Pros
Medical is at least competitive
Kontras
Everything else is simply not competitive. Take retirement benefits, for instance: Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control division, located right down the road, offers a 6% automatic non-elective contribution (vested over 3 years) plus a 50% match on the first 8% of employee deferrals. That totals a 10% employer contribution for anyone contributing at least 8%.
Compare that to CAE's so-called 'competitive' 4.5% match. This massive disparity is a primary reason we struggle to hire competent mid-level engineers, let alone new talent. We've already noticed a distinct decline in the quality of candidates HR is managing to recruit.
This disadvantage won't be offset by the upcoming workspace 'upgrades.' I would strongly recommend—dare I say, insist—that HR walk every prospective hire through the new 'cubicle farm' before extending an offer. Better yet, seat them in one. Have them stare at the back of a coworker's head or their face at eye level, then ask if they still want the job. The new layout feels less like an upgrade and more like a punitive measure orchestrated by a control freak at corporate.
Anyone who's been here more than ten years has watched the steady slide and whittling away of benefits. Every time we've been merged, bought, or sold, a little more gets peeled away. Speaking with the veterans who still have offices—with doors and windows—the general consensus is that CAE Tampa and Montreal don't want anyone working here with more than 8 to 10 years of experience. I tend to agree, though I can't tell whether it's purely a cost issue or whether they just want unquestioning, compliant hands to integrate their solutions without pushback or second opinions.