Avantages
For a private sector IT shop the normal work week stays pretty close to 40hrs. As long as you are not the only one filling a role you can flex your hours to earlier or later in the day. This can be a big benefit to those with kids. The people you work along side on the floor are great. They openly share information and experience with the rest of the team members. If you need a job it is easy to get your foot in the door if you are a man. They never missed a payroll while I was there.
Inconvénients
Pay and benefits are on the low end of the scale. While there are some people that have been there for 10yrs + most only stick around a couple with many leaving before 1yr. For a 70 person firm they have an annual turnover rate of more than 50%. This is ridiculous. User workspace is comprised of 4x6 partitions with 5ft Ikea tables(not desks) and a 2 drawer file cabinet. Most people where headphones so they can concentrate. They preach accurate time sheet reportingbut don't follow it. Due to turn over and short staff they repeatedly miss contract project deadlines and goals. With the high turnover rate expect to spend alot of time decoding somebody else's work for which there is no documentation for. If you report directly to the owner expect to be micromanage every 15 minutes, when she is there. Expect to be talked to like you are 6. Expect to be interrupted by management regardless if you on on the phone/conversation with a client or co-worker.