Applied Physics Laboratory

"Awesome place for Aerospace Engineers and Scientists....leader in the field. "

"A majority of the technical staff at APL is male (not surprising for the tech industry), but in eight years I've never felt disadvantaged due to my gender. There appears to be more female younger hires, but the older staff who have stayed on for decades skews heavily male. By the same token there are few women in upper management positions, but all command the same level of respect as their male colleagues. Short-term disability paid at 100% salary is available for maternity leave (6 weeks for a vaginal delivery, 8 weeks for a C-section). However the benefit is very poorly documented on the HR website making it difficult to plan ahead without asking questions and alerting the lab to your family plans. I don't think I would've been penalized had they known in advance, but I don't think it's right to expect that level of sharing from female employees either. I was able to take eight paid weeks total between STD and vacation and still had up to 12 weeks unpaid FMLA available to me. My supervisors were also very supportive of my need to pump when I returned to work and a dedicated room was available. Work-life balance is encouraged for everyone in my group, and I don't think I've seen anyone get side-eyed for using flex time or taking time off to attend to family events, sick time, etc. This culture may vary by group across the lab, but I feel the Director's office generally tries to look out for everyone and often notes that its employees are what makes APL a successful organization. Lab benefits are generous, particularly 403(b) matching and free continuing education."