Applied Materials

Flexible work schedule Decent work/life balance Employee stock purchase program

They will get rid of you the second that you are not of use to them. I have witnessed others get ill and then let go because of their sickness.

Technology is outdated and constantly behind the curve.

Budgets are minimal, and any ideas are always scrutinized based on cost, even if they have an ROI.

There are not enough promotions and incentives for upward movement. Annual merit increases are below the national average.

Culture is cutthroat instead of collaborative. Instead of helping one another, people and management are more concerned with who is leading each project.

There is a large age gap due to ongoing layoffs over the years. If you enjoy being forever treated as inexperienced because you are a newcomer, then this is the place for you.

Communication is terrible within teams and the company. Expect knee-jerk reactions to hot issues, and hot fixes to take precedence over long-term and sustainable solutions.

They hired several new college grads in the past few years, but they just use them as cheaper labor and don't give them a way to move up the chain. They take advantage of their youth and energy until they are just as burned out as everyone else.

People are walking out the door to the competitors, but nobody is coming here from the competition. That should tell you that you are losing the war and something needs to be done.

Learn what your team is actually working on.

Team activity needs to be planned out rather than a constant shuffling of responsibility. Don't pull individuals back and forth between sub-teams.

Team efforts need to be recognized rather than individuals. Of course, this would be easier if more than 5% of the team was given a decent pay increase each year (that's not an excuse, it's another complaint).

Hiring decisions should be made based on the most qualified candidate and immediate needs of the group. Teams should be included in the decision so that everyone is in agreement before a decision is made.

Direct managers should have some backbone and stand up for their teams when the time comes. Most managers got to where they are because they are purely focused on pleasing upper management at the expense of others.

Honestly, there are just too many problems to fix in the current structure and ideology. Morale is low because of a string of bad decisions. Layoffs are always looming when volumes fluctuate. Management is too distracted looking upward to notice what is going on in their own teams. Your most vital contributors aren't going to be the ones playing office politics. Budgets are minuscule because management gets recognition based on reduced spending. Growth opportunities are not there while the rest of Austin is booming. Record earnings and revenues were achieved in 2017, but employees got cheated when reviews came around. You need to change your strategy or Applied Materials will not exist 20 years from now.