Vantaggi
Health and instrumentation company with a good reputation in at least some circles. Communication and collaborative problem solving between employees distributed through the entire organization seems to be encouraged.
Svantaggi
When they decided to acquire a software division (PerkinElmer Informatics, in early 2011) by buying several other software companies, things looked good -- for a while -- for all involved. But after a few months, people began disappearing without warning or notice. You'd go to speak with a colleague you'd seen a few weeks earlier and learn s/he no longer was employed there. And then abruptly in mid-November, there was a huge layoff. With essentially no warning, about 20% of the Informatics development staff were dismissed on a single day. Not clear why. Did not look like a matter of simply clearing deadwood or redundant personnel since many very productive people were among those dismissed. Now, with more large layoffs (in Shelton) announced in early 2012, there seems to be little job security here and little appreciation for high-contributing employees. And although the early 2012 layoffs were publicized, the "stealth" mode of the late 2011 layoffs was particularly unsettling. Be very careful if you come to work for this organization.