Qualcomm

The work environment in Raleigh is quite positive and collaborative. This team started out small, so while we're under the corporate umbrella, the culture here is different than San Diego. Sure, there are some politics, but those seem to occur mostly when dealing with corporate in San Diego.

Qualcomm has always tried to compete with the big players when it comes to hiring, so benefits have been more in line with the Googles and Apples of the world than they have been the industry average. Lots of small perks (free drinks, yearly picnic, etc.) and the biggie—free insurance, even for the family. These are quickly eroding, however.

We get to do cutting-edge engineering work without having to live in a city with a huge cost of living, and we make products we are really proud of.

Local perception is that Jana Partners came in and wants to squeeze us for all we're worth, then get out. Layoffs didn't hit Raleigh too hard (yet), but some of our work was transferred to other sites. So, rather than having a tight-knit local team, we're spread across time zones. That was the environment in my previous company, and I don't prefer it. The small perks are going away little by little. Many of us watched this happen at previous companies, and we know that once cost-cutting starts, it usually never stops. Hopefully, that won't happen here, but most of us assume it will. Insurance is still free, but starting next year, it pays out virtually nothing until you hit a (middle-range) deductible.

Overtime is generally expected. I sometimes get "vacation notices" for people who will be out of town for the weekend. A lot of people here are in the habit of working at least a little every day, and many of them work an excessive number of hours. It's hard to say if it's expected by management or just a self-imposed drive to keep up with everyone else, but it's way more normal here than at my last company.

Adding a little bit to address my "culture" rating below. I gave it low marks because the culture of the company as a whole is "California." Everything is CA-centric, and there is little effort put into making the "satellite" sites integrate into the corporate whole. My previous company did a much better job of being a group of sites with similar culture throughout. Qualcomm is CA all the way, and CA values are often at the extreme of the values of the rest of the country (example: we hear about saving water constantly, when it's really only an issue in CA right now). The culture in Raleigh is mostly task-oriented. We get along; we work together. We help each other out. It could be better, but for the most part, it's very good.

Remember that you set all of these perks in place for a reason, not just for the goodness of your heart. If you cut benefits and perks, you will have to accept the attrition that will happen. Look at other companies that have been cost-cutting for 10 years and see if they are still doing cutting-edge work. The tech companies that are having the most success still have the best benefits, so there's a correlation.