Cessna Reviews

Pros

The people, get to touch all parts of the plane

Cons

pay and benefits are less than desirable

Pros

It truly depends on where do you work at Cessna. In my experience at the service centers, most mechanics at the Wichita service center are treated as first class citizens, while treated as pig smugglers in Orlando. Pay is good when compared to other firms, but is by far not the best. Mechanics make between $18 and $31 an hour, plus overtime. Other benefits are deteriorating as the parent company continues to pressure on cost cuts. For example, the health club was closed down due to the layoffs and cost reduction needs.

Cons

HR needs to hire qualified managers. Most maintenance managers and supervisors are former mechanics without any college. In result, they under-perform as managers.

Advice to Senior Management

Its a really long story.

Pros

Pay is great but sometimes its not worth the stress. Benefits began to get worse as time went on.

Cons

Changing times
Too many changes
feels like a concentration camp

Pros

Excellent pay
Great Benefits
Access to the Cessna Employees Club (swimming, weights, basketball)
Access to the Cessna Employees Flying Club

Cons

Can sometimes feel like you are "looking over your shoulder". for mangement
Favortism with management depending upon seniority or friendship.

Advice to Senior Management

Let the employees work at their own pace
Don't constently walk around the plants looking for employees goofing off.

Pros

Used to be the training, in 2006 was a premier company. While the hours are flexible, it is not unusual for my peers and I to work 65-70 hours a week..

Cons

Cash flow is critical, zero leadership objectives, few opportunities for advancement, company is in survival mode, limited areas of hiring within the company due to instability, most of my peers would tell you that we are on the slowest sinking ship in America.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on the people, build a plan, remove the silo's, change the business model, eliminate waste, eliminate the entitlement culture and most importantly follow through on what leadership says they will or are planning on doing.

Pros

> "Be nice" culture
> Nice Textron corporate discounts
> Looks great on a resume
> Great opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects (albeit within the same subject area) in a short time
> Decent work-life balance: your day is done once you leave the office
> Very family friendly
> 9/80 schedule option
> Advanced education isn't rewarded in compensation
> HSA account option
> Nice 401k match percentage
> Sick leave is practically unlimited
> Production shutdown in December = 2 weeks of free vacation that doesn't count against the 80h/year allotted to you

Cons

> Ridiculously restrictive IT policy
> Rampant bureaucracy - you spend more time signing forms and writing random reports than doing any actual engineering
> Management is secretive/fake at best and flat out dishonest at worst
> Ridiculously security obsession makes employees distrust each other for no good reason
> Obviously having a social life outside of work is frowned upon
> Someone in your office/group is always sick, flu/cold constantly going around, sick leave is like musical chairs
> Horrifically poor training for your job. Management would rather waste $20K/year on you flailing around with software than sending you on a $3000 course that would teach you how to use it properly
> Constant interdepartmental strife
> "Not our problem" attitude results in issues being tossed from department to department like beach balls
> No matter how the company tries to spin it, they're located in Wichita, KS. Unless you're married with kids, it's a terrible place to live
> Rampant senioritis. Merit-based advancement is nearly impossible
> Culture of "NO". Change is always resisted and there are always 2 million reasons to not implement 1 good idea
> Lots of name dropping and golf-buddying

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on results instead of tradition or following a redundant set of rules. Reward performance and encourage initiative. Increase profit-sharing with employees

Pros

In the not so distant past, you got out of Cessna what you put into it . I have a diverse background at Cessna, and was rewarded with opportunities because of my work ethic.

Cons

The good management is gone, no positive outlook for career development, and experience means nothing anymore. "Anyone can run Flight" they said. sheesh.

Advice to Senior Management

Take care of your employees. You are making ZERO effort to retain your talented folks. Scott Ernest, keep up the great work. I have faith in you.

Pros

Cessna offers numerous growth opportunities through training and job opportunities across the company. The exposure to employees having diverse backgrounds and experience and the interaction with customers worldwide provides learning opportunities and enables personal and professional growth.

Cons

Negotiate your salary at time of hire. Significant improvement, even with promotions or title changes, generally requires leaving the company and returning at a later date.

Advice to Senior Management

Create and environment through incentives that foster employee loyalty. Show the employees that they are valued and find ways to encourage employees to grow in areas where talent has been identified by their manager.

Pros

Has a brand name built up over the years because of single engines.
A great place to work if you are close to retirement.

Cons

Very slow in adapting technology. Cessna brings out new models with very minor changes and tries to attract customers.
Below average pay. A lot of people leaving Cessna now due to poor pay and benefits.
Absolutely no communication from senior management.
Recent promotions handed out in June 2011 were very biased. A lot of engineers who are eligible (even after 5 to 6 years) have not been promoted to senior engineers even thou the guidelines say promotions come in 4/5 years to the next level.
Senior level management are very incompetent to handle business. Absolutely no vision on how to move to company forward.
Absolutely no growth in career.

"IF YOU PLAN ON HAVING A GROWTH, PROSPEROUS CAREER, DONT WORK AT CESSNA"

Advice to Senior Management

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE...........
Atleast try to understand the importance of integrating technology.
Keep yourself updated with current trends and how to run a business.
Stay away or retire if you are laidback and have no vision.

Pros

Promote teamwork and diversity is encouraged

Cons

Location; Wichita is not good for single people

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work