Prós
For the most part ORNL has a great reputation that will open up opportunities and collaborations. There are also a good bunch of folks that still work here, although that number has been waning. One of the few companies with a pension. East TN is a beautiful area to live in.
Contras
Senior management has almost ruined ORNL. Nothing is as it seems on the surface. There is no opportunity for advancement based on hard work, putting in extra effort, bringing in money, etc; it is purely political. There is no opportunity to express concerns or opinions without retaliation. Forced diversity has resulted in hiring many new people with sub-par qualifications at highly inflated salaries; this has caused much discouragement among existing staff. Morale overall is extremely low for those who have worked at ORNL more than 5 years. Once you are there long enough to see through the facade, the corruption is almost more than you can stomach each day. Every few years we take a 3rd party survey on company climate, culture, etc; no corrective actions are ever taken, and rather, things always get worse. We have "appearance" of safety, but true safety is not valued. I can't think of one person in the last 10 years who has happily retired; those who make it long enough to retire are cynical, frustrated, and often want to leave with no retirement party or acknowledgement...because the fake smiles and empty words would just pour salt in wounds. Unless there is a complete turnover of upper and mid-level management, I could not recommend working here. And that's a shame.