Pros
Hixson has a continuous employment policy, providing employees with job security regardless of market conditions or business prospects within reason. This is a big perk that is generally unique to the company. Most employees are friendly and Hixson benefits from being small enough that most of the employees know of one another. This doesn't necessarily translate into the culture, but it is nice to see familiar faces. Hixson has some good benefits. The health insurance is well priced and the 401k match is extremely competitive. Parking is free and there is a gym onsite to work out in. PTO starts at 3 weeks and grows to 22 days after 5 years. Sick time is pulled from PTO but you are able to work from home if needed.
Cons
Hixson doesn't offer an actual maternity leave policy, instead making new mothers use short term disability for their compensation. Other parents' time with their newborns isn't valued - there is no paternity leave policy outside of using the entirety of your year's PTO in order to get meaningful time. Time spent traveling for work isn't "counted" at the end of the week. Additional hours must be worked in order to meet the 42-45 hours that are expected each week. It isn't uncommon for associates to spend 50% or more of their week in meetings, limiting productivity and resulting in a need to work outside of typical hours. Tasks are assigned with little regard for the time being available to actually complete them. Working from home one day a week is the current policy, but depending on your manager it can be frowned upon and you will feel pressured to come in. Department heads play a huge role in individual associate experiences. Bureaucracy constantly interrupts progress. Productivity boosts are often forgone due to people (particularly senior employees/managers) being unwilling to adapt. The actual process of implementing meaningful change is frequently stonewalled by meetings and a fear of stepping away from how things were always done. Associates are able to avoid new processes with no consequences.
