BAE Systems Electronics & Integrated Solutions Reviews

Pros

*Favorable work environment
*Competitive salary
*Room for growth
*Interesting and challenging projects

Cons

*Heavily process oriented (not a bad thing)

Advice to Senior Management

None

Pros

it's convenient to Boston and the Seacoast. It used to be one of the best defense companies going. As a former Military Officer I came to BAE because it was viewed as one of the most competent honest Defense firms around. The employees seemed generally happy. Compensation was fair, benefits were excellent, with lots of employee perks like free turkeys at Christmas, a holiday party every year, Bonuses, raffles for prizes (good prizes too) generous education benefits, etc...

Cons

The last three years have seen a sharp decline in the quality of the benefits. The company went self Insured with Cigna Managing the program. The health benefits are expensive and poor quality. They deven direct which Pharmacy we can use. My daughter requires allergy testing and insurance will cover NONE of it, I will have to pay it out of pocket (which I cannot afford to do and cannot afford not to do). The Turkeys are gone, they issue a $20.00 voucher for a Butterball turkey, what a joke. No holiday parties, no bonuses. Compensation rates are low as are raises for the last 3 years...DESPITE posting higher profits. There is a growing loss of confidence in the company management (I intentionally will not use the word Leadership as there is no longer any). The company is CONSTANTLY in some stage of reorganizing, either planning or waiting to do so, average Reorganization is once a year for the last 4 years. By the time everyone figures out the newest Org chart and where to go and who to report to...they announce they are changing it. If they want to save money get rid of all the extra management on overhead and the entire department that does Reorgs. I have stopped recommending BAE to my Military friends as a good post military employer. I have helped several comrades in arms secure positions here and have become increasingly embarrassed and ashamed for doing so.

The rumors of a sale/merger to Boeing have been flying recently. While many of us used to dread such a thing there seems to be a general feeling that perhaps we would be better off without Linda Hudson. She is just stripping us down for a sale and we rather wish she would just get on with it.

Advice to Senior Management

STOP the Reorganization of the week, you look foolish. Return the Health Benefits, the rest of the things you have taken away we can live without but the benefits affect our families and our own welfare. I cannot tell you how many people have said they need to see a doctor and won't go because of the hassle and cost. You have lost the ball and quite frankly you are starting to embarrass us and yourselves. you call us in for a Rally to tell us how great things are and how BAE is an employer of choice and when we hit the hallway afterwards we snicker and laugh at you for being a) Vain, deluded and foolish or b) drinking the company Kool aid and believing your own B.S.. You aren't all bad, straighten up, stop managing and lead!

Pros

The ability to grow and move to different functions inside the company is there.
Good salary, very competitive.

Cons

The pace is slow when it comes to growing yourself. Asking for more responsibility falls on deaf ears many times. If you get stuck in a technical track, it's easy to never see anything else.
Not a very diverse company. Mostly white males. Diversity is barely brought up.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to young engineers. They might just have the solution. Our company is set on its old ways and while you ask us to become leaner you don't attempt to implement new strategies that work with the new generation of engineers.

Pros

Pay is decent compared to other defense contractors in the area.

Cons

Many managers and "engineers" are former enlisted military without higher education (in fact many are high-school dropouts who took the GED exam), hired right out of the military because they had security clearances. Thus there is a strong workplace bias against those with university degrees. Virtually no career development is available. There is basically no equity sharing; no options or common stock are made available to employees. Backstabbing and destructive politics are daily occurrences, but confrontation-avoiding management simply turns away and lets the dust settle where it may.

Advice to Senior Management

Hang it up.

Pros

Great benefits though they are counterbalanced by responsibilities.

Cons

Poor culture. Working in cube hell where you can go days not interacting with anyone.

Pros

BAE is a great company. The HTT program has had problems. Most of the teams are not effective and the Army doesn't always know how to use the teams. You could stare at the walls on a FOB in AFG or you could go out, have a great adventure and accomplish things. The pay is pretty much the same eitherway. You also have an inside track to getting a security clearance and federal job in record time. And a six figure salary during your deployment is nice too.

Cons

If you take the job and have any snags on your security clearance, you will be laid off. We lost 1/4 of our class that way. It take more than 3 months for a lot of people to get a clearance. If it looks like it is going to take more than 3 months, you will be laid off. If the program manager thinks he is going to have budget problems, you are going to get laid off. BAE may think you are the best employee ever, but a Colonel you have never meet can still fire you without a thought. You are a contractor and you are expendible. If BAE loses the contract or the program gets cut or drawn down, you get fired. Bank your money and start looking for your next job the moment you arrive in Afghanistan.

Advice to Senior Management

The BAE leadership was great. You can't fix a troublesome client.

Pros

Some very sharp coworkers many of which are genuinely talented, warm and helpful.
Severance.
Smaller projects and groups can be very dynamic.

Cons

Mainly MIA management. No management role/responsibility definitions.
No meaningful feedback or reviews.
No limit to bureaucracy/low productivity.
Very little creativity in the environment.
And worst of all, the parking.

Advice to Senior Management

Shamefully callous "you're lucky to have a job" attitude toward most employees.

Pros

The BAE Systems culture is a great environment to work in. BAE is concerned with meeting the needs of their customer and growing their employees.

Cons

Advancement in the Program Management Office was exceptional from project to program. However, advancement from Management to being a Director was a hurdle.

Pros

The team I work with is great! The company tries provide good communication. Tuition reimbursement.

Cons

Management is not great. Recent managerial changes have really changed the department I work for. Micromanaging.

Advice to Senior Management

Micromanaging is not effective. Employee / Human based management. Seeing the positive in your employees and KNOWING they are competent to do their jobs. If they are not then GIVING them the training, guidance or tools needed to complete it.

Pros

Benefits were above average (75% 401K employer contribution, health insurance, corporate discounts at major retailers, discounted cell phone plans). Severance package was good.

Cons

Lack of communication among senior leadership to employees, professional growth not encouraged, employees treated like cogs in the machine instead of human beings. Lots of layoffs since 2009.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to what you employees have to say about their experiences with the company. Take their concerns seriously. Give them opportunities to grow personally, as well as professionally.