Gentex Reviews

Pros

clean work enviornment, great benefits, awesome coworkers, managment is easy to talk to

Cons

not as understanding when it comes to missing work for family emergencies

Advice to Senior Management

everyone should start off with a clean slate

Pros

Decent pay.
Clean work environment.

Cons

Medical benefits are terrible. Pays for check-ups and prescriptions, everything else is for you to cover.
Didn't find out about weekend shift until Friday Night.
Management was distant.
Management showed obvious Favoritism.
Gender-bias is very clear
Not understanding of needing to take days off when important.
"Trial" period is for 6+ months
Management seems a bit incompetent

Advice to Senior Management

Don't be so disconnected. You have sections of your company working a solid 40 with half days on Fridays, and a different section working 70+ hours a week and weekend shifts.

Pros

People are valued for their unique personalities, skill sets, strengths, and contributions. Everyone is encouraged to have an ownership mentality, an unpretentious management style, and be devoted to quality and innovation.

Cons

The current growth is beginning to cause some stress since customer demand for our product is requiring us to grow much faster than anticipated.

Advice to Senior Management

You've laid a strong foundation, just keep building upon it, and thank you.

Pros

The pay rate is the best thing about working for Gentex. Also we get half days on Fridays for second shift.

Cons

Second shift has too long of hours. We work from 3pm-1am since Ive started working there.

Advice to Senior Management

I'd love to be able to work reasonable hours while being on second shift.

Pros

at the current time, we are busy and get 40 plus hours
chance for people to advance in company
401k in place with company
close by to home for me

Cons

some of the advancement is questionable, supposed to be there for a year or have a degree to get the job that the person is applying for and they had neither.
management at tines is not there when it should be
management at times will play the buddy card and play in favor of then instead of others

Advice to Senior Management

talk to your employees and find out ideas from them in running the area instead of shying away. Stop playing favorites and disciplining employees that don't do anything wrong and speak the truth about fellow employees

Pros

It was a good place to start right out of college. Good bonuses, good atmosphere, learned a lot that enabled me to move on to a bigger/better job elsewhere

Cons

Worked 55-60+ hours each week for a $40,000 salary. All of my employees made way more per year than I did since I didn't get paid overtime. Way too much demand for the amount they are willing to pay. Guess that explains the high turnover. Other than that though, good place to work!

Advice to Senior Management

Allow salaried employees to comp back hours over 45 per week. Or pay them what a 60 hour week is worth.

Pros

- Great atmosphere; fantastic facilities; really nice people to work with. Lots of opportunity for growth. On site fitness center.

Cons

- Communication between management on down could be better. Information is passed more by gossip or rumor than by a memo.

Advice to Senior Management

- Stop being so political trying to prove that you aren't political.
- Step up the communication and share what the 5 year/10 year outlook is.

Pros

Free coffee and soft drinks; new, modern facilities; stock options; bonus program; most of the people are friendly and nice.

Cons

Don't get on anyone in charge's bad side...if you do, watch out! (even if you don't KNOW you're on their bad side). If you are willing to brown-nose and be a yes-man, you will go far in this company. Micro-managing is encouraged and practiced - don't allow enough independent working. A large company still trying to act as though it's small.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

If you are in the top 10% of technical ability, then this place is a playground for you. Cost is little/no option when you want to buy equipment to do your job.

Cons

Don't try to get into leadership if you can't make it to the top. The compensation package is based on growth of company stock. At my interview I was told "in 5 years you'll be making more off of stock options than you will in salary." I held back a laugh, but figured that if I made something it was better than nothing. Leadership is a good-old-boys club; VP Engineering was an intern 14 years ago - it certainly helps that he is son-in-law of CEO.

Advice to Senior Management

Put as much effort into modernizing your approach to people, leadership and compensation as you do into manufacturing and engineering and you would be miles ahead.

Pros

great work environment
workout facility
free coffee/ soft drinks
younger employees make for a fun work environment
free mirror on your anniversary

Cons

automotive industry is a bit turbulent right now
profit sharing bonus is not real good right now
a bit of a drive from Grand Rapids

Advice to Senior Management

I would suggest to management that be open to new ideas from all employees. Listen to anything that they may come up with.