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Applied Research Associates

Is this your company?

Much to be improved - Anonymous employee Applied Research Associates Employee Review

2.0
24 Sept 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is great work life balance and flexibility. The 401K and ESOP plan is also fantastic.

Cons

ARA is a middle market sized company that operates and has the culture of a much larger company, which could be considered the worst type of company to be. There is no "culture" at ARA. Each division operates like its own company, with it's own HR rep, accounting, etc, thus there is zero integration of capabilities and solutions across the company. Middle management strangely either doesn't communicate consistently with their teams or tell their teams about big changes after the fact, which shows a major disconnect between management and the rest of the company. ARA is also decades behind the curve on benefits. PTO is next to nothing, no community service hours, no spot bonuses, no parental leave, no adoption support, and no IVF support. This is a clear indication to existing employees that ARA is not interested in supporting parents career growth through their families changes and an indication to potential employees that other primes ARA is competing with do.

Explore other reviews about Applied Research Associates

5.0
4 Dec 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work life balance Flexibility Benefits

Cons

Pay could be better but for starting salary is good enough

1.0
3 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The pay (after negotiation) is comparable to some other offers that I got from other companies

Cons

- If you want work life balance, this is NOT the place for you. You’re expected to bring in externally contracts to cover your salary. While they do allocate hours for contract proposal writing, most of the time, it’s never enough. You’ll end up working overtime and during weekends most of the time. - If you enjoy doing research, this is NOT the place for you. During my interviews, I asked how long a typical project would be, they all said it’s usually a few years. But the fact is, it all depends on the clients. If the clients say stop working on a project, you have to stop. Within the last year, a lot of their contracts got terminated, so people has to stop working and no pay. - If you enjoy doing rigorous research, this is NOT the place for you. People here tend to oversell their skills and knowledge to sell themselves to the clients or government agencies, so they could get the contracts. If they sell successfully and get the contracts, but then there is no time to really learn the necessary skills. Sloppy work has to be rushed because of the clients’ demands. - If you want sick leaves or maternity leaves, this is NOT the place for you. They do have PTO, but it’s not enough. Most people took unpaid time off for months when they had kids.

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