The environment is toxic. Be a "Yes" man or be an outcast. People are promoted for enforcing management's philosophies and ideas, not for coming up with their own. If you have better ideas just keep them to yourself or risk having your job threatened. Everything you do is monitored and and scrutinized. God forbid you have the flu and have to go to the restroom more than a few times a day.
They have a ping-pong table but I'm certain it's there just to test the employees to see which ones are "lazy" enough to play during the work day. To my knowledge, it was never played the entire time I was there.
Speaking of the first year, there are absolutely no benefits, vacation or sick time given during the first year. If you've got the flu you're still expected to be at work (or have your job threatened). You can work a 50 hour week, miss a day for being sick, and still be verbally reprimanded and expected to make up for the day you missed. I'll never forget how shocked I was when I called in sick one morning only to hear that I was expected to come in. This, after working multiple 50+ hour weeks.
It always felt as if my job was on the line and that I could do everything right but make one mistake, say the wrong thing, or suggest the wrong idea in front of the wrong person and I would be fired. I was threatened so many times that I looked forward to them actually going through with it.
If you do decide to work with this company, get your pre-scheduled vacation time approved in advance and WRITTEN IN THE CONTRACT. I had an out-of-town wedding for my brother that I planned months before applying for this job. I notified them and It was verbally approved when I accepted the position. However, one month before the wedding (after I had my tickets), I am told that a week is too much to take off for a wedding and that because I don't get any vacation time during the first year that they would be generous enough to give me one day unpaid but that was it. They didn't care that it was my brother's wedding and that I had responsibilities in that wedding. Shortly after returning they followed through with their threats to lay me off. I can honestly say that it was one of the most freeing days of my life. I now work for a Rochester's Top 100 company doing work I love with great people.
