The positives of the people who work there are massively undermined by a combination of poor (or no) planning, little to no communication from management and an overall lack of care for employees.
It is a sign of the company that when I announced I was leaving, the most common response was "are there any jobs where you are going for me?"
There was little to no guidance on projects from senior management, and department leaders would quite often deceive each other with status reports, then blame the employees when targets were missed. Employees would end up as collateral damage in political disputes between departments, and attempts to foster cross department relationships was punished.
There is a high degree of staff turnover, especially in R&D. During my time there, one year saw almost half the staff leave (with not all replaced). This was apparently the norm. In two years, the 2 team leaders positions within R&D had seen 5 people in the roles.
There does not appear to be any strategic direction for the business. Projects in development were always conducted in a reactionary way, either to a customer requirement or in response to a competitor launching a new feature or product. There was no investment in new technologies, new business markets or new areas that could massively effect the business in the future (such as electric charging).
Company benefits and general care for employees outside of salary are minimal. Sick pay is statutory. Maternity pay is statutory. If you have a single day off for sickness, you are expected to be interviewed as part of a return to work process. When an employee requested to take a half day to look after his hospitalised child and make up the time during the rest of the week, he was made to record timesheets for every hour he spent for the next month to make sure he made the time up, During a heavy snowstorm, employees were not permitted to leave until after the majority of the roads had been closed (the MD did not come into work). There is no summer barbecue (despite that being said in interview). There is no Christmas party. Employees can be replaced - if you are happy with that attitude (and many are), then it may suit you. A lot of the long term employees there are 'riding it out to retirement'.
