Pros
The relatively new SVP of HR has been trying to make it an interesting and rewarding place to work. There are a few events and prize give-aways and a real push for health consciousness. Things like having a "blender bike" sent to each location to make smoothies, 15 minute seated massage sessions twice a year, encouraging people to take a walk or have some physical activity regularly. There is some attempt at self assessment with a customer survey, but you are asked for so many identifying pieces of information like how long you have been working at CalAmp, what office do you work in, are you a manager, etc. that folks either don't fill it out or aren't honest because they are concerned it is not truly anonymous. As with most jobs, the people you interact with are the best part, not so much the company itself.
Cons
Despite surging financials, there was a salary freeze this year. A recent addition of an additional layer of Sr. VPs and the recent hiring of a number of Directors makes this company a little top heavy. Some knowledgeable Directors were demoted or fired "for consolidation of roles", but new ones were hired. CalAmp is still a hardware company at its core and can't seem to escape that despite saying they are a software company for several years, now. I have seen multiple instances of people getting put into jobs that are beyond their capabilities, training or experience. They either fail and are fired for not being "effective" or they somehow keep the appearance of effectiveness by working themselves to death. It seems that Sr. Management wants their mid and low level managers running scared, feeling swamped and not sure if they are going to get canned in the next end of the quarter purge. Yes, there are end of the quarter firings quite regularly, but there are always job openings and occasionally even hiring. I know of an engineering manager who was told to only hire people who were competent but had no interest in advancement or leadership. That manager left CalAmp after years of mistreatment and lies. Despite attempts to make the workplace better, there is an overall cheapness about things that are so trivial I can't believe they do not see the bad will the minuscule cost savings creates. We have been told the company will no longer stock plastic forks in the kitchen. We were to bring our own from home and wash them after use. Unfortunately, dish soap is not a company provided item now either. Same with paper cups. There are some on site, but they are hidden for use only by office guests. OK, better for the environment, but how much money is the company actually saving by not having a few basic supplies on hand? They don't even realize how petty they sound making these kinds of announcements.
