Pros
There are so many fake recent five-star reviews… It’s sad that DAT has sank to such a level that they must resort to posting fake reviews to attract talent. The company was great to work for at one time. DAT has been around for many years and is the largest player in their marketspace. To say that the company is hugely profitable is an understatement. DAT’s business is interesting, and some employees enjoy a decent work life balance as developers and QA work from home a day or two a week. You still get two free lunches a month and two beers during the monthly happy hour. The company also offers a good vacation package.
Cons
DAT overhauled their product management leadership about a year ago. The new leadership previously worked in broadcast television technology and has little to no experience with software. The lack of experience means that projects are planned/managed in a haphazard fashion and have arbitrary due dates. Posts about the company not performing analysis are true. Lack of business analysis means that requirements and scope change almost daily, yet development teams are held to the arbitrary due dates previously mentioned. DAT laid off most of their high performing analysts and project managers in September without any plan as to how to move forward. This resulted in many crippled projects, as the remaining staff were ill equipped to succeed. Worse of all, senior management failed to communicate anything regarding the layoffs to the company afterward resulting in most everyone walking on eggshells. While there has been a lot of growth, there has also been a lot of turnover in engineering over the past year. Some teams have suffered nearly 100% turnover. A lot of good people and knowledge have walked out the door. With a few exceptions, compensation is below market across the board. The HR posts to the contrary are false. Regardless of how well you perform or how much you contribute, expect a 3% annual salary increase. The company ignores external market factors for existing employee’s compensation. DAT does not offer a bonus program to most employees. While DAT offers a decent amount of vacation time, the overall benefits package is well below market for a technology company. Health insurance premiums are high, as are co-pays. Expect to pay between $40 and $60 to visit the doctor and labs are not reimbursed until you meet a high deductible. The company match on the 401k vests over five years. Long term disability insurance is not covered by DAT and must be borne by the employee. Last year, the HR department thought that it would be funny to publicize the names of everyone who failed an email security training course on monitors throughout the building. After a significant amount of blowback, they recanted. Yes, the HR department endorsed public shaming. The company’s overall strategy and product roadmap is a mystery to many employees. How do you expect your employees to know about your initiatives and goals if you don’t socialize them? Maybe the company doesn’t have a concrete strategy.
