A little fairness and a lot less red tape will go a long way!
Pros
Excellent benefits (pension no longer offered), 401K match, health benefits way above average. An opportunity to work with some truly bright and incredible people. Depending on your manager - potential for great work/life balance. I am one of the lucky ones.
Cons
Career advancement is almost non-existent if you are not an attorney. Almost every position has a maximum level of the lowest management grade. To get above that level, you need an executive in your corner as well as a J.D. If you have a lot of industry experience, that's great, but it won't get you anywhere. In fact, several whose only experience is here will take opportunities to minimize any knowledge you bring. If you live/work in the DC area, your pay grade and salary will be the same as those who live in areas of the country with no state income tax and a rental/real estate market where the average cost is 1/2 to 1/3 of what you will pay. You will learn to live paycheck to paycheck and your raises even as a top performer will probably not match inflation. Titles across the organization can vary greatly. A "senior" in one division is a "lead" in another and a "manager" in another. A "lead" can be a "manager" and even an "associate director" depending on where you land. This makes it very difficult to work across the organization when you encounter title happy people (of which there are many). Although you may be in the same pay grade and have the same level of responsibility, you will probably be dismissed as they assume you are "beneath" them if they think your title isn't worthy. Although the organization advertises its work/life balance culture, it is 100% dependent on your manager. Even if you are a top performer, if your manager feels you need to in the office every day (even if your duties don't require that), you will be in the office every day. If you have my manager, you will be one of the lucky ones, but I have learned that my situation is the exception and not the rule. Way too many office politics - who you know vs. what you know, and decisions are rarely made in a timely manner or at the right level. The comments I have seen on here about backstabbing and throwing people under the bus is pretty accurate depending on who you work with. I have seen some of the worst offenders win big awards...amazing how well that mentality works for them. If you travel for the company, as many do, you will be subjected to policies that often don't make sense. Make sure you follow all the policies and guidelines to the letter or you may just be paying for dinner or ground transportation out of your own pocket. Spending guidelines should be cumulative. It encourages us to save money for the company, and if we are in our second week on the road, we may like to have one really nice dinner and not be penalized for it - especially when the other 9 days we came in way under the guidelines. Keep in mind that making us fly home every weekend generally costs the same as allowing us to stay, but keeps our morale high if we have that option as it lessens the wear and tear on our bodies.