GE Energy Reviews in Atlanta, GA Area

Pros

Very good culture, and everyone is proud to work for General Electric Energy. Great benefits, and a flexible work life balance.

Cons

If you don't get admitted into a leadership program, you will not be as respect when it comes to promotion.

Advice to Senior Management

Generally the management is pretty good, occasionally you will have a bad apple. I would say just keep doing what your doing.

Pros

Great experience;
'Trial-By-Fire' experience;
Opportunities for growth & career advancement;
Hard to get fired if you are hard-working;
GE Energy will look very good on your resume.

Cons

Very political - terms such as "back-stabbing" and "thrown under the bus" are very commonly used to describe employee relations amongst other GE Energy employees;
Company suffers from many of the common stereotypes associated with large corporations; Salary adjustments (raises) are very small, and only happen every 14 to 24 months. Promotions within the company do not warrant salary increases - increased responsibilities, change in job title (promotion) do not warrant a raise - no comparative analysis is performed.

Advice to Senior Management

While suppressing the amount and timing of salary adjustments may be a very cost-effective short-term strategy, the resulting attrition on Highly Valued and Top Talent employees is extremely costly. You will continue to see many employees hired straight out of college leaving for other companies within 4 to 7 years of service unless HR practices are reviewed and revised.
Fortunately, these pracctices are still very beneficial to managers of other OEM's (such as myself) who value the experience of GE employees and specifically target GE Energy professionals as potential new employees.

Pros

Historically- Very sound leadership in middle & upper management positions.
The opportunity to enroll in leadership coursework that is unsurpassed in American Business.
Quality products with a loyal customer base in multiple markets.

Cons

Headquarters for Energy in Atlanta has become oversensitive to promoting women, increasing minority headcount and generally ultra focused on cultural diversity. It is actually difficult to find people working there that know what energy business products and services we provide. Those without 10+ years seem to be in a world of their own and more concerned with social & business networking than serving our customers and working past 5 PM.

Advice to Senior Management

Difficult times call for difficult decisions. Yet, Energy Services employees did nothing but succeed in 2008 and will do so again in 2009. Freeze the salaries of those who took bad risks in GE Money & elsewhere. Reward those who are directly contributing to growth while making great profits with real products & services in other segments of our company.

Pros

Stability -- harder you work, the more you take upon yourself, the more you're rewarded. Pension.

Cons

It's a big company. If you're looking for a smaller feel, this is not the place for you. You have to prove yourself everyday or you'll be swallowed by the beast.

Advice to Senior Management

Mentoring your people to grow your team will ultimately help the company and will make you look better. Help your people grow as priority number one.

Pros

Opportunties to contribute and learn are deep and numerous. Technology which to me, is the foundation of GE, is still the core of the business.

Cons

It is not just GE Energy that has the issue. The focus at GE is always about money and not enough about people and process. It is the wrong focus. The money will follow if we spend the time to fix the processes and value the people. GE Energy is one of the most profitable businesses in the company right now which while we should feel good about our success, we are pressured EVERYDAY to carry the burden of "protecting the company". The heart of the business is execution to our customers and those managing pricing and finance are considered the "unsung heroes" while people in the field and those who support them are being hounded about cost cuts, travel restrictions, cost of quality reductions, etc. etc.

Advice to Senior Management

Talk about the value of the people and not just the blanket statement "thank you for all you do". Quit focusing on the "sky is falling" scenarios and instead focus on what the positive vision of the future is and we will make it happen together. Allow flexibility into the culture. Inclusiveness for a Growth Trait means valuing and incorporating ideas and values from all walks of experience. Sometimes an outsider coming in if they don't speak "GE" feels less valued when they speak their mind.

Pros

Good development programs. Hard working and friendly co-workers. Offices are well maintained and usually conveniently located. For the most part, it is very difficult to get fired as long as you work semi-hard and never break your integrity.

Cons

Long hours and pay not up to par with other major corps. Beware of the GE image and culture. You must be willing to fully absorb and accept their near military like operations and handling of affairs. If you cannot not assimilate to the standards and learn the basic jargon associated with a GE employee, you will stick out and eventually alienate yourself from other "GE" employees. Learn to play the game and keep it professional.

Advice to Senior Management

The work/life balance is not as advertised. Most SM's work consistently over 60 hours/week.

Pros

challenging, fair, interesting, professional, lot of possibilities, multinational workenvironment, possibility to work at the same company, but with always changing positions - if you want to change, you can work in different countries, with different cultures, safe place to work, reliable employer, fun teams

Cons

in very few cases people get positions that is very questionable, sometimes company politics can be frustrating, work can be overwhelming, you need to be able to say no, otherwise you can get lost in the workload, sometimes seems bureaucratic, IT support line is useless in most cases with respect to the few good IT professionls

Advice to Senior Management

less politics, would be nice sometimes to have more straight communication

Pros

Training and development. Good templates and best practices.

Cons

Ethics and reward systems based on crony system. Incompetence and surface management are keys to getting ahead.

Advice to Senior Management

Step back and see what you've become. Welcome fresh ideas and don't fear truly being challenged. Open the hood and and encourage others to do so.

Pros

GE as a whole offers a wider possibility of internal career advancement than any other company with which I am familiar. Internal hirings are common and often strongly preferred. The culture both demands success and provides employees with all the tools necessary to achieve success.

Cons

GE has a rigorous way of doing things that is very unique to GE. The manner in which issues are communicated across the business is sometimes a bit awkward in comparison to other companies with which I have worked. As a "lean" organization, technology for business applications is largely outdated as sometimes not viewed as a necessity.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in centralized technological tools and applications to increase efficiency across the organization.

Pros

The EID co-op program provides great opportunities for career development -- especially if you're interested in applying for GE's leadership programs -- and provides competitive salaries and benefits. If you're willing to take on a large project, GE will be more than happy to give it to you.

Cons

EID interns don't technically get paid sick days but most managers will let you take them off anyway or let you make up hours.

Advice to Senior Management

None.