Pros
I'm at a loss to think of one that isn't a standard benefit at other defense contractors.
Cons
I wrote a review last February where I detailed some of the issues we've had in Arlington TX (Legacy L3) since being acquired by CAE MIL USA. Things have not gotten any better, in fact, they're worse, and shortly to get much worse morale wise. The local senior staff can see the storm coming, and several key players I've spoken to are already in the process of leaving/retiring/etc. It's to the point of where I'm hearing on a daily basis of the imminent egress of some critical talent due to the constant stress of the never ending train of programs that are on fire. Add in the lackluster 401k (and other) benefits and the impending major alteration of the work environment, the perfect storm is brewing. The best one I heard last week was another senior engineer that asked me if I still knew anyone at a former employer that's in the simulator business. If so, could I get them to initiate the process of purchasing our site from CAE MIL USA? I can't disagree with the sentiment. Not one good thing has come of this merger from a legacy L3 employee perspective. Not one single one. Circling back to the "impending major alteration of the work environment". CAE management has decided to replace our current work spaces, which we've grown accustomed to over the years, with much shorter and less private cubes during the upcoming holiday season. This change, which seems to have been made without significant input from those who will be affected, is particularly concerning for several reasons. Firstly, these new workspaces are significantly smaller than our current ones. The cubes are far less private. The lower walls mean there will be less visual barrier, leading to increased noise and distractions. For those who work in roles that require intense focus, like software development or data analysis, this could be a significant issue. Our site has been dealing with increased stress and workload due to recent projects, and this change seems to disregard those challenges. It's akin to adding more fuel to an already burning fire. As software engineers, we've been trained to consider the user experience in our work, but it seems this principle hasn't been applied to our own workspace design. I've been in the software engineering field for over three decades, and I've seen many workplaces, some better, and some not. However, I can't recall a workplace decision that seems so ill-considered and potentially harmful to productivity and employee well-being. I've raised the concerns I had and others have related to me to my (new) management in Tampa. The indifference was palpable. The response was basically: "If you think that sounds bad, you should see what we have to deal with here. It's really bad.". I urge the management to reconsider this decision, or at the very least, to engage in a meaningful dialogue with those who will be most affected. After all, we're the ones who will be spending our days in these new work spaces, trying to do our best work in a potentially challenging environment - and we don't have doors we can close. We already have enough issues keeping qualified staff due to the benefits handicap compared to other, local DOD companies. If we bring in any mid-level engineer worth their salt for an interview, and show them their potential accommodations, any of them with a modicum of self respect will block our HR phone calls. I know I haven't spent my career working my way up to work in what is effectively a call center.