SRA International Reviews

Pros

friendly co-workers and management, good team environment

Cons

compensation could be more competitive

Pros

SRA treats its employees fairly and honestly. The culture of honesty is definitely felt when working with a team. Variety of training opportunities both self-study and instructor led. Some tuition reimbursement which is better than other competitors but you'll be obligated to stay with the company for 2 years. Also telecommuting and flex schedule is great if your project allows it. Overall, SRA is a great place to work and this is why I've been with the company close to 9 years.

Cons

Different culture between projects side and corporate side. However, this is probably the same with other federal government contractors.

Advice to Senior Management

Great changes in strategic direction. Hopefully the changes will be fruitful and positive. I witness corporate improvements every year in processes and collaboration. Hopefully the progress will continue.

Pros

Telecommuting is allowed
Good work hours
Decent benefits
Pay is great

Cons

Favoritism in the workplace
Upper management has no control over lower management
Management does not value great employees
A lot of turnover

Pros

I have had a chance to grow my skills greatly at SRA.
I have seen many very smart people at SRA.
Better than most companies when it comes to honesty in dealing with employees.

Cons

My current salary is way below industry average for my quals and skills.
Has seen downhill slope for employee satisfaction in recent years. Fell off 100 best companies to work for list, and I see why.
Was probably better company to work for years ago, but has growing pains. Recently sold to huge conglomerate...they will probably try to turn the company around and sell for higher price. This could be a good thing for sra.
My raises seem generous when you look at percentage, but never got me to the level of my skills, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in your people. Try to go back to your roots...best company in the world by any measure, including employee satisfaction.

Pros

Flexible work hours; the ability to work at home.

Cons

No opportunities for career development. Focus is on getting contracts but not on the people who do the work. There is a big push for charitable contributions. Almost too much. Would like to see the company give back to its employees every once in a while. After all, it's our work that wins the re-competes.

Advice to Senior Management

Employees probably shouldn't be called human capital. Makes me feel like a stapler.

Pros

Under new management - optimistic about positive changes.

Cons

Bell curve employee reviews.
Feel disconnected from company when on a client site full-time.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the front lines and enforce trickle down of communications through management. Written communications are great, but verbal communications are better.

Pros

I like interacting and working with other employees within SRA. They offer good training and tuition reimbursement opportunities. The ability to telecommute when needed is nice.

Cons

I do not like that the cost of benefits keep increasing each year. I feel that some of my significant accomplishments are overlooked. The review process does not work perfectly.

Pros

Good place to develop technical skills

Cons

Not a great place to work if you are looking for anything other than a butt in a seat. However, time as fulfilling.

Advice to Senior Management

None

Pros

SRA has a very casual atmosphere, and a minimal skill set will allow you to obtain a job that you may not be fully qualified for but are willing to develop into, that is, as long as you are willing to accept a salary less than the market average. As a result, this is a great starting point for IT professionals with some knowledge or experience gaps in their resume.

Cons

I agree with all other reviewers who believe that in order to position itself for success, the biggest obstacle the new SRA leadership team must overcome are its own long-term, less-than-dynamic employees that have been milking the company of unwarranted advancement and training opportunities over the past few years. These folks have mastered the art of touting their corporate loyalty and outdated "successes" by exploiting the nepotistic policies the company has traditionally embraced. These folks have been instrumental in the recent demise in both client service and awarded contracts, which in turn has left the company in its current brittle state.

Advice to Senior Management

I'm sure you are already well aware SRA is hemorrhaging talent, and those who have left SRA after reaching their limits of professional patience are finding success at your competitors and elsewhere. To return SRA to some "real" glory days, here are a few suggestions by one of those folks who has moved on to something better, but remains concerned for the SRA colleagues who have vowed to stick it out:

Don't ever forget your best staff are those you rarely see or hear of or from. Recognize that the employees that are continuously in your face have the time to be there simply because they aren't doing much of anything else, nor are they liked or are of any benefit to their subordinates. You will most likely not see your best people on a regular basis because they are too busy carrying an excessive burden to overcompensate for either inept coworkers, government employees, or supervisor. You may also have a tendency to forget about them because their clients are satisfied with their performance, however, may not necessarily make an effort to send a commendation, especially those "difficult to please" clients that SRA loves to do business with.

Presenting a counteroffer to a resigning "power hitter," though admirable and appreciated, just doesn't go far enough if you fail to remove the employee from their inept supervisor or outline their path to the future.

Finally, for sanity's sake, overhaul your HR department and install a true leader at their helm who can teach any remaining staff a thing or two about how a real HR department should be run. I agree with the other reviewer who referred to your current HR staff as "a joke."

Good luck SRA. There is still room for you on the beltway if you scrutinize intensely and execute wisely.

Pros

Very flexible with requested time off and/or the ability to work from home if you need to.
Relaxed atmosphere
People who genuinely want to do great work

Cons

Pay not competitive - don't try to tell HR this, if you give them statistics on the matter they will be baffled and respond that they are in fact competitive
If you work offsite it is easy to feel like you ignored by corporate.
The company has always refused to put money behind software projects that could be quality products unless a customer is paying. And then they wonder why they can't make more sales and projects fail. Sometimes you have to invest in your talent.