Pros

Exciting technology and company has benefited from boom in smartphones- they did very well in 2009. Run loosely like a startup with parties and socials. Direct managers are among the nicest people to work for if you are fortunate enough to be placed with the right one. Very innovative company.

Cons

Difficult to get recognition. Even when accomplishments are noticed by senior management, rewards are few. Compensation is generally low. HR needs significant work and turnover has gotten very high. Hours can be long versus the compensation.

Advice to Senior Management

Re-evaluate reward and recognition practices- turnover has gotten very high and is harmful to longterm business and this is not getting recognized. Invest in new product development aggressively.

Pros

Synaptics was an exciting place to work but very intense and short driven. The company lacks strategic direction. The HR organization is poorly run and these leads to significant unrest and turnover within the company.

Cons

Long hours. lots of travel and little opportunity for recognition. Synaptics needs to improve employees opportunities for work//life balance. Long hours and constant travel are seen as badges of honor rather than signs of an unhealthy work environment. HR is known for hiring from the outside without consulting or involving key stakeholders in the decision making process.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve communication, hire and promote from within.

Pros

There are smart people peppered throughout the company. However the talent is not consistent throughout the organization with certain groups definitely below average. For a company that has been profitable for more than 10 years and that has been working with the leaders in the consumer electronics space such as Apple, IBM, LG, and Sony, one would expect more. The company does have great technology embedded in its ASICs. Also, the company is vertically integrated on the technology side. The company fully understands all aspects of touch sensing from the mechanical aspects of the actual product, to the electronics, to the firmware, and to the driver. The company thrives due to the dedication of several long term employees and extremely intelligent individuals who know the product well and have applied the technology to many products over the last 10 years.

Cons

The company is not very forward thinking. Technology is driven by demands of the customers. With other companies joining the touch sensing space, Synaptics's leadership position has been eroded, particularly by Apple. Sales driven company. If the sales teams wants it, engineering has to bend over backwards to meet the goals. The engineering team will often come through (a great strength of the company) but with little recognition. To meet goals, engineering and build teams spend late days at work. Several employees lose vacation days on a regular basis due to running into accumulation limits. HR like at most companies unable to address inconsistencies in work load and company culture. The company is not a meritocracy at the director level. This has lead to a reactionary approach to problems.

Advice to Senior Management

Truly become the human interface company! Don't be a turnkey hardware company. Show some leadership and innovation in human machine interaction and maybe you'll be a leader in this space again.