Pros
I have worked for Dish for just over a year and I am definitely pleased with my experience to date. Before I was officially hired, my potential managers went to bat for me and argued to get me a higher salary than what the compensation department wanted to offer. Having said that, I had to provide a justification report as to why the local economics demanded the requested salary. I did not get what I had asked for, but I did get a (close) competitive offer and accepted the job. I learned that if you are willing to put in the time, work and effort for your team, you will get the support you need and be competitively compensated. After I was hired, I have found this position to challenge me to learn new things, expand my reach of support and customer service, and give me the opportunity to travel. My position in IT is ever changing and there are always new devices and software to learn, fix and maintain. I am learning that you are expected to be hands on with certain tasks that may normally have been contracted out elsewhere. I think this is great because it helps to give you direct knowledge of what you support. In my previous job, I supported one site only and now I have several sites to cover both remotely and locally. Travel compensation is fair and is available to you if your job requires it. Admittedly, even though I have managers, I have a fairly self managed position. I have team goals to meet and uphold, but as long as you meet your marks you will be granted the trust that you deserve. After you earn it, you will not be micro-managed. If you need help with something that is new to you, just ask. There is plenty of seasoned experience within your team members and management to help you complete your tasks successfully. Looking forward, there are new internal educational and training programs in development, expansion opportunities and yearly reviews for compensation increases. Before my time at this company, I was under the impression that employees wanted better training and the company has responded with a new program for this. I am pleased to see that the leaders of this company are looking to expand and explore the opportunities for growth in other sectors besides satellite broadcast. This will provide opportunities to our customers as well as employees. Yearly reviews are pretty standard and it seems as though the increases are not out of line with other companies.
Cons
Company health care packages could use a little improvement. Overall, the company benefits are pretty good. There are many perks that you have access to as an employee outside of healthcare. This includes consumer products, stock, 401K and social/entertainment services. The one area that could use improvement is the health care options. Preventative health care should be included (and covered) instead of hitting your annual deductable. Carrer training and advancement opportunities are improving. This will take time to see the benefits of the new programs. Culture and values seem to be improving. More employee parties (BBQ's and holiday events) are starting to be hosted by the company. Although these are not required of any employer, these are nice to have and appreciated when they happen.
