Chrysler Reviews in Detroit, MI Area

Pros

My supervisor was very active in taking on new projects and responsibilities, so I was also given the opportunity to see many aspects of the business. Senior management was busy, but always willing to answer questions. The atmosphere was very open and helpful, and it was very common to enter a completely different department for collaboration on a project.

Cons

Information sharing among standardized documents needed to improve. Many of my fellow interns were given a less than adequate amount of work, leaving them useless and unused.

Advice to Senior Management

More emphasis must be placed on the interns, as many of them will soon be entering the workforce and hopefully the halls of the Chrysler Tech Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

Pros

Great pay (at least for my job)
Travel opportunities
Interesting experiences - you get out what you put in
Great benefits (at least I negotiated for them)

Cons

Little opportunity for advancement
Management looking out for their own jobs, not focusing on future opportunities
Little vision of the future, or opportunity for positive change
Little strategic direction given to employees
Continual downsizing, management changes
Terrible morale

Advice to Senior Management

Get with the times

Pros

When things are going well this is a great company. I truly believe they try to do the right things as a corporation. That said, there is always the problem of Senior Managers that should not be in leadership positions.

Cons

Morale. Right now the company is cutthroat. People are really down. Overworked. it's too bad.

Advice to Senior Management

Quit telling people to give 20% more. They are already working as hard as they can.

Pros

I enjoyed my experience at Chrysler, in that most individuals truly desired to make a better product, and to improve quality. Virtually all of the engineering groups that I had contact with, genuinely desired to development a robust, quality vehicle.

Cons

Quality, as most realize, was an area in which Chrysler struggled. It seemed as if it was the upper management levels that (seemingly to those performing the work) 'proper' decisions were bogged down, or not made. What seemed like logical and prudent direction was evident to the core engineering groups, was the opposite direction that was actually taken.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen better to those doing the work; it is those individuals that have the data and are doing the analysis that have the insights of the problems and, hence, solutions. Those voices ought to be listened to.

Pros

Very fast paced, dynamic. Exciting products. Range of opportunities are endless (strategy, manufacturing, logistics, 100 types of engineers, on & on).

If Chrysler can get back their groove from the 90's (before Daimler insitituted their "we are German and therefore better than you are" policies) then it would be a great place. There are still many VERY passionate employees left, and Fiat seems to be doing a good job of making good decisions.

Cons

If Fiat cannot return Chrysler to its agile nature, it will not have a strong future. But Fiat seems to be doing a good job.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work. You have a lot of issues to reverse due to Daimler & Cerberus focusing on this week rather than next year. Kudos to you for trying to bring back the passion!

Pros

Many very competent engineers with hands-on experience and also very talented designers.
Great ideas and products when not MCMed to death.

Cons

Middle management was too worried about their little area and their bonus to make the best decisions for the company, but I blame upper management for setting up the platforms the way they did to cause the mess.
When upper management was doing things right, middle managers were failing to follow through or implement. They were too worried about spending a buck or two to provide necessary tools and keep very good people.
Upper management got their hands into the styling of vehicles when none of them were qualified to do so, taking what often started as a great design and completely screwing it up. "Take the front of concept one, put it on the back of concept two, and add a little swoopy character line right there".

Advice to Senior Management

Let the design studio do their job and stay out of their way.
Listen to the engineers in the trenches; they know what's going on, where there will be issues, and where to spend the money.
Get rid of the incompetant CYA middle managers.

Pros

Fun to work with future cars and SUV's. Also get to take home new cars and enjoy months ahead of the official release.

Cons

Low pay and least job security, especially for contract workers. Overall not a bad place only if one is connected to upper management.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat your employees fairly. Pay them well and more than anything give tools and support for employees to succeed. Chrysler wins when employees win.

Pros

risk-taking atmosphere, great styling, hands-on engineers, good cooperation between teams, great pay, benefits, and bonuses

Cons

purchased by daimlerchrysler and lost a lot of vision and good people

Advice to Senior Management

don't look back, just keep trying to survive

Pros

educational opportunities; pension (well, not for new hires any longer)

Cons

compensation for women in comparison to male peers
poor middle management leadership
the higher levels continue to be compensated excessively

Advice to Senior Management

if your middle management team is not groomed properly or have natural talent to LEAD they should be pulled from those positions - they criple the innovation and development of organizations!

Pros

Praise and recognition are given freely to those who deserve it.
Numerous opportunities to more involved in projects.
Good pay. Union employees almost guaranteed some raises via the contract and cost of living adjustments.

Cons

Seniority works against newer union employees.
Praise and recognition are given freely, but are not the basis for receiving raises or for decision whether or not you can keep your job.
Middle management (managers, senior managers, and even directors) seem either to have their hands tied or to be uninformed in some cases.
Some employees act disgruntled, leaving more burden on the rest.
Much travel required.

Advice to Senior Management

None