It all depends on what you are looking for
Pros
-Insurance is very cheap ($10/bi-weekly paycheck for myself and children) as long as you do not get sick. The insurance will cover wellness visits, immunizations, etc. at full cost but if you get sick or have routine medications it can get pricey as the deductible to hit is quite high. Since neither I nor my son got sick very often it was worth it, but for others...it just depends. You cannot smoke at Reynolds & Reynolds (more on the irony later) which drives down the cost. -401(k): Up to 6% match was FANTASTIC! I do not know of many companies that will match dollar for dollar to this extent anymore. When I began at Reynolds & Reynolds, they used Fidelity Investments (well known, reputable) for their retirement plan and had many options. By the time I left, they were using Empower Retirement (and had changed 1 other time in between) and the options were not as good nor as many. The mutual funds available are not bad but they were better when I started. If you work for Reynolds & Reynolds definitely take advantage of the matching option. -Workout facility onsite: The gym at Reynolds & Reynolds is just about as good as you would get at any pay-to-use facility. With an hour lunch break you can take aerobic classes, lift weights, utilize cardio equipment, or go outside and play basketball/volleyball/jog. There is nothing bad about this benefit. -Dining Facility: If you don't like to pack your lunch you can eat in the cafeteria. The food is pretty good for the price and the cost comes out of your check pre-tax and provides great networking opportunities. -Great place for young professionals to gain real-world experience. Reynolds & Reynolds will hire almost anyone with a college degree (more on this item later). If you have a bachelor's degree in truly any subject they can find a place for you. -Associates are really nice and easy to work with. The majority of the work-force at Reynolds & Reynolds are entry level (like almost any company). The people at this level in every department are wonderful to work with. In my time at Reynolds & Reynolds I witnessed very few situations of workplace tension between associates (associates-management different story...more later). If you work for Reynolds & Reynolds you will work with great coworkers who are probably also just starting out in their careers and you can make longtime friends and have a plethora of people to lean on for assistance/guidance. -Lower management does care. Reynolds & Reynolds is "headquartered" in Dayton but almost all of the senior management is in Houston. Of the 7 (yes, there are that many) levels between myself and the Chairman, only 2 were in Dayton. The lower management in my department was great. They were always willing to help out where they could and as long as you were willing to learn, they were willing to teach. They created a very warm, family-type environment in my department. Anytime there was a wedding, childbirth there would be a small celebration, and a thoughtful sympathy card for any loss of family. Reynolds & Reynolds would not be able to survive without these individuals. -Social functions are the best-around. Reynolds & Reynolds associates have the opportunity to participate in cornhole tournaments, softball/volleyball/soccer/card game/ bowling leagues, Battle of the Businesses (which they win almost every year). The Christmas party is great every year. There are too many social functions to list them all. If you are looking for something to do I can almost guarantee there is something going on at Reynolds each evening. If you are an aspiring alcoholic, Reynolds & Reynolds is the place for you. Every social function brings with it the opportunity to drink as much beer as you can consume (now or later...take some with you...no one checks IDs or inebriation levels before you drive off). There is always several large coolers filled with beer at every function (but don't you dare smoke). Overall, if you are looking for professional work experience Reynolds & Reynolds can provide that for you. They are well known in the Dayton-area and can add a boost to your professional resume.
Cons
-Great place for young professionals to gain real-world experience. Reynolds & Reynolds will hire almost anyone with a college degree (sound familiar?). In order to be hired at Reynolds & Reynolds you must pass a series of computer-based tests (math, logic, etc.). If you can score high enough you pretty much have the job, but the necessary score is quite high. While this ensures that everyone working at Reynolds & Reynolds has the potential for high-level aptitude, it does not guarantee 2 things: common sense or work ethic. Many of my coworkers came to work at Reynolds & Reynolds straight from their college graduation, often without so much as high school fast food experience. This too often created coworkers who did not know what work ethic is, creating a harder work environment for those who do, and leads to a high turnover rate among new associates. So if you are a prospective employee and have had significant work experience, Reynolds & Reynolds can use you. Just be prepared for who comes next, because they may be smart, but they'll likely be immature (both professionally and personally). -Pay Range: Reynolds & Reynolds relies on new associates as the backbone of the company, because they can be paid less. If you are a prospective employee, be aware...you will make less than the market average. If you have the fortune to move up significantly in the company you could make a good salary, but odds are good that you won't (more later). Reynolds & Reynolds has a series of internal "certifications" that are available to you as an opportunity to make more money. Each certification brings with it a $600/year salary increase and an additional $2,400/year if you pass 4 of them. However, you must score a 90 on the exam to pass, can only take it once per month, the material to study is vastly outdated, the questions are often misleading or worded poorly, and are never reviewed. At the time of my departure, only 1 person on my 20-person team had passed a single cert test. However, we received occasional e-mails from our VP reminding us that once we passed 4 we could afford a new car (more on him later). -Upward mobility is almost non-existent at Reynolds & Reynolds. As I alluded to earlier, there are 7 layers of management (but very few at each level, and almost all are in Houston). So since upper management almost never sees you in Dayton (more later) they won't know who you are, so you will likely not move up very high. For my 20 person team, there were 3 supervisors, and 1 manager. In order to move up to supervisor, a supervisor must leave or move up (most don't once they are promoted) and it must be within your current team (rarely are people promoted across departments...again...more later). It really is all about timing. If you happen to be the most senior on the team when a supervisor spot opens up, you have a high chance at promotion. However, if all the supervisors are only a year or 2 older than you, odds are good that they will not be leaving and you will not ever get a chance at a promotion. -Lateral mobility is almost non-existent as well. If during your time at Reynolds & Reynolds you work with people from other departments and determine that their department may be a better fit for you it is unlikely that you will be allowed to transfer. During my time at Reynolds & Reynolds, I requested a transfer to a specific different department 3 times. The department I wanted to transfer to was under a different VP than my current department so it had to go through the proper channels. Despite being signed off on each time by the requesting department, my VP blocked it each time. There was never an explanation given, not even a chance to discuss it (more on this VP later). So if you get hired on at Reynolds & Reynolds talk to anyone you know there first, because wherever you land, is going to be your permanent home. -Upper management (Houston) is out of touch with the regular associates. The best example I can give is about the VP of my department. In the 3.5 years I worked for Reynolds & Reynolds I spoke to the man 1 time, exactly 1 week before I left the company. I was in the restroom and he came up and asked me how my day was going (all while trying to relieve myself) and how long I had been with Reynolds & Reynolds. I responded that I was great since I put in my notice a week ago, but that I was glad that he knew who I was considering I had been denied a transfer by him 3 times and was a main factor in my departure. Upper management comes to town only 1 or 2 times a year, so they never really get to know what is going on at the Associate level. Yet, they create new plans and send the directives down to lower management to implement with no real firm implementation plan. This leaves the associates frustrated on how to do their jobs, and lower management stuck having to toe the company line and answer questions they don't know the answer to. The only time the Chairman (Bob) comes to town is the company birthday party, where he will tell the same story he did last year about how the tradition started with a barbecue picnic and someone told him to get up and say a few words (I think I have the story memorized after just 4 rounds of it). Bob will also regale you with his yearly stories of how the liberals are ruining the country, and how his $6 million in donations won the election for Donald Trump. -Redundancy for redundancy's sake reigns supreme. When completing any task at Reynolds & Reynolds, documentation is everything. So much so that it is required numerous times. You must first document within your department's software what you did, who you spoke to, and how you will follow-up. Then you must fill-out a checklist, initialing and dating each step that you completed, print it out, and file it appropriately for 6 months after completion for internal auditing purposes as a hardcopy (just in case). Following that you must then document on another software program how long that task took you to complete. 1 task=3 levels of documentation. -Alcohol consumption at social functions will one day lead to Reynolds & Reynolds getting sued. If you like to drink Reynolds & Reynolds is great. They will have as much alcohol as you can drink or take home with you at every single function. What is ironic is that at a company where you cannot smoke (they random drug-test monthly) or have non-diet soda, you can consume as much regular beer as you can guzzle down. There is no one who checks IDs (there are always interns at Reynolds & Reynolds under 21), or to make sure that people are sober enough to drive. I really hope nobody ever gets killed because a Reynolds & Reynolds employee had too much at a social function (and there are many who get their fill each time) and got in their car to drive home. -Diversity is a four-letter word at Reynolds & Reynolds. If you are not white, you are not welcome. In my 60 member department, there were 2 that were not white, and that's on par with all other departments. There are TVs throughout the buildings, but the only available viewing options are Fox News or a blank screen (this includes in the gym, because political news always gets me motivated to pump iron). If you have an alternative view point or ideology, you will keep it to yourself, or else be told this is not the best opportunity for you.
