Pros
The benefits are unheard of. I spent 5 days in the hospital with numerous tests and only had to pay $15 dollars for the entire process. In addition to the salary, cost of living adjustments, life insurance, and health insurance, Hensel Phelps contributes 15% of your salary to your 401K. You do not have to put a dime into it, and they will put an additional 15% into your 401K. Hensel Phelps places an enormous emphasis on training as well, almost to a fault. I spend 100+ hrs a year in training programs, conferences, boot camps, etc. There is also an process for everything, so if you are unsure how to do something and there isnt anyone readily available to ask (which is rare), you can find it quickly on their "Field & Office Guide" . They place a lot of responsibility on you and expect a lot from each employee. At 3 years with the company, i was managing $80mil of subcontracts from the office side. I had supervisors to assist when I felt over my head, but they definitely are not afraid of handing out responsibilities. In my 6 years of working with HP, i have been very pleased. I have been on some incredibly stressful jobs that require a tremendous amount of time, which can wear on you. However, that comes with the industry. Most qualms i have with my job are industry related and involve the long work hours.
Cons
We need to change the mentality that Saturday work & 12 hr days are expected. I believe in hard work and there are times when weekend work is required. However, nothing good comes from working people 6-7 days a week. If we have to work Saturdays, it needs to be company policy that person takes off a day the following week. If we rotate people efficiently, the burnout will decrease and efficiency will boom. This is always an idea thrown out in the "Quality of Life" plans, but never effectively implemented. It needs to be a corporate policy that is enforced top down. Our moto should be work hard, work smart, play hard. Having a killer year on our shares should not be at the expense of young field engineers and our families, who are left hanging for weekends and dinners when we are not there.