Company: Apple
Date: 2008-06-11
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

A fast-paced company that offers an alternative to the cube-dwelling lifestyle
Pros: Excellent benefits, for one. Full vision, dental, mental health, prescription plans, and emergency care. One sick day earned per month, as well as one vacation day. The company takes care of us as well. Caters in lunch frequently, offers a great gym and cafe on campus, fun company activities. Easily, though, the best part is the culture. It's a very laid-back office, and generally speaking, everyone is friends with each other. Office politics don't come much into play here, and no one appears to hesitate when it comes to speaking their mind. Very music-friendly, as working at your desk with headphones on is perfectly acceptable. Customer focus is a large aspect of the job as well - this is a company that cares about their consumers. There is also fantastic opportunity for growth, and quickly.
Cons: While we earn one sick day per month, we are not always able to use it. This is only in my department however, where attendance is key. I have co-workers who have over 100 sick hours saved, but have accepted that they will never get to use them. Many come to work sick. If four days are missed in a six month period, you get marked up. It can also be difficult to schedule vacation - you can only request it six months in advance, however you might be denied for reasons they can't give you, even if you do ask off far ahead of time. Lastly, upper management are slow to get things taken care of - it can take months to get something business critical fixed, and our department is often stretched too thin.