A Massive Ship Does Not Turn Easily, But Boy Does It Sink Fast
Pros
As a college student, it was probably unlikely that I would have found a position that paid as well or was as flexible during my time there. Benefits were pretty good, once you were eligible for them, and obviously, the textbook discount was helpful during college.
Cons
Oh, man. A company this size is tremendous at talking a great game and then not at all having that filter down. Our ranks were populated with people who had been there for, in some cases, decades, and seemed to be impervious to change, improvement, discipline, or being useful, simply because they had become so embedded that they were "too valuable" in the worst way possible. Internal job openings were much more difficult to apply to than they ought to have been. Our training and development systems changed at least 3 times in 5 years, and while there is something to be said for seeking out development, it often seemed as if the only way to get any feedback was through performance requiring disciplinary action. Negativity, backbiting and sniping were de rigueur parts of the workday - more so than any workplace gossip I've encountered with any other employer - and were allowed to fester until upper level management took notice, at times. "Cooperating" departments were often at odds with each other, ably assisted by the aforementioned negative culture, and organizational workflow and communication was dysfunctional at best. Pay raises weren't even commensurate with inflation, and the structure of hours that determined eligibility for benefits was backwards and counter-intuitive. The HR team members I dealt with were frequently ignorant about what seemed like would have been basic knowledge for their department - I often found it more useful to get in touch with certain members of completely-unrelated management to get information or to get things done. The internal website was a joke and frequently more of a hindrance than help - was it supposed to be a social network, an informational site, a site for training and collaboration, or a place to dump all of the above and wonder why it didn't work?
