Pros
Fermilab has a mission of profound impact to mankind. Many people will be impressed when you tell them you work at Fermi. Many very bright and hard-working co-workers. Flexible hours for some. New lab director arrived in 2013 and created some optimism among the employee base with his initial comments.
Cons
Only employer to ever furlough me, the whole lab was being furloughed in 2008 on a rotating schedule. Chronic budget drama and mixed messages emanating from Washington DC. Resources are very limited. Many projects at least some very poorly managed and few resources with which to complete them. Clumsy out-sourcing of the medical office. Used to be a very friendly employer, but has now gotten kind of mean/ruthless with the scare resources. Low morale. Talented staff that built the place getting older and leaving the lab, but not hiring enough in my former area to keeping things going at the same level. Young staff find work elsewhere. So continuity is an issue. Lab has historically tolerated a lot of deadwood and poor behavior, which makes it really hard for the very good people there. Some very unprofessional behavior. Management has historically made many more promises about improving things than they have kept. Many poor managers.
