Pros

At the supervisory level, overtime and bonuses are paid (no overtime for managers). The overtime for supervisors can be extreme, but they get paid for it, getting double salary base for Sundays and holidays.

The bonuses are very good, 10% is an average all the way down to the clerk level, though they are based on plant-wide numbers. Individually, it can be lowered if there are negatives on a performance review.

The company is very receptive to employee feedback, more so from senior hourly employees than management staff. Sometimes you can feel like you are running in an election, as what other people say about you will influence your review more than objective accomplishments and metrics. There are lots of committees that include managers, supervisors, and hourly employees, to determine steps to take on improvements, but usually only the minor initiatives are approved quickly.

Overall the company is very successful at what it does, and quite competitive. It re-invents itself and its structure in different ways about every 18 months.

Cons

Long hours; internal politics; ideas must pass a series of committees or approvals before implementation.

When I got promoted to resource and then manager, this overtime pay ended, but the hours didn't, and the raise to make manager seldom makes up for the loss of the overtime pay, even though the hours stay at an average of 11-14 a day. Managers are always on call, and you can be called over a problem at any time of the night or on a weekend.

When things aren't working out, there is a lot of finger-pointing.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't value hourly employees above your plant management staff.