Pros
Safe, ethical company Don't have to worry if your getting a paycheck or not. Profit Sharing, Life Insurance are nice.
Cons
We were a private company that Emerson bought. Our leader at the time was able to keep Emerson at an arm's length but over the years Emerson has implanted itself and then we have to deal with more red tape and we started lossing that personal/family touch. I should say that their is "Real Emerson" which is Emerson Austin and St. Louis and then there are the "Red headed Step Children" who are the Companies that real Emerson buys. Private companies are not bloated and usually run efficiently but once Emerson gets involved the two sides don't see eye to eye because they are not set up or run the same way. From this point on everything goes sideways and it's a slow death of the company that you poured your heart and soul into. The 2 to 3% cost of living yearly raises are not cutting it especially after pay freezes the year before. The ridiculous amount of paper work for career paths and performances are so confusing/difficult and they don't help with what you should work on. Easy and simple is always better.