Bell Aliant Reviews

Pros

I enjoy the personal and professional development tools available online and on our internal website. It really helped me grow as an individual.

Cons

since we are unionized, the opportunity for promotion are very little since everything goes by seniority and not on performance. What's the use of being a top performer and working on my personal development if I have to wait until my number is up.

Advice to Senior Management

I feel we are heading in the right direction. It would be a good time to weed out the slackers from the bottom up. People with more than 5 years in the organization still not achieving their performance targets should be shown the door ASAP.

Pros

Money.. you get paid very well. You do get time off usually when needed for things like family leave and sick time. There is lots of Over time to make some extra money or even take it as scheluded time off. The employees that do the same job are very understanding and friendly. Most of the front line managers listen to their employees and are fair. We are Unionized, this helps us to have a stand with the management on important issues. The office is centerally located in down town Halifax convient for bus routes ans easier in the winter

Cons

little or no oppurtunity to advance. When therre is an oppurtitunity it seems like they are never posted for the average employee to apply for them. It seems like they are told only to the people who the senior management want to be in that position and noone else ever hears about it. Over time is good, but it is very difficult to get it as banked time off, there has to be at least 2 weeks notice given, and even then your chance of having that day off are slim to none. Being Unionized means Strikes. they are costly and affect every one negitivaly

Advice to Senior Management

Start communicating better with employees

Pros

Very skilled technical people to work with. Most of the regular folks know what they are doing and want to work together to get things done. It is a very good place to go to be around technically inclined people and perhaps would be a good place for recent grads to get some experience. Other than that seriously it is hard to find anything good to say. The yearly profit sharing bonus would be a good program if not for the shady number crunching and the 'oh we forgot to count...' that ends up taking most of it away after tracking well all year.

Cons

Incompetant management. Directors that are in charge of areas they know nothing about. Decisions come down from on high with no realism involved. Work life balance is a sham, lipservice and nothing more. The HR department is totally disconnected from what really happens. All the HR programs are ignored by directors/dictators that call the shots. The income trust has destroyed any innovation and invention that used to go on. Everything is off the shelf, plug-in crap used at the direction of Bell Canada. The pay is 1/5 lower than market for the same jobs at telus and Eastlink. Look elsewhere.

Advice to Senior Management

Start cleaning house in Director level, that does not mean bring more from Toronto, get some folks that worked in the area and know what is involved.

Pros

the best reasons i would have to say is compensation packages are good, employees on the whole are treated with respect. we have a union who works hard to get us a good working environment. The managers treat you with respect and the listen if you have a suggestion or complaint and while you think they do nothing about it that is not true. They do. I have seen some of the things I have discussed with my manager be put into action and things being corrected and made better due to feedback from staff. We have a good centre to work in.

Cons

One one as far as I am concerned....the whole home work life balance. while there have been many improvements in that area there is still room for more. Sometimes I think they forget that those on the front line have lives outside of work and all the mandatory overtime that they schedule cuts into that life. They need to hire more staff if that is the problem and stop with the mandatory ot. And sometimes there are issues or emergencies in your family life that have to be taken care of. They seem to forget that and sometimes we feel we are penalized for that

Advice to Senior Management

Well they are senior management for one thing so i am sure that they know what is best for the company. i have always felt they make the right decisions.

Pros

Bell Aliant is a community minded organization. What it gives back to all communities in the Atlantic Region is phenominal. For example, we just completed Backpacks for Kids and employees and families and associates filled over 3500 backpacks. Bell Aliant has a major presence in the community with their infamous "Lost Kids" program which helps reunite families that get separated at our many community events such as Buskers. Bell Aliant has lots of opportunity to "move around" in the business. You can job shadow almost any area you may be interested in working. The salaries are very comparable and in many cases much better than what is in the market place. Bell Aliant is making great strides in listening to the customer and constantly improving on its services and offerings.

Cons

The only downside I can speak to is the fact the environment is changing so quickly, it is difficult to keep up with everything that is available to our customers.

Advice to Senior Management

keep simplying our offerings

Pros

Great benefits in terms of compensaton (salary/stock plan/retirement savings/top up, etc) and health plan (covers optical and massage therapy!!), great learning and opportunities to work in the IT sector - which in Atlantic Canada are rather hard to come by. A pretty progressive and well eduated work force.

Cons

Seems to be more bureaucratic than ever before - like our leadership teams are struggling to make tough decisions. BCE takeover is looming potentially causing some uncertainty in terms of company direction and layoffs. Not alot of support for external training. Lack of knowledge of the markets/customers can make growth and retention strategies difficult to devise/implement.

Advice to Senior Management

Take some risk - don't quash entrepreneurial spirit. Go for it!