Pros
- Very laid-back attitude for such a large corporation (for the most part). - All time off is paid: 9 sick days, 15 vacation days, federal holidays, plus two floats. - 5% match for 7% contribution for 401k. - Wide range of benefits to choose from: three health plans, two dental plans, vision, supplementary life insurance, legal insurance, discounted auto insurance rates, plus a few others I don't remember. - Annual bonus ranging from 5% to 15% of your annual pay. - Want an hour lunch? Take an hour lunch; most people do. Unlikely anyone will notice, or care. Smoke break? Take a smoke break. Sit and talk with your buddies from building 11 for 45 minutes? Go ahead. Just get your work done on time. Not official policy, but that's largely how it goes. - An old company with a proud history, performing important work. - Nice campus, on-site cafes for breakfast/lunch, on-site gym, steep discount on Red Wing work boots, free UL branded Carhartts/hoodies/t-shirts. - Some crazy science and amazing people at work here. It's some Aperture Science / Cave Johnson type stuff sometimes. We burned a house down for the data. We exploded a concrete box to figure out why New York City sewers were catching fire. We also lit the trench on fire by accident, but that's another story.
Cons
- Pay is the #1 con. For the same work, they pay probably around 75% to 85% of what you can get elsewhere, bonus included. - Annual raises top out at 3.5% or so for the top few in a department, and less for everyone else. It barely covers inflation on a good year, and is laughably short of the years we've been having lately. - Entrenched old-timers have no repercussions for poor performance. An entire business unit can be held back by a few people in key positions who are terrible at their jobs. - If you want a better position or better pay, it is literally better to quit and come back than to wait it out. This is common, understood, and accepted. - I've personally seen nearly two centuries of UL experience leave in the last year alone; while senior management denies there is a turnover issue. - When raise time comes around, it's always "this is the best we can do". If you are offered a better paying job and quit, suddenly they're willing to talk numbers.
