US Department of Homeland Security Reviews

Pros

The security of working for the US government is a great reason to work for TSA.

Cons

The downside of working to Homeland Security is working with passengers who are annoyed with TSA and will do things to make the security process difficult of not wanting to abide by the 3.4 oz rule for liquids, lotions and jells. Passengers are sometimes wanting to make a "loud" appearance to the general body of passengers.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to what the officer is telling you. Do not try to 'up stage" the officer. Passengers lie.

Pros

We have great benefits and a fast promotion rate as long as you do what we set out to do every day which is protect the traveling public.

Cons

It can be easy to get stuck in the same position for years because of a bad pass rating. other than that no other cons.

Advice to Senior Management

The people who can greatly improve the way we do things are the officers that do the job day in and day out. Not the suits in the office, because they dont have to do it .

Pros

The best reasons to work at US Department of Homeland Security are benefits, paid leave, work hours, sick leave, promotion ability, and salary however, most of all job security.

Cons

Some of the downsides of working at US Department of Homeland Security are working weekends/ holidays, and interaction with the public.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice to management would be keep up the good work and listen to your workforce there are some good ideas in the rank and file.

Pros

Annual budget is always robust.
There is a bright future for DHS, and those employed by DHS.

Cons

ICE and HSI are always changing. There is no solid identity. The agents need to be aware of the mission of their agency

Advice to Senior Management

Solidify the role of ICE/HSI and stop changing the name.

Pros

Feeling you are improving an important agency
Competent, motivated employees in many areas
Interesting subject matter
Good pay and benefits
Promotes based on production more than a few other agencies I have worked with before

Cons

Very muddled management structure
Lack of emphasis on customer support
Sometimes poor cooperation
High profile agency means stifling oversight that hurts efficiency

Advice to Senior Management

Be less concerned with appearing productive and be more concerned with being productive

Pros

Good Pay with good benefits

Cons

Disorganized
Management does not communicate well with employees

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate better with all employees

Pros

+As a result of the department's emphasis on getting the acquisition process right, more engineers are being hired
+Decent influx of college graduates/young professionals
+Quick promotion potential
+Opportunities to switch between agencies easily
+Great healthcare benefits and leave options
+Great networking opportunities

Cons

-For a non-management employee, pay is barely sustainable for living in the DC area.
-Depending on the agency, management can be incompetent. Many programs end up being delayed because of one (or more) bottleneck program manager.
-Politics and bureaucratic environment. Hearing "waiting for the budget to be passed before we can proceed on so-and-so project" has become tiresome.
-Not many chances to travel
-Slow decision making
-Lots of soon-to-be retirees/veterans.
-No OT pay. Instead, you get compensatory time which is great if you need extra leave hours.
-If you're not top level management, many employees are forced into the 9-5 mentality. Reason being is many managers do not want to give compensatory time to employees.

Pros

Serving the U.S. public
Good people (mostly)
Great benefits
Good pay

Cons

Massive, mundane, money-pit projects
Small, mundane, money-pit projects
$10,000 doors, for instance

Advice to Senior Management

Start preparing now for a sustainable future that you will ultimately be forced to abide by. Don't blow money on wasteful procurement projects. Don't spend the money and hire the people if you have no tangible need. Train new hires (from the consulting world) to abide by the oath they took "to establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty." Train new managers to check their ego at the door. This isn't Wall Street. Don't wait until you are in dire straits to sort things out.

Pros

The salary and benefit package is good. There is opportunity for advancement, it depends to some extent on where you work. The work can be exciting and dangerous, the training is sometimes intense and there is opportunity to move if you want to.

Cons

Homeland Security is still a young agency. They are changing and not always for the good. The down side is that many managers belong to a particular religion and are prone to promote within their church family. Information sharing is not emphasized.

Pros

Security is valid role of Government.
Some areas are growing.
Will get security clearance.
Flexible work schedules.

You're in the news (people like Coast Guard and Secret Service).

Cons

No standards or policies for important issues in many offices.
No push from leadership for telework.
HR super slow to hire or approve anything.
Components will be DOD-like mess for a long time.
Tedious and inefficient work (like most Government).
No one willing to change systems and learn something new.

You're in the news (everyone hates TSA and FEMA).

Advice to Senior Management

Clarify policies already.
Push for telework and office hoteling if you want to save money.
Start measuring HR to improve speed.