Alcatel-Lucent Reviews in Canada

Pros

Ability to try different roles, learn different skills, work with excellent people,

Cons

Company is still trying to get it's feet back on solid ground.

Pros

+ Alcatel-Lucent's new business strategy is working in their favour. The new CEO is great
+ Supportive colleagues and supervisors
+ Lots of available resources, and training opportunities
+ Relaxed, at your own pace, work environment
+ Standard amenities, onsite gym, Tim Hortons, Quiznos...Subway and Burger King just on the other side of the road
+ Good pay for an intern, but a bit restrictive. Not as hearty as RIM or IBM
+ Ottawa is a great place to live, bus service is AMAZING!
+ Montreal is only 2 hours away

Cons

- Not sure how good career growth is in the company...easy for one to slack off and stagnate in the same position for years
- The free coffee on the office floors, frankly speaking is...$H!*
- And they don't even provide conical paper cups for drinking water even though they have water dispensers on each floor. Say it's for their "green" campus program
- Depending on the type of person, Ottawa might become boring very quickly as it isn't too big

Advice to Senior Management

Not enough experience to give any advice.

Pros

I like how there is a sense of autonomy and the ability to work from home is really a plus.

Cons

Sometimes people are so busy that that sense of guidance is not there. Especially for someone who is just gaining entry into the work world.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep positive and keep on top of your staff. with so many conferences it can be difficult, but it is worth it.

Pros

People are friends. Work not too stressful.

Cons

Work can get boring sometimes if you work in a less rapidly developing area.

Pros

The people there are very friendly, and you can meet new people outside of your own department easily. Management is supportive of promotions but only within the department, provided that they know your ablities and like your working style on a personal level.

Cons

Most management has very little knowledge of the technical aspect of the department they are managing, and that can lead to poor decisions. They commonly make certain organizational, administrative or functional changes that ultimately results in overly-complicated processes and inefficiencies.

Advice to Senior Management

Please go through more training to really understand the technical aspect of the job. Also be flexible with your management style; it should be dependent on the employees characteristics and work ethics.

Pros

A stable hi-tech company in Ottawa with the resources of a global company.
Amenities on-site are reasonable (Tim Hortons, Gym, Cafeteria) .
The work is enjoyable.

Cons

Internal decor is a typical cube-farm with depressing grey walls.
As mentioned by someone else, cross-continental teams are a big challenge (communications, timezones, expectations).

Advice to Senior Management

Clearly communicate how the business / product groups are working together to show that there really is smooth integration in the whole of the company.

Pros

training, career development, good communication, bonus, fair benefit package

Cons

the company didn't perform well in the past few years. The merge is a mistake

Advice to Senior Management

actions!

Pros

-Large company with several products in Ottawa - internal mobility possible
-Generally the atmosphere is relaxed with a good work/life balance...YMMV per team.
-Currently undergoing a business transformation to move towards Agile s/w development and flatten management structure - very positive
-The benefits of a large campus - onsite Tim Hortons, Quiznos, free gym...
-Large social club that organises several employee events
-salary/benefits in line with industry

Cons

-While executives preach the transformations, middle management is slow to implement - many stuck in the 90s...the transformation will take time.
-Headquarters in France - lots of cross-cultural politics
-Outsourcing killing some projects (cross-continental teams just don't work)
-Usual process-heavy, bureaucratic issues with large companies

Advice to Senior Management

Continue with the transformations and ditch cross-continental teams

Pros

Although I was worked only for 4 months as a coop student, compared to other firms I worked for, Alcatel had a very relax feel to it within lower level employees, very friendly and decent pay. Very good life/work balance, lots of social committees. Good experience and motivating in certain projects especially in hardware departments.

Cons

Lack of organization and technical support. Projects never get done on time. You wont learn much from a big telecommunications company, there is always someone who can do you job; you don't feel needed

Advice to Senior Management

More organized and let lower level management you appreciate the hard work and achievements that keeps coming
More advancement and take into account employees opinions when they are given the chance but not let it enter your ear from one side and our from the other side.

Pros

Global company offers the possibility to do business worldwide. Opportunities to move across product groups. Superb technology.

Cons

Politics. Promotions and salary increases are not always fairly dealt.

Advice to Senior Management

Despise the promise of senior management that the best qualified person for a job will take it, it continues to be favoritism to hire local employees. Strive to make job opportunities known to employees world wide and provide a fair system where all employees can compete for new jobs/promotions without favoring employees that are given high potential status.