Sun Microsystems – “Evaluate Sun carefully before deciding to accept a job offer here.”

Pros

Sun has a culture which supports work/life balance, and Sun truly does try to stand behind their employees and allow them the opportunity to work virtually or in the office, whichever is the best fit for the employee. This is a strong benefit, as it allows Sun to attract and retain talented individuals they otherwise may have lost to competitors.

Cons

Sun is a trusting and friendly culture, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, sometimes that trust can be abused by less than honest people who misrepresent themselves during the interview process, and then come on board as an employee and do nothing but support their own interests, often at large cost to Sun. I have seen many hires, sadly in HR that could be classified by any standard as a "poor hire", meaning that the hire is doing more damage than good to Sun. Because of Sun's trusting culture, these bad hires seem to multiply and it is not hard to imagine that part of Sun's current business struggles are in part because of poor hires and the subsequent retention of these hires due to lack of management backbone.

Advice to Senior Management

Look at your direct reports - are they doing what they need to do to support you? Or are they running their own agendas? Will their actions ultimately cost you - both financially and careerwise?