Sandia National Laboratories Reviews

Cons

Large employer, red tape, politics

Cons

The clearance process takes too long.

Cons

I retired about five years earlier than I had planned on doing so. I had outstanding customer reviews and my performance was not rated accordingly as I was not part of the good old boy Network. I found that it became tough as a woman to be compensated the same as a man who was performing at a high level.

Cons

None that I can think of.

Cons

Raises suck and have gotten worse each year so eventually the high starting pay will lose out to other companies who give non-cost of living pittances. They are lowering the bonuses too. Documentation and training is awful so bring your best wit and ability to extrapolate information from nothing to learn how to do your job.

Cons

Bureaucracy, Long commutes, High security

Cons

some hiccups but overall good

Cons

Benefit has been steady decline after Honeywell become the new management. It used to be that you can earn flex time if you work over 40 hours. This is IMO the best perk of Sandia compare to other companies. It was nice coming to work on Friday off (9/80 schedule) if you are busy and work few hours, knowing you can take credit for those extra hours you worked in the future. Now You suppose to work 5 hours for free. So nobody will want to work on their Friday off.
Year end bonus is said to be cut in half. You lose couple grand there.
The NW part of Sandia is very bureaucratic, paper works, follow procedures, follow processes. If you are an energetic engineer that just want to get things done, this place will suck your energy dry. Far too many system engineers doing no real technical work but get all the recognition.
Albuquerque is really a bad place to live. High crime rate, terrible homeless problem. Bad school district. Just a bad place to rise a family.

Cons

Depending on the org, doesn't have a high concentration of top quality researchers

Cons

I've been working here just over two years and am looking to leave due to persistent issues with extremely toxic people who have no sense of decorum or professionalism. I talk regularly with other new hires who are totally shocked at the rude, unprofessional and abusive behavior we witness, which we have never seen or experienced anywhere else. In talking with coworkers of longer tenure I have heard things like "this is a culture of fear" and "the strong try to make sure the weak get winnowed out." Among some Centers there is almost a hazing culture where the older employees make sure the younger ones go through a hard time to "prove they deserve to be here." I have also personally witnessed a LOT of double-standards for women in regards to behavior; men are rewarded for being assertive and standing up for themselves in the face of toxic bullying. Women get referred to ethics or the ombudsman and are told they need to be "more accommodating" or "nicer" and try not to react if they are confronted by a bully. The bullies never get fired or seemingly even disciplined; even if they are poor performers they just keep working and no one does anything. The contract transition has not done much to improve the culture - if anything, people seem more angry and hostile than they used to - and from what I have heard, half of the new ALDs are leaving at the end of their employment contracts next year. I have no doubt they will be replaced by the good ol' boys who are responsible for developing and reinforcing the toxic culture.