Management is mostly out of touch, but give the impression otherwise.
Overly detailed and antiquated time tracking. I have never felt so 'watched'. Most people spend about 15-30 minutes each day entering their time, yet you are not allowed to put this time in your time sheet.
Very few people take an hour lunch, go out to eat or spend time at the ping pong table. Everyone feels the pressure to keep their billable hours as high as possible.
Management likes the open-office layout and brag about how clients rave about how nice the office looks (and they are correct - it looks really nice). But from a practical side, there are too many distractions and the noise level is high. People who concentrate and think for a living need privacy and quiet.
Half the company is working on old technology and there is a resistance to investing in new technologies until there is a guaranteed payback (typically through a large client).
Many managers routinely talk trash about the employees in private.
I have and know of others who have been asked to do questionable and deceptive practices behind the customer's back.
Not a place for people with experience. The happiest associates are the ones right out of school that don't know better (yet).
The salesreps sign contracts that are either terribly vague or impossible for the Project Managers to deliver on time with quality. The PMs transfer the impossible to the Front and Back End Developers, who are overworked and stressed out. All this is then dumped on the QA team to sort out the inevitable mess. When it is all done, there is little to no documentation for the Account Manager during their effort to keep the client happy for the coming years. On the positive side, the company has become very good at delivering good websites to happy clients (by somehow, successfully adapting to the constant chaos).
Expect to work very long hours at times with little or no compensation. I have seen or heard of several people who ended up sick or in the hospital after working several 60-80 hour weeks in a row.
You might be able to work from home on occasion, but expect to be watched like a hawk and be prepared to prove in detail that you worked 8 hours.
It's kind of funny, but I have heard many people say that they want to look for another job, but they don't have the time or energy by the time they get home.
