Alcatel-Lucent Reviews in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Area

Pros

The benefits package at ALU is great.

Cons

There are dinosaurs there who have been working forever so getting a promotion is hard.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior management is too busy with the politics instead of listening to the employees. There is a lot of talent to ALU, management just needs to harvest it.

Pros

Large company, plenty of areas to be involved in. If you can get in a "good" group with a progressive , current manager then it is a good place to work. The benefit package includes a nice 401K , decent medical that doesn't cost a huge amount if you elect the middle of the road coverage and a good amount of vacation.

Cons

uncertain future, still struggling with merger related issues. Until Management get control of the divergent cultures and stops the bickering between the former Alcatel and former Lucent factions the company will struggle. This causes the employees to lose focus and not pull for the over all ALU team.

Advice to Senior Management

Change the corporate attitude from "cut/cut/cut" to growth, start rewarding employees that promote the proper culture.

Pros

New visionary CEO, strong legacy and technological competency, ethical and family friendly, very good benefits package, decent salary and vacations, telecommuting friendly, willing to give you responsibility if you assert

Cons

A bit political/beaucratic at times,
weak middle management

Advice to Senior Management

Get a core focus
Remove non-innovative/politically minded middle managers
reward merit and innovative thinkers
segment company into small chunks for better P&L management

Pros

On the Alcatel side there is still some of the old family culture and entrepreneurial spirit though it is diminishing. The work ethic is still there because for the most part there are quite a few 'old timers' who set the pace. And the waves of RIF's have trimmed most of the marginal workers.

Cons

On the Lucent side the old culture is steeped in silos of insecurity and self justification. Too many layers and vague assignments of responsibility. Too many fat cats protected by the old Lucent management. The chain of command is blurred just like on the Alcatel side. Part of the problem is the ill-conceived 'dotted line" mentality that infected both companies.

Advice to Senior Management

You cannot have synergy, focus, or productivity when team members are scattered across the country or the world. If you see your boss face to face twice a year (and by the way travel for the purpose of meeting with team members is expensive and a waste of good time) you can teleconference and email until you are blue in the face and it will never be good enough. Half of the useful information I need to do my job I gather at the water cooler, in the halls, or over the walls. We all learned in business 101 that to be a successful business man you either need to know the business inside out or be there every day when the doors open and close, but preferably both. This is not possible the way the company is structured today. Instead we institute "one size fits all" measurements for any portion of the business no matter how different and diverse each segment is. Then we attempt to micro-manage and the result is stifled creative problem solving and paralysis. In the old days on the factory floor when there was a problem someone would switch on the trouble light and a team of problem solvers would show up, correct the problem on the spot, and move on. Now we have literally dozens of people on a conference call and any one of them can stop the train but no one has the X on their forehead to say whether it's a real problem much less the solution. So we muck along aimlessly and mediocrity is the result. Nothing is more deadly.

Pros

The benefits at Alcatel-Lucent are actually pretty good. Though the costs of the medical/dental/vision benefits have increased each year since I've been working, they're still pretty competitive with the rest of the market. Also, I am former Alcatel, so I must say that the 401k matching is excellent. ALU will match up to 8% dollar for dollar, and you're allowed to contribute up to 25% of your salary (assuming it doesn't go over the IRS max).

Cons

Ever since the market crash in 2001, it's been downhill for Alcatel. Since 2001, there hasn't been a year where there were no layoffs. That means people getting the boot out of the company and no replacements. The domino effect leads to you taking up the slack for those laid off. In addtion to that, morale is horrible here. I also believe that compensation is not on par with other companies.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn how to got to bat for your employees. Don't be so passive.

Pros

it gives u a sense of fulfilment. The opportunities there are great and employees are allowed to take their own initiative. They have excellent benefits: medical, dental and vision and the christmas holiday break is not bad either.

Cons

promotion is slow. no annual review of salaries. The one year wait before an employee can change departments needs to be reviewed. Promotion if done needs to be based on merit.

Advice to Senior Management

promotion should be taken more seriously. Annual review of salaries is important. Promotion should be a merit based system. Individuals who take initiatives should be on a fast track.

Pros

Large company, lots of options for technology interests. Lots of diverse customers. Good salary, benefits, working conditions.

Cons

Since merger, chaos. Can only speak for US operations; perception of US former-Alcatel employees is that they were basically "sold" to Lucent and provided lowest priority in opportunities and in staff cuts. Inability to reconcile cultures & internal processes; some better success in product rationalization but still better needed.

Advice to Senior Management

Run away, quickly.

Pros

ALU provided a higher than average salary and it used to provide superb benefits (although recent benefit cutbacks have changed this) and it also offered performance based bonuses. Alcatel had a tremendously talented technical staff and it used to be a very satisfying place to work. It also offered a reasonable balance between work and family life. Life was good!

Cons

Alcatel has a long history of buying companies and then surrendering to the acquired company’s management and culture (I guess it is a French thing). It happened with Rockwell-Collins, DSC and most recently, Lucent. This fact has left it without a cohesive company culture. (Come ‘on… What’s with the name, Alcatel-Lucent??? Are you Alcatel or Lucent?) For years ALU has made significant cuts in their technical and support staffs, but they only made minor cuts at the management levels. This fact has left ALU very “top-heavy” and the managers are left to fight over limited customers, programs, projects and staff. Unfortunately, most management with any integrity or alternatives have already left (or been released from) the company. If you are performing R&D related tasks in the United States, then it is just a matter of time until your job is out-sourced to Europe or India.

Advice to Senior Management

It is time to make tough cuts at the ALU management levels. Stop making cuts at the lower levels and start looking at your management. Management levels need to be reduced to better match the reduced sales, technical and support staff levels. I would suggest reducing management by two-thirds and start rehiring low-level sales, technical and support staff. You need to recognize that ALU's recovery will be determined by the cooperation of both staff and managers. (managers, you are only as successful as your staff!) If you really want to fix your management, then allow staff members to provide performance reviews of their manager.