Pros
* 2nd biggest employer in tiny town of Pullman, WA, after Washington State University and one of few engineering companies with in-house manufacturing * Work can include "core" electronic engineering of hardware and software - work increasingly hard to find in the US * Physical plant is nice, and generally above standards of other employers in the Pullman area * First manufacturing and assembly plant is local, in addition to outsourced operations in Mexico * Scenic view of wheat fields from most work locations * Employees are all generally intelligent and easy to get along with, competent in their fields of endeavor
Cons
* CEO appears genuinely concerned about employees, but allows that instinct to be overridden by advice of executive staff, who maintain little contact with employees and are concerned more with the company's bottom line * Employees were overworked to make up for scope creep in projects that were not executed to plan - late nights with lots of non-optional overtime * As many companies grow, SEL included, management has become more separated from needs of employees and more focused on traditional business drivers (cost, schedule, delivery). The company has not successfully maintained its originally integrated focus on both. * Company exercises an overly zealous restriction on unapproved communication for the protection of its image, but does not define standards for that communication. This has the effect of hampering a sense of pride amongst diligent workers who otherwise would like to share its merits