Symantec Reviews in Mountain View, CA

Pros

The work life balance at Symantec is excellent, at least in my group.The campus is located close to major highways, so it's easy to get to.

Cons

The company does not have a great deal of communication / integration between business units, relative to what I have seen at other large companies.

Advice to Senior Management

Encourage more "startup-like" behavior from groups, so that the company can be successful in new markets. Encourage more cross-BU integration of products, so that the customer sees a solution from Symantec, rather than a bunch of point products. Invest in the channel.

Pros

Above average pay, no hassles expensing whatever is necessary. Really great campus and cafe. Very easy to work from home. Teams are spread across multiple Symantec sites.

Cons

There are many "lifers" who have survived multiple acquisitions by laying low, not doing much work, and dealing with issues secretively.

The VPs are extremely passive-aggressive and have created a breeding ground for paranoid, discouraged employees. The exceptions are the employees in Europe, who are phenomenal and great to work with.

Symantec is very segmented and people identify themselves by the companies they came from. Newer hires don't tend to stay long.

Some groups are fine and others are toxic - it completely depends on the lower level managers.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't kiss up or slap down. Your jobs are not simply to keep your jobs. Don't tolerate disrespect. Encourage collaboration across groups.

Pros

-Good brand name, proud of the software, at least consumer
-Nice HQ/office space
-Great benefits
-Good corporate governance and green initiatives

Cons

-Extreme level of politics
-Promotion only by who you knows, very hard to get raises or promotions, unless someone leaves
-Frequent layoffs
-Management at all levels talks the talk but refuses to walk the walk
-Some business units preferred over others
-Silos, lack of cooperation between business units
-Too much emphasis on cost cutting and not enough on efficiency
-Knee-jerk reaction and cost cutting, not useful
-Refusal to spend money on quality IT, making your job very difficult and frustrating

Advice to Senior Management

Do what you say you are going to do, stop giving lip service. Your employees can tell the different. Focus on career advancement, not just development. If you want something done, provide the resources to get it done. "Doing more with less" can only work for so long, until you hit critical mass. You are pushing top talent out.

Pros

Cool program that allows you to send bonuses to anyone in the company. Good attitude toward remote work. Nice gym deals.

Cons

Lot of inter-departmental strife, tons of favoritism in my larger department that has meant my group has not had any promotions/headcount in years, yet other groups that report to my VP get them all the time. The entire company acts resource-strapped--lot of departments cross-charge for their services now, which is a strange way to do business.

Pros

sincerely focused on creating quality products and achieving high customer satisfaction - execution can be questionnable

Cons

compensation and OTE is not realistic

Advice to Senior Management

refocus

Pros

Huge company where you can work and excel to learn about corporate sizes and opportunities. Good benefits, though negative news are never shared

Cons

promotions not always given on performance but rather by knowing someone. Huge company, individual performance does not seem to matter

Advice to Senior Management

do what you are supposed to do, do not try to grow into higher positions, it is given to you, and only then you should perform at that level

Pros

Good Salary and Benefits, big company culture.

Cons

The usual big company issues.

Advice to Senior Management

Figure out how to isolate star performers and get some innovation done.

Pros

1. Technologies are good
2. Leader in the Anti-virus domain
3. Some of the peers are good

Cons

1. Too much of management changes
2. Employee hierarchy is not proper
3. work-home balance is not there sometimes
4. Preference for promotions only given to few who are close to the manager

Advice to Senior Management

Please don't keep making too many changes in the organization. A employee might sometimes have to deal with 2 - 3 managers, which is total waste of time.

Pros

Great brand, lots of infrastructure to support your efforts - lots of people to go to in order to get work done. Good, intelligent talent, but constant acquisition and change make it tough to "dig in"

Cons

Incredibly process heavy company... there always seem to be new systems being set up - which is definitely rough. So many mergers and acquisitions, yet process around that for both internal and external communication is unsatisfactory.

Pros

- Interesting Projects and Programs
- People
- Management Vision

Cons

- Globalized at the expense of productivity in some areas

Advice to Senior Management

- Keep doing what you are doing