Pros
The people are friendly and respectful toward each other. There is very much a collaborative mentality and people really do listen to each other’s ideas. The office is filled with well-adjusted, mature people, which I think is hard to say about a lot of places. Politics are minimal. Generally speaking, job satisfaction seems to be high. In the annual company surveys, this location tends to report pretty high satisfaction. The leadership in the Mpls office is solid. Even on those occasions that they make a decision that I would not prefer, I respect that it is well-reasoned and considerate of the employees. Decisions are generally fair. Even though it’s part of a large organization, our division maintains a more nimble, fast pace - which makes work fun. Managers are good about letting people explore roles that are not traditional for their role. It’s also nice to be working at a place that is vibrant and financially successful – which has been the case for all 13 years I’ve been here. The vacation days are very generous. Annual rises tend to be mostly cost of living increases, with the exception of promotions. Bonuses, however, are very generous. Medical benefits seem about average. I've been at the company 13 years (although I only planned on staying for 2). Work expectations are a fairly standard 40 hour work week, with flexibility in scheduling. People who like to work later generally get to work by at least 9:30. People who like to work early generally stay to at least 4. I honestly can’t remember ever hearing anyone complain about feeling overworked (although I’m sure it must happen from time to time).
Cons
In the Mpls office, working from home on a routine basis is generally frowned upon. Exceptions, however, seem to be made based on temporary circumstances. In the MPLS office, big changes in the direction of a project are not uncommon. The leadership prizes innovation. This is well received by a lot of employees, but if you are someone that needs a lot of predictability or routine in your daily work, this is something you should ask about. Frequent changes also mean that sometimes communication isn’t always as timely or thorough as some people would like. Turnover is consistently low. There have been a couple periods where a lot of people left in a short period, but over the 13 years I’ve been here, people seem to stay for a long time. Among those people who do leave, I would estimate: about a third are moving/retiring. A third found an opportunity somewhere else. And then a third are frustrated in some way. Among this frustrated group, probably about half are people that seem like they wouldn’t really be happy anywhere – but there is another half that seem to have a reasonable gripe. Overall, though, if you’re someone who is emotionally mature, you’ll probably find the environment to be friendly, fun, and fair.