overall company profitability. The company culture is also very non-confrontational so managers are afraid to give direct feedback and employees are afraid to speak up or question authority. There is a great deal of inconsistency in how employees are incented, compensated and treated which leads to different cultures depending on which group you are in. Senior management is very weak and unable to make tough decisions. They make layoff decisions, budget cuts and budget targets at a high level and then spread them evenly across all groups rather than taking into account true growth or non-growth areas. This leads to a tactical approach and disparate infrastructure.

Advice to Senior Management

Make the tough decision!! Look at what units, products and areas which are profitable/not profitable and invest accordingly. Instead you take a peanut-butter approach and spread those decisions evenly or leave it to a political decision so true strategy is not considered.