Pros
Good pay if you're lucky, decent benefits package with 401(k), and some nice people
Cons
General Dynamics Land Systems has the most incompetent leadership I've ever seen. I've literally witnessed the highest paid coworkers sit around all day talking about recreational things while coworkers with dismal salaries and the same level of education (sometimes higher levels of education) are forced to struggle with multiple jobs to make up for their slack. Mechanics with tenure that have the same level of experience as other mechanics (and sometimes considerably less) are able to sit in chairs next to their vehicles most of the day to watch other people work. Nobody can seem to describe what these people are good for exactly. It's as if GDLS loves showering free money on people who are completely useless. And the worst part is, their managers and the decision makers in the Human Resources department allow this to go on. In fact, they openly promise these unproductive people that they are, in a sense, untouchable. This is basically a "good ol' boys network" of the highest-evolved and most shameless variety. The situation has become a routine subject of ridicule by visitors and employees of the Federal government (their customers). I was considered a "company person" and even I didn't know what to say sometimes. The yearly evaluations are a joke. Someone who doesn't care about doing a good job, has a reputation for ineptitude, and comes in late to work everyday will get the same scores as someone who is motivated, solves major issues, and stretches themself thin on a daily basis. It doesn't matter how much you do or how little you do, you will receive the same scores and the same raise as everyone else. In fact, it's well-known in this company that the laziest person in the office has a high chance of being promoted over you. General Dynamics Land System's treatment of contractors is right at the top of everyone's list as one of the most abusive business practices in the business world today. If you are a person with a college degree and you decide to join this company through a contracting agency, there's a good chance that they will strive to keep you as a contractor for at least 4 years—regardless of your performance and contributions. What adds insult to injury is the fact that contractors with only high school diplomas doing menial tasks are hired full time within about 8 weeks of working through a contracting agency. What makes it even worse is the fact that college-level contractors are often responsible for more time-intensive functions and analytical tasks than their full time counterparts who in too many cases choose to do little to nothing to contribute to the organization—all of that to get paid 40% less in wages, to never receive any raises and to never receive any health insurance benefits. GDLS's Human Resources department claims responsibility for this very embarrassing ongoing issue. Most of the managers are not brilliant people and they're anything but leaders. One comes to ponder how some of these people were given management positions in the first place. Their primitive management styles and their unending displays of arbitrariness and self-importance show a lack of intelligence, integrity, foresight, and common decency towards workers who sincerely want to do a good job for the company. Senior leadership doesn't care what goes on in this organization because they're solely fixated on short-term profits. I doubt they care if this company eventually comes to ruin because of the issues stated above and the issues stated by other reviewers on this website because they have plenty of money and they can simply hop to another company and then let that company fail too. Executives in other companies who welcome them aboard will not know what hit them.
