Pros
Overall, I like working with my team and the office culture is pretty good. I enjoy my work.
Cons
Ascend makes it hard to return to work after having a child. Mothers can take FMLA leave for 12 weeks, but I wouldn't call it a quality maternity leave. 4 weeks are fully paid, 4 weeks are paid at 2/3 of your salary (with short term disability pay), and 4 weeks are unpaid. It's more than some companies offer, but isn't competitive and has me looking at other companies with better leave policies for the future. Now that I'm back to work, I'm pumping and spend hours each week in a small, dark closet with a chair and an outlet. No refrigerator or sink, so I have to store milk in the communal refrigerator and wash pump parts in the bathroom sink. Unless I try to work on my cell phone, there's no way to use my laptop while pumping.This has been one of the most overwhelming part of returning to work, and I understand now why some mothers either give up on nursing or stop working. Other parents I talk to at much smaller companies have a better pump room situation and feel more supported by their company when returning to work.
