Harrah's Entertainment – “Fun, Family Work Culture No More...”

Pros

Harrah's has locations across the country and has the ability of being a launching pad for those who are fortunate to learn the business. They appreciate loyalty and hard-work, having many employees who began as dealers or restaurant staff who worked their way up into management. Despite the reputation of the industry, this location prides itself on being about family/work/life balance and provides support and flexibility for those who have families.

Cons

I began working at Harrah's just before business started to dip with first the smoking ban and later the economic downturn. The environment initially felt like a cohesive team, but soon felt like a sinking ship with each man fighting for themselves. Suddenly, senior management employees who had been with the company for years were retiring or going to competitors. It wasn't before long that HR seemed to be on a mission to eliminate dead weight, often looking for any minor mistake to give reason for termination - surely to avoid paying severence. There seemed to be too much middle management and some of that has been reduced with the RIF, but not all.

Advice to Senior Management

It goes without saying that these are tough times for the casino industry, as it is for many others, but Harrah's has done a lousy job communicating the severity of the situation without inciting fear and chaos. For a property that prides itself on its culture, the company and this location, specifically, has let employees down. HR has become a joke and one cannot disclose concerns about the conditions of their employment to anyone there as confidentiality does not exist. Employees cannot feel safe in their jobs when they do not get straight forward information from senior management, cannot approach their direct manager for fear of reprimand or losing their job, nor can they turn to HR.