Freescale Semiconductor Reviews in Austin, TX Area

Pros

Team is like a family which makes it harder to leave this company.
Good PTO benefits, health, and other benefits

Cons

No career growth opportunities, even for top performers
Lack of compensation now that times are better
Too much relocating of resources to other countries for cheaper pay
Good people are starting to leave
Need new people w/ new visions to come in, company is in bit of a stale mate

Advice to Senior Management

Treat others how you prefer to be treated
Find away to retain top talent before they find other positions

Pros

Global company. Work with different cultures. Strong automotive customer base. Interesting work. Good people to work with. Hi ethical standards in Design.

Cons

Some upper management do not live in Austin. Not sure of their intentions to stay long term.

Advice to Senior Management

Some upper management do not live in Austin. Not sure of their intentions to stay long term.

Pros

Great legacy as former part of Motorola. Lots of smart people that once did cutting edge research and development work. Salary was probably competitive. Generous benefits.

Cons

Poor management style. Too much politics. No recognition given to the people who do the real work. Management is full of cronies. Company finances are messed up.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve the finances of the company. Recognize technical performers instead of your cronies. Involve people in decision making. Control expenditure. Encourage research and development for the next killer app.

Pros

1. Company is running because of some (few) very intelligent people, the rest are mostly average
2. In general, medical benefits and PTO is better than other companies
3. Generally, people are hard working

Cons

1. Putting people in positions they are not trained to do and giving them the titles that come with it.
2. Untrained managers (technical people) in management positions
3. Lot of politics, favoritism and cronyism
4. If people like, your mistakes will be overlooked. If you are not popular/cheer leader they lay off even for very small mistakes. Seen layoff of a very intelligent engineer.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop looking out for your friends and compensate the people who are really doing the work, before they quit and move to your competitors...

Pros

Competitive salary for new hires although I cannot comment on existing salaries for folks coming from motorola.
somewhat flexible work hours

Cons

No work life balance
little directions from management
Little information from upper management
Many groups have a CYA type of mentality

Advice to Senior Management

Hire more people to offload the workload and allow people work together as team instead of creating an environment where your fellow employee is a competitor (to be stepped on)

Pros

- Good technical challenges
- Opportunity to take on a variety of tasks and wear multiple hats
- Never boring

Cons

- Two previous megalomaniac CEOs, two major economic downturns, and two changes of control in a decade have taken their toll.

Advice to Senior Management

- Think beyond the next couple of years
- Remember you reap what you sow
- Look beyond the spreadsheet

Pros

Pay was decent and you get to work with very bright people.

Cons

After the buyout by a private investor (Blackstone group), things quickly went to hell. Raises and bonuses disappeared, divisions closed or were sold off. Morale took a serious nosedive and many either lft or were glad to be laid off.

Advice to Senior Management

Get out while you can! Blackstone doesn't care about you either.

Pros

Great people who are smart and capable, loyal customers, solid products with decent roadmaps. I appreciated that sr. management gave a good try at the attempt to sell the business despite the global recession,and kept people employed as long as they could.

Cons

Major challenges in the cellular area; there was a massive downsizing last year and most advanced products were canceled. There is residual sustaining business and some new development, with some opportunities in design opening back up again.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep reducing debt and chipping away at it; keep investing in software development since it is table stakes for all semi suppliers

Pros

Individuals who have managed to avoid getting laid off definitely have opportunity to be stretched within their expertise area.

Cons

Need outside talent to help breakup some of the political environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Get to know who the average individual contributor is and you will understand what you need to do to help company morale.

Pros

Good Time off package that combines sick days with vacation and starts employee's off with 22 PTO days and 8 Holidays from the start. Fab employees flex the vacation time of these 8 days so they can take the holidays as scheduled PTO - paid time off. That is almost 6 weeks off / year from the start for new employee's.
Benefits start from Day 1 as an employee. No need to wait to exercise bene's.
On site Gym / work out center in most larger sites - part of a good benefit package.
Good community service commitment as a corporation.
Rich Beyer communicates quarterly to the entire company on performance and strategy as well as the Diamond award for high performing teams annually. This leader is on the ball and seems to really want to make this company a great company / leader.
You do not need an education to get ahead. In many "fab" jobs employee's have gotten to higher positions without need for a degree.
Some employees have been with this company for a LONG time (15-30 years).

Cons

Overall not a very well managed company. The good approach and message gets lost traveling from the top management to the rank and file employees. A lot gets lost in the middle and upper middle management it seems.
Appraisals are only given to demonstrate negatives what is not done and emphasis is on the perception of others as opposed to work actually done. Little effort to support and foster developmental work / opportunity for employees. Management views their role as judge (and as a team - Jury) and in some cases executioner more than leader or coach. Years of following the GE cultural 'winning' approach have taken their toll and created a somewhat toxic working environment. Often this popularity contest is won by the same people year after year. Like the worst parts of High School played on year after year. If you are in the "in crowd" you will be very well rewarded in this company.
Fab Employees even as exempts do not have normal holidays off. Often you need to work some holidays to balance coverage.
Many employees that have been in the management team have opted out of it and have no desire to get back in it in the company. This is a 'red flag'.

Advice to Senior Management

Rich Beyer - take a look below you and start cleaning this house of middle managers that have been here too long. You really need some visionary leaders not just action item collectors to make this place really perform and more importantly energize your employees. This could be a Great company to work for if the middle management and HR teams could be adjusted / fixed. Wake up and start leading as opposed to giving your employees a place to compete against each other.