As a satellite office, we feel disconnected from the main office in Wisconsin. This manifests itself in many ways, mainly in our pocketbooks. The job pays much less than comparable positions in the area, and we have lost many talented people over the years because of it. If it weren't for the fear of the non-compete agreement we are all required to sign when we are hired, they would probably lose many more. They have tried to address this through the years with pay raises, but a 4% annual pay raise in an area where home prices alone rise 10% annually doesn't cut it. Add to this a glass ceiling that prevents many of us from rising higher in the corporate structure and many feel trapped. We also often feel sidelined when decisions are made, as if our ideas and needs aren't considered, and are called on to do last-minute work (or rework) that we have warned management about, but our warnings have been ignored. Our tools get steadily worse, but fixing them is never a priority, so we constantly learn to work around bugs and poor user design. Most of us keep a good attitude regardless of this, but low pay and a feeling of marginalization is a recipe for long-term disaster.