Pros
- Free food and drinks - Team budget to spend on whatever you'd like - Budget to spend on conferences, courses, etc. - Summer parties - Winter parties - Halloween parties - Money
Cons
The people that stay, stay for the perks mentioned previously. Ever since the company got bought by Betfair, it's been a downward spiral full of bureaucracy, nepotism and just plain bad management that ultimately does not benefit the people who are actually keeping the business from collapsing: the Engineers. If you're an Engineer or aspiring to be one, tread carefully: learn whatever you need to learn in this company and then move on. Make an effort to carve some time for you to look after your evolution in the trade. Because despite what the company tells you, they are not looking after your best interests, they have not invested in you. You've done it yourself, with or without fancy budgets. If you need something done, apart from what you are hired to do, you have to do it yourself. I'm not sure what happens when you're in a Management role, but the company sometimes had more managers than engineers on certain projects, that says something.