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Difficult work, but you feel appreciated

Senior Software Developer
Former Employee
Worked at Fidelity Investments for 6 years
December 14, 2013
Merrimack, New Hampshire
5.0
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros

Market or better pay, good benefits, and open-feeling office space. Lavish Christmas parties and more fun company events than most. A "nice" place to work where nobody is allowed to look too scruffy. You can't wear jeans or baseball caps or certain items of clothing. You can feel the money. If you are interested in understanding how big brokerage companies like Fidelity manage to keep track of it all, you would like it. You usually feel engaged. There is a lot of software development, so it's not always legacy applications if you work in technology. Generally, you will be thanked for your work and told you are doing well (unless you suck at your job). There are lots of kitchens scattered around, and there is lots of free food there, often leftover from being served in meetings. Whenever you have to work nights, you often get to order out free food. It's a cube farm, no way around it. Cube walls are not too low, but not as high as other places.

Cons

You have to work hard there, sometimes nights and weekends. There is a bit of a workaholic culture there, sometimes for extended periods for a big, important project. The job security tends to wander with the market. When it's up, you're okay. If the economy is really bad, watch out.

Sometimes people seem a little mean, like they don't screen for it very well in employees. You always have a long walk from the parking lot.

Much better to be a contractor so you don't have to work extra hours as much.

Advice to Management

There should be some way to screen for lines of management becoming so clique-y that they bully some employees, and the bully gets to stay in place despite horrible management and treatment of underlings because of the chain of command protecting each other.

I saw a really good employee quit because of it.

You should get some kind of review between management and employees so you can root out these toxic managers.

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