Guidewire

Flexible schedule makes for a good work/life balance.

Lots of smart, approachable people that are always willing to lend a hand.

Located at the west end of the SM Bridge, the office is quite accessible from the east bay.

• Stand-up desks
• Powerful development systems: choice of high-end PC or Mac. IT doesn't care if you delete Windows and install Linux. Systems are replaced with an even better one every two years.

Outside training and classwork is encouraged and reimbursed. Opportunities to attend conferences are available as well.

Good variety of work keeps things interesting, at least in my current role.

Workspace on the development floor is crowded and sometimes noisy.

Proprietary tooling and programming language are not desirable skills outside of Guidewire and thus are not 'resume material'.

Once a flat management structure is becoming more hierarchical as the company has grown. I suppose this is inevitable.

I've seen quite a few new managers hired from the outside rather than promoted from within the organization.

Keep investing in your employees' career paths (encouraging training, etc.). As a corollary, find and promote top achievers to management positions from within. This will help slow the erosion of our great corporate culture as we continue to grow.