Symantec Reviews in Los Angeles, CA Area

Pros

We protect and serve. We have a global impact and I feel like a cyber crime fighter. You read every day about things that go wrong, but I can say everyday something I did helped make something go right.

Cons

Like most bigger places it is harder to move when you need to. A smaller place maybe able to adapted and grow a bit faster... Till they get to be big too.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep looking for the next ideas, they are there... And all around you. Make it better for all team members to share their ideas.

Pros

Diversity, Many smart and talented people work here, good benefits

Cons

Management's vision not communicated well, too slow to move on good ideas, we don't make the best decisions based on the market

Pros

Fast paced work environment. at Symantec

Cons

Lots of challenges in core business and no clear way out. Benefits are average. Work life balance is difficult for managers.

Pros

opportunity to work in software development out of school.

Cons

Promotions given not based on what you know but who you know.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on hiring the best not the cheapest in the industry.

Pros

The flexibility offered at the job to shift work hours when needed and even shift responsibilities within the team was very much appreciated. A lot of times the never changing aspects of a job can become mundane, so if only for morale, those aspects were very nice. In addition, the affable co-workers and management made it very easy to come to work. Of course every situation is different and I never had a particular reason to butt heads with management or others, but the times I saw it around me, it was always very business like and non-personal, making for smooth outcomes.

Cons

Without sounding like someone from current management just pumping up the company, I'd say it was honestly hard to think of many. One of the few would be that slim budgets and the economic turns or recent made it difficult to really get the salary you thought yourself worth. It's hard to blame the company entirely for that, but it's certainly a negative from the employee's point of view.

Pros

There is a loyalty to employees, and a real commitment to excellence. It's true that things were once a lot better, that there were more goodies at the end of a project cycle, and the compensation was a bit more on par with the competition, but it is still a stable environment that promotes from within and encourages personal and professional growth regularly.

There are also several opportunities to present information, technology and what you and your team has been working on both to peers and upper management. Several events are held during the year focusing on innovation and future development. If you're inclined to do so, you can easily build up a name for yourself by presenting to the masses in a simple and inviting forum.

Benefits are pretty good, leaving little to be desired in the terms of health and wellness. They even kick in money every month for gym memberships, and have worked out deals with several companies to offer discounts to employees. The amount of big ship parties and goodies have definitely declined, but that's on par with the industry. At the end of the day, you're still rewarded for the hard work you do, and they have a reward program that gives employees points/dollars they can use to buy gift cards, travel and etc at several stores on the web.

The work environment is very open in Culver City. It was actually designed to be a completely open office space. Cubical walls are low, and there really aren't a lot of "private" areas. This can be seen as a con for some, but extroverted types will like the very "open-door" policy the office holds. Even top management sits in a cubical. There are little hideaways and private phone rooms one can dip into if they need some privacy, but all and all the environment is respective of its open nature.

Work culture is very friendly and open. There are several Symantec sports teams, a group that trains for the LA Marathon and other activities. There are game rooms on a couple floors and a small, but nicely equipped gym/showers for those inclined to burn off a little frustration. The cafeteria is decent. The food is hardly inspiring, but with Fox Hills Mall across the street and several eateries in and around the area, there are plenty of excuses to pop off for a quick bite with co-workers.

All and all, it's a good corporate atmosphere.

Cons

Compensation is definitely on the lower side of the spectrum. When comparing to other companies in the area, pay is somewhere in the area of 15-20% less than average. The company also scaled back its employee stock plan. What used to be a bargain, and a lock in of stock prices at the strike price of 15% under purchase for two years is now a standard 15% under only plan that purchases twice a year. It's still easy money if you look to short sale, but it's not the great stock plan it once was. Also, Symantec has become much tighter on stock they dole out to employees. Restricted stock can be used as a compensation bump at review time, but it is seldom the practice to just hand out stock to employees any more as a reward.

In that same regard, stock performance has been floundering since 2006. If you're an employee that counts on ESPP as an additional source of income (and it definitely once was at Symantec) be ready for a roller coaster ride with SYMC.

Moving away from compensation, there is also that "pro" of promoting from within. The majority of Symantec's managerial and upper managerial staff started as a regular employee. This can sometimes lead to very questionable managers who, really with no fault of their own, have very terrible managerial skills. To their credit, Symantec does encourage a very robust training program for new managers, and offers further training as one progresses, but it is really a crap shoot of if you get a good manager or not.

There are also a lot of changes to management staff. It is not uncommon to have a new manager every year. For some, this is no issue at all, and if you're not looking to move up yourself, it probably isn't even worth mentioning. For others, though, you have to go through a complete re-establishing of your goals, your work, and what you want to accomplish about once a year to a completely new party... and probably one that won't be around for your next annual review.

Another pro-to-con could be the open office environment. Where extroverts thrive, introverts and those that are easily distracted can be at a total loss in the cubical culture at Culver City. It can get noisy, and the environment does seem to foster constant interruptions.

It's also easy to get lost in the shuffle. While some may see this as a good thing, especially those that like to keep their head down and just collect a paycheck, others may struggle in a very large company. Symantec has grown exponentially over the past ten years, and there are a lot of smaller companies that have been taken into the fold. Depending on the team you're working on, exposure up to management may be minimal.

That taking on of a lot of little companies has also presented unique challenges. There are numerous tools, servers, and employees at several sites all over the world. They each come with their own set of rules, ethos, and biases. It can be daunting, especially if you're working with people from different sites. Unity, and tool conformity, is still a long way out, but it is definitely something that is on the up and coming.

Advice to Senior Management

As stated in my review, Symantec management is mostly an internal and home-grown group of individuals. If you manage at Symantec, as I do myself, I encourage you to take the time to go through the training programs, and to really dig your teeth into the advanced classes offered. Some of them are silly, but others are very valuable and will make you not only a better manager, but a better overall employee in the long run. I have to say that I wouldn't be the worker I am today if it weren't for Symantec... and I encourage others to move up in the company and to take full advantage of everything they have to offer.

Pros

Interesting work, malware is always changing, bringing about new technical challenges.
It is rewarding to know that your product is used by millions of users.
Southern California weather cannot be beat.

Cons

Veritas killed Symantec. After Veritas the stock price dropped, and flat-lined, making any pre-Veritas stock options worthless and the stock purchase plan pointless.
We moved from a beautiful office building, with individual offices, in Santa Monica, to cubes in the Culver City.
For the past 3 years the salary increases have been less than 3%, while at the same time benefits have decreased.
Symantec fails to attract, and retain, top talent, because it pays industry average salaries, yet expects industry leading products.

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to retain top talent and ship top products, you have to pay top dollar. The days of the stock price filling the gap between salary and employee effort are gone, leaving just base salary and benefits.

Pros

Good work hours.
Flexible Environement.
Good interesting stuff to work on
Upper mangement is reliable

Cons

Some overtime involved
Work life balance

Advice to Senior Management

None

Pros

Great benefits, good itneractive co-workers

Cons

lack of management direction at this time.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide realistic strategic direction please. It is not in tune with current market.

Pros

very good benefits, average+ paid time off, flexible work hours, some of the managers are good, positions in core teams have better guarantied to last longer

Cons

way too much bureaucracy every body tries to become manager. lots of managers with no clue or close to that level. innovations are not always welcomed.

Advice to Senior Management

shake off that bureaucracy. get rid of most of the managers, keep just the good ones. try minimize the internal office wars