Pros

The job is highly detail oriented, but they provide you with the tools to do the job. There is a very good training program and the company is very loyal to it's employees. You do get a lot of feedback on your work and as a general rule everyone wants to see you succeed.

Cons

While it seems like there's always an open position, it feels very difficult to move ahead in the company. Promotions are often based on tenure and/or popularity. If there are specific reasons you were passed over they aren't really explained to you. Management in general seems to want to succeed, but they all have very different ideas about how to achieve it. Also, there is a lack of uniformity among the branches. Each is run almost like an individual fiefdom.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to employees and offer promotions and rewards based on performance instead of just tenure, or at the very least make it more obvious that's what you're doing. Try to take more of what works from other branches and incorporate it into all branches. Try to focus more on cross training and specialization. While it's great for everyone to learn about every aspect of the job, it's impossible for one person to be a SME on everything. Specialization allows for highly focused work while cross training can aid in out of the box thinking.

Pros

Branch level support is great. if you have a problem your local branch manager will gladly help or listen to you same with core managers. People are always willing to help at the branch level expecially when dealing with frustrations.

Cons

Corporate office doesn't ask the branch before doing they just do. branches that deal with the day to day ahve no say when they really should have alot more say. corporate focuses on the wrong aspect of the business when they should look at the current picture.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the branches and seek advice before just doing

Pros

Salary and Benefits were adequate

Cons

Really old technology in place

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to what you do best - small business, your products don't sit welll in the enterprise space

Pros

Good entry- level position for those with minimal education.

Cons

Difficult to advance. It's about who you know, not what you know.

Advice to Senior Management

Need better communication with its employees

Pros

You work very independently.
Non-exempt so work stays at work

Cons

Nepotism runs rampant, you are promoted based on who you know not what you contribute.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider improving your human capital, since your business model is based on service, you should really measure their level of job satisfaction as they control the experience for the customer.

Pros

Taking time off is easy and we're given a decent amount. Depending on your needs the medical benefits can be decent. Non-management staff is a great team to work and be friends with.

Cons

This position asks too much for what is paid. I've transferred from different locations and there is a vast difference between management styles. Upper management is too busy worrying about the "numbers" to actually understand what is driving them. You're promised tons of advancement opportunities, but I'm still waiting for it to happen.

Complete lack of communication between departments - there is a 100% disconnect between services offered. One hand doesn't even know how the other hand works.

I did my own cost analysis of the area and found that we're grossly underpaid even though we're told by senior management this has been checked.

Advice to Senior Management

More focus on performance than seniority. Pay more. Cross train so that one department knows what the other one is doing, perhaps then clients won't leave for a competitor.

Pros

Typically great benefits but stopped 401K match and froze all merit based raises - they say for 1 year, but very likely indefinitely.

Cons

Unfortunately, the work environment is very political, projects have been on hold for years even though they claim to be "quick to act." IT is dragging company to a halt, incompetent managers that have been promoted due to tenure not performance, salary is rather low for the area and job responsibilities, failure to deliver on personal training and development which they sell so hard to you during your interview and first couple of weeks

Advice to Senior Management

Follow up on the training and development, pay me more, promote qualified individuals to management positions, get rid of the politics or at least try to frown on it

Pros

The training is phenomenal
Sales support is great
Name recognition is a huge plus
Pay is slightly above industry average

Cons

Tend to micromanage the sales force
'The company can be too numbers driven (that is sales)
Hard to advance into management

Advice to Senior Management

The only advice I have to management is to have them go out and prospect once in a while to see what the sales force is running into.

Pros

Stability of the company and the market we serve is a huge value proposition
The large client base inwhich to sell our products and services to
Our Health and Benefits are good - even in light of the recent economic reductions

Cons

There is a huge double standard at Paychex - corporate. Tenure always out weights competency or results.. There are good people who have worked at Paychex for 20 years and thats all they know - but in this new ecomony and business climate, new ideas, skills and approaches are required and the tenured people tend to be be part of the problem and not the solution. Management seam to be isolated and not in tune with the issues and gets advice from these tenured people that are not always accurate.

Advice to Senior Management

Out with the old and in with the new.... Open up your eyes to the new economy and business climate. Walk the talk, don't just say the all the right things, take action with new ideas and people..

Pros

Compensation plan and Freedom to make my own schedule

Cons

Increasing number of non sales related duties.

Advice to Senior Management

Make it easy for the reps to sell. Quit adding admin duties.