jobbite
A frustrating mix of good and bad. I had great co-workers and great managers, but we all were subject to a corporate culture that was more early 20th century than early 21st. This privately-held company is governed by an anachronistically conservative culture that views employees as enemies, and tries to get as much out of them for as little as possible. In the nearly 20 years I was there, I saw many perks and benefits disappear, starting with bonuses in 1991 and including things down to Christmas parties, watched the medical plan become more expensive with worse coverage, saw the pension plan essentially vanish, and there were probably other things that I overlooked. And the few new benefits that were added in the last ten years were usually because the financial analysts -- a privileged class at Best on whom the company's livelihood depends -- threatened to strike or quit en masse.
HR is condescending and suspicious, and treats the employees as delinquent children that must be smacked down before they misbehave. There are dozens of rules whose violation can result in discharge, many of which are actively hidden from employees. Some of the company policies -- such as the bereavement policy -- are also hidden from employees; I was once explicitly told this was to prevent complaints about their contents. Rules violations are reported by a cadre of snitches -- a former coworker once referred to these informers as the "Bestapo" -- and violations are pursued with a draconian energy.
If you can endure the poisonous culture, though, you're pretty much guaranteed a job for as long as you want it at Best. You may not find much in the way of advancement, but you'll have stability. Not many can stick it out, though -- turnover among employees who have been there for a year or two is *immense*.
Best as I can recall, I started at about $36,000 and left at $70,000. I'd accrued nearly 4 weeks of vacation by my 19th anniv. No bonuses. Tuition reimbursement exists, but is hard to apply and qualify for (possibly deliberately).