Since the former federal contract I was under was rebid and won by SRA, I've lost two weeks of vacation, two holidays, lost any recognition for accomplishments, and have seen my health care costs skyrocket while quote unquote merit increases have been around 2%. This despite my clients outspoken appreciation for my work. In addition to rising health care costs, deductibles have risen, copays have risen, maximum out of pocket has risen. This year alone, SRA announced a one-week reduction in vacation time, drastically cut the leave cap, and eliminated an additional holiday, all as a means to cut costs - while last year the CEO won a $2mil bonus on top of his over $800k salary. It's become obvious that the new owners of SRA - Providence Equity - is rewarding Bill for reducing staff, cutting benefits, and generally doing what he can to make people want to leave. Major players announce their resignation on a regular basis. The best have already left, the rest are trying to. The company morale is the lowest I've ever known it to be.
Corporate structure is top-heavy, with administration getting most of the salary increases, bonuses, and perks. Meanwhile, the "workers in the trenches" like me continue to lose money every year. For example, this year the increases in health and dental insurance are more than twice what I gained in my annual increase - insurance is going up $200 a month, while my increase was $100 a month. Every year I stay I'm falling farther behind, not only in salary but in benefits.
SRA make a lot of noise about being in the "SRA Family" but I know I'm just a name and a number. Opportunities for advancement are nil - not one of the people in my sector have been given any opportunity to advance (there are several dozen of us).
I fully expect another round of benefit cuts and cost reduction measures to be announced within a half year. SRA will continue to do this until all the best people have jumped ship, and the only people left don't have marketable skills. This will make the company even less competitive, which will lead to fewer contracts being won, which will lead to further cost cutting measures, which will lead to the company having mediocre employees who will be glad just to have a job. These mediocre employees will lessen the chance of SRA winning new contracts, which will start the cycle over again - cost cutting, benefit cutting, salary stagnation or reduction, and overall a corporate environment which will discourage the brightest and best from being interested in working with them.
