Pros
- Convenient location in the city centre, close to a metro station. Incovenient if you plan by driving to work though because only the management has parking spaces. - Many smart people. Too bad they cannot manage or stand up for themselves. - I personally received extra, unexpected money a couple of times but this is hardly general within the company. - One of the products truly represents added value to researchers. It is very expensive though and only few researchers have the money to buy it in basic research (so no direct contribution to human research).
Cons
- Autocracy. Criticism is not tolerated. This goes to the extent that there had been examples of management saying behind people's backs after they left that they actually fired them, and the CEO has threatened to and in another case, actually did call someone's future boss to negate the person who just quit. - Micro- and mismanagement. On the other hand this autocratic CEO is involved in e.v.e.r.y. decision and despite the fact that the engineers and mid-level managers have sensible ideas, he will make a contradictory final decision. In several cases even mid-managers are not fit for management roles as they are technical experts instead. You are also expected to do other people's jobs on a regular basis because boundaries are not managed. - Mistrust. Although the company is small (120 people), there is an access control system at the doors which actually serves to log your time in the office and you have to check out for toilet time or lunch time on the 2nd floor (but not on the 3rd floor). But I realized this system is actually to protect the employees from what was in the early years of the company where overtime was expected but not paid for. Anyways, if you go to the toilet 4 times a day, that is 20 min more you have to spend at this wonderful place... - Unsuccessful. The company is more than 15 years old but is still not profitable if you look at organic sales. - Poor customer service. Slow, untrue and ungenerous responses. - No trainings. You are expected to learn optical, applicational, mechanical, IT and electronical details on your own.