Arizona Public Service Company Reviews

Pros

Very good pay for the area
Excellent training programs
Good senior management support
Ability to make more money above and beyond base pay if you work overtime

Cons

Remote location means you either live nearby in a very rural area with little services and options for dining and entertainment, or you live far away and have a fairly long commute

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on attracting and retaining the best talent
Do not put hiring decisions for the Operations Department outside of the hands of Operations, that is, don't just leave it up to HR to find and hire people...

Pros

Competitive pay and benefits. This isn't surprising as its like working for the government.
Nice corporate facilities.
If your a smoker you only have to work 10hrs a week since you can take 50 breaks a day.

Cons

Worst HR organization I have ever interacted with.
Most of the non-corporate facilities look like they are falling apart.
Employees expect a certain amount of overtime per year regardless of work load.

Advice to Senior Management

Replace your HR leadership. Quit playing musical chairs with existing employees by adding outside talent. Stop the inbreeding of internal knowledge and take advantage of the wealth of outside experience that new blood can add. APS is the corporate equivalent of a person who chooses not to work for a decade and then expects to return to the workforce with outdated credentials.

Pros

They pay is really good for a Master's level internshp. I was also eligible for a bonus which was really exciting. If you are a year-round intern, you are also eligible for benefits which is really helpful.

My co-workers really valued my knowledge and previous experience. My leaders also gave me lots of opportunities to stretch myself and have visibility to exexcutives.

Cons

-There really isn't a formal internship program unless you are an engineer.
-Some of the business units can be a bit "old school" and not really value the experience and knowledge that the interns can bring.
-There are a lot of politics played within some of the business units.
-There was no end plan in mind when they brought me on as an intern.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep the great talent that you are bringing in. Have a game plan for every intern that you bring in.

Pros

Decent learning experience in the Power Generation Industry
APS is well known in the Utility sector
Most employees were friendly and helpful

Cons

It's in Phoenix, Arizona
The monetary compensation was well-below the median pay for an electrical engineer intern

Advice to Senior Management

Don't assign directors as mentors. They are too busy.

Pros

Typically competitive pay and benefits will keep you here.
Paid time off and freedom of using it is great.
Many different job opportunities to move around and up.
Most employees are fun, energetic, knowledgeable and willing to help.
Very diversified work force.

Cons

Horrible management staff only concerned about meeting the numbers which are pencil whipped anyway.
Employees promoted and given raises based on personal feelings not the ability of the employees.
Safety is not the number one concern as they preach.
The open door policy with your leader and manager can get you fired.
No accountability above leaderships levels.
#1 saying at APS by management..."Just be happy you have a job" told to rooms of employees who really want to make a difference.
As a customer as well as a employee I can see the tremendous waste management not only allows but promotes which raises my cost as a consumer and is frustrating as an employee.

Advice to Senior Management

Let your knowledgeable and willing staff to do their jobs. Realize we are a company that sells a product and the production, service and reliability of that product should be our #1 concern. Anonymous 360 reviews from randomly selected employees above and below their position to help weed out the bad apples. HR .....really?

Pros

Slow work style if that is what you are looking for. Projects are well funded and plentiful. They have more work than workers. Benefits are outstanding. Unusually good in this economy. You can negotiate everything. The culture is very different. If you are a hard worker and know how to get along well with people, you will do well here. People who slack are shunned. The company is much more ethnically diverse than a lot of places in this city.

Cons

They are actively getting rid of all of their older workers. It's getting tough to find someone who knows the systems well. Almost everyone starts here as a contractor and converts. There are few women in positions of authority, it is a bit of a sausage fest.

Advice to Senior Management

Get management that wants to be here and that can properly communicate with the rest of the company. Executives are in an ivory tower. I've seen exactly one executive in the past year and a half, and he said some blatantly stupid stuff that really surprised me.

Pros

Great Benefits, Flexible Work Schedule

Cons

Some management has a real lack of people skills and behaving consistently.

Advice to Senior Management

Reviews of directors and managers should be taken seriously and steps need to be taken to correct moral issues.

Pros

Good size company.
Steady environment.
Steady growht for utility industry.

Cons

Very poor management choices.
Good old boy company.
Inadequate intelligence on Management choices.
Poor compensation.
Disconnect between employees and Management.
Very Arogant company !!

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the dead wait, non performers. That includes half of the 20th Floor.

Pros

Every department seems to be its own animal, but if you're lucky enough to be in a group unaffected by the politics and nepotism, it is a great place to work. The pay is good for contractors.

Cons

Lack of security being a contractor is concerning, as is the politics should you be ensnared. The nepotism is a negative and part of the politics which can trip you up.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't let a relative of a long-time worker just exist because of their relation, but make them pull their own weight.

Pros

Pay and benefits were great they offer a pension and a 401k with a match. lots of time off and almost every holiday off.

Cons

It will be hard to get hired unless you are related or good friends with someone that works there. You will notice that everyone who has been there for a long period of time has family who is in management or has family that is good friends with management. So when work does get slow you will have a tough time keeping your job.

Advice to Senior Management

It seems that there is a tremendous amount of politics that go into making decisions. If there was less nepotism the company would be more efficient.