USG Employee Review

Former Employee – worked at USG

Pros – USG has a tradition of high integrity, respect in the market, and workplace safety. There is enough diversity in plant locations and operations that an employee willing to relocate can get experience in a variety of situations. Most USG managers are eager to help employees improve their skills whether through internal training or tuition reimbursement programs. For plant operations folks, the non-union environment makes for a less stressful workplace. Perhaps the best reason to work at USG for those early in their careers is when the building materials business eventually turns around, and it will, there will be promotion opportunities galore.

Cons – A characteristic of USG that is a double edged sword is the authority they give the Plant Managers. How that authority is exercised often determines the quality of worklife at a plant. A really good plant manager usually means a great place to work. And the opposite is true, unfortunately. Plants truly are a reflection of that Plant Manager's personality and management style.

Another problem on the sales side is how sales executives clone themselves through promotions. Perhaps the recession caused a reality check, but it was almost required to have great hair and/or low-handicap golf score to rise in the sales ranks. They building products business is a relationship game and too often sales managers cut deals with big customers without their local sales rep ever finding out until told by the customer. Sales reps at USG have the toughest jobs, no question about it. They put up with more nonsense than you can believe.

USG was very slow to adopt modern information technology compared to other Fortune 500 corporations. Individuals drove the change and the corporation had to catch up. Management has a history of being conservative and that conservatism drove many innovative people away.

Advice to Senior Management – USG needs to adopt the practice of having employees 're-interview' for their jobs after they've been in them for a while. What happens is the business changes, the person changes, and not always is the change parallel. There are lots of people at USG who are economic hostages, taking up space because they are so enmeshed in the safety net they cannot free themselves to seek a career change that is really a better fit for them and the company. For those employees in management/technical roles who've been with USG for 20+ years and are career plateaued, invest in a win-win process to find something invigorating for them. That new job may not necessarily be with USG.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend