Electronic Data Systems Reviews in Philadelphia, PA Area

Pros

IT's a job, and in this economy I'm very glad to have steady employment. The benefits are pretty good,health insurance, 401k, etc. Vacation days are good.

Cons

Too many managers, no Christmas party or raises in 2008 and 2009, took away cups so that if you want coffee you have to bring your own in, which is kind of ridiculous as a cost cutting measure. Certain departments micro-managed.

Advice to Senior Management

Pare management, think of employees when cutting costs.

Pros

You had a flexible work schedule and the environment was clean to work in. There was also an onsight cafeteria which is definitely a plus.

Cons

Management seemed clueless at times as to the actual job you were doing. It was amazing that these people were going to evaluate your performance and yet had no experience as to the job you were doing. SIMPLY AMAZING!!!

Advice to Senior Management

The lack of communication was definitely a big problem. Also, there seemed to be a lack of standardization for processing procedures. There needs to be a training program other than on the job training fly by the seat of your pants training.

Pros

Most experienced IT professionals I've ever worked with. These professionals are also very courteous and hence make for a very good working team.
Also, you get to work on really complex projects at Fortune 100 clients.

Cons

There are many.
First, EDS is a company really way past its prime. This means most of the experienced professionals are legacy professionals, not much knowledgeable in new technologies. Also, due to EDS' image as legacy provider, it is not considered by clients for work involving new technologies. So you wouldn't see EDS being invited by clients to work on Enterprise Architecture, Distributed Systems Design, SOA Architecture, Mobile Computing Architecture and Design, etc. So although it's true that EDS has lot of big names as its clients, what EDS is doing at those clients is not some exciting, hi-tech and high margin work, but most likely work like data center and help desk management, legacy application maintenance , etc. So don't look for really exciting and challenging projects here.
Second, EDS' attempts to gain foothold in high margin application development, integration and implementation business have been a case of 'too little, too late'. Due to lack of understanding of application technologies and business model, it's not getting traction against IBM, Accenture or Indian cheap outsourcers.
Third, executives are pretty much clueless as to how to crack this applications development business. They have been talking about it for more than 3 years but are executing in a very half-hearted and haphazard manner. They are not clear on what they want to do and how they want to do it. So they are attempting a little bit of everything - buy companies in US and India, build offshore development capabilities, establish SAP, Oracle practice, etc. while at the same time cutting the costs by freezing training and hiring in US. Result: a thoroughly confused workforce, especially Sales force that just doesn't know how to put together a competitive and attractive proposal that clients would buy. Not surprisingly, EDS is still stuck with its legacy roots in Government and Healthcare sector. And new logos in pipeline very scarce, at least in US.
The purchase of EDS by HP has only made things more chaotic. I believe, with EDS, Mark Hurd has simply bought HP a (strong) foothold in Government sector. He is not interested in any other part of EDS and will chop most of the rest of EDS off pretty soon.

Advice to Senior Management

Have a clear vision. Execute that vision with precision and speed. Specifically, have a well-trained workforce clear on your vision that can really impress the clients and justify their higher rates vs Indian cheap outsourcers. Having worked with both EDSers and Indian outsourcers I can tell without doubt that EDS staffers in general are of much higher quality than Indian outsourcers' employees. Given proper training and support they can bring EDS back to life.

Pros

There is a lot of freedom when it comes to work since you are only supervised by your manager. The work life balance is also pretty good.

Cons

There is a level of complacency from the management down. You have a manager that has a manager that has a manager, etc. Compensation was not very good and the top performers did not do very well relative to the poor performers.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn from your guys on the front lines since they are the one putting out the fires.

Pros

Before I got here - it was name recognition. Now, I cannot think of many reasons at all. It is unfortunate, too, because there are some very talented and dedicated people at EDS. However, poor management and short sighted decisions have led to very low morale, overall. This is tainting everyone's outlook and hence, any desire to thrive within the company.

Cons

Since I have been there, there have been several acquisitions and many more reorganizations. Each round included additional layoffs. The layoffs have been handled very poorly and have contributed to the overall lack of enthusiasm or passion for the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Please leave - you are not doing us any favors.

Pros

Overall speaking, it is regarded as a relatively stable large corporation in general

Cons

I'd say the culture is rather conservative, not promoting innovation, not enough recognition

Advice to Senior Management

try to make it a fun place to work

Pros

Exposure to leading clients and vendors. Interesting work at times. Very good benefit packages and acceptable compensation.

Cons

Crushingly awful senor managment; constant reorgs. that have sucked the spirit right out of the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Give up. Honestly, what else can I say? You couldn't have done a worse job if you set out to wreck the place. From the day you took over Towers Perrin's TPAS unit, it was a sinking ship.

Pros

great place to start out at

Cons

salary is not competitive. Career advancement is difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees and don't repeat past mistakes

Pros

Did allow flexibility within my position

Cons

lack of communication, often given more than you can handle just so they don't have to try and find someone new to train

Advice to Senior Management

Some of them are competent...but the bad ones outnumber the good

Pros

None, NONE< NONE... It SUCKS!!!!

Cons

MANAGMENT DECISION MAKING SKILLS. POOR QUALITY MANAGERS. LACK OF COMMUNICATION, HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

Advice to Senior Management

THEY REALLY DON"T DESERVE TO BE SENIOR MANAGERS