Pros
I left a large company with better pay to come here because this is one of the few companies that doesn't count on annual layoffs to balance its books. What I noticed right away is how open senior management are with the staff. Once a month we huddle with the CEO and the CFO and get a complete status on the health of our company. Their honesty is astounding. The year I joined, times were a little lean, but rather than lay people off, they instituted a temporary salary freeze and postponed their very generous 401K contributions for a year. At the end of the year. they paid BACK the 401k contributions and gave everyone a 7% bonus!
My co-workers are also very honest and not at all competitive. I always believed that what makes a company great is the willingness of employees to not just do their own job well, but to help others do their jobs well too. No one grills you over your mistakes, and no one ever feels threatened.
Stuff flows from the top-down in any organization, so the respect that the guys at the top show us trickles down to all levels, and between departments. Support staff can't do enough to help. Our tech teams are top-notch, not hacks.
The Fools tries really hard to be inclusive, always dreaming up clubs for employees to join. There's a strong gaming culture here (ping pong and video), but if that's not your thing, there's also a book club and a knitting circle! These things take place during business hours too, just like the fitness classes.
It's not a shtick. This place is the real deal.
Cons
If you don't live in the immediate area, commuting can be a bear. That said, no one cares if you flex your hours around the morning and evening rush-hours. Salaries could also be a lot more commensurate with experience. Healthcare and 401k benefits make up for most of it though, and they try hard to help with metro and parking expenses.
