Continental AG – “Join only after assessing the culture and if you think you will fit !”

Pros

-Stable company. No layoffs (at least in India) during the recession
-Has grown reasonably well (financially) and is sure of doing well in future
-Reasonably ok work pressure.
-Good place to retire from if you can put up with the hierarchy, tantrums of HODs and their mood swings, average/below average salary increments and lack of ambition and processes in the company as a whole.

Cons

- Heads of Departments (HODs) are always right. Too much of hierarchy. You still are expected (an they seem mighty proud of it) when you address them as 'Sir'.
- Lousy systems and processes. Automation of processes especially their HR processes goes back to the stone age. No intention to improve :(
-The company is not ambitious at least in India. Your growth therefore will be slow and steady
- Performance feedback not given periodically. Goal setting happens when it's time for increments and they realize that, Oops!, this guy didn't have a goal sheet to begin with !!!
-Very low focus on regonition (formal/informal, monetary/non-monetary). This is a top down problem. Your mistakes get highlighted on time, your achivements (unless you have scaled the Everest in their eyes) don't !!!
-Old timers who believe that Conti knows best and is the best place to work with the greatest systems and processes. Unwilling to accept new ideas and actually feel threatened by them. After a point in time you realize that it is 'their way or the highway'.
-There are favourites in each team and tremendous bias exists when it compares to evaluating employees potential and performance. Information is shared with these specimens who, also being old timers, believe that Conti knows best.
-Poor salaries and pathetic benefits when compared to the external market

As with all signs at public parking spots: "Joining at candidate's (from better companies with more progressive systems and philosophies) own risk"

Advice to Senior Management

Read my Cons section and improve on all those areas. No more advice. You have inherent stengths but you are 'bleeding' talent and will continue to do so if you don't fix the issues highlighted above