ITT Exelis Employee Review

Former Employee – worked at ITT Exelis

Pros – First class mission critical work involving often cutting edge technologies. Offers customers unique products and systems that really enhance their capabilities. An opportunity to work with some really talented engineers and scientists. A lucky few will also fall under some operational-level savvy administrative types that cut red tape. Company also really does some interesting field work. Benefits are benchmark for the industry. Mid-management promotion possible for talented program managers. Not family oriented per se, but not an obstacle to raising a family either.

Cons – No meaningful training or career management in spite of an officially implemented talent identification system run by HR. Promotion generally not possible above senior program manager or operations director. Archaic back office systems in-place due to being preferred by long-time senior management. Turnover in most operations is horrendous. Corrosive management culture led by grasping executives at the sector level that run their groups like personal fiefdoms and make decisions that maximize personal bonuses, pension security, and job security at the expense of employees and customers. Wholesale layoffs in the hundreds or even thousands are not unusual at the same time management is recruiting similar quantities of new positions. McLean HQ stuffed with high paid quasi-lobbyists and parasites providing no meaningful shareholder value.

Advice to Senior Management – Discard current employee development scheme (such as it is) and adopt something more along the lines of General Electric in order to retain key employees. Rotate management, senior management, and executive positions in order to discourage counterproductive decision making meant to feather the nests of current position holders. Consolidate HQ and sector levels to reduce positions required outside of operational level. Promote more entrepreneurial activity at the operational level, even at the expense of uniformity. Develop a more mature and robust international presence. Replace opaque back office support with more flexible systems make delivering products and services to customers faster and easier (but not necessarily more "efficiently"). But most importantly, treat employees like people and not chattel.