Pros

There is a lot of diversity in our workplace. There is a great employee dining room that always has something good to eat.

Cons

The pay, the benefits, the respect - all went down after Harrahs bought Caesars. As supervisors we have to have silly meetings with our employees where everyone has to play ridiculous games and act like children. Anyone who shows the slightest dislike for the activities is to be sent home at once. Anyone who doesn't smile CONSTANTLY must be reprimanded. That's right - you must smile at ALL times, even while you are sneezing or while a customer is screaming obscenities in your face. How can we retain our dignity when we have to play 'ring around the rosie' with a big fake smile on our faces? This is the most terrible employer I have ever worked for.

Advice to Senior Management

If it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT ! Stop making decisions that look great on paper to a bunch of fresh ivy-league business grads but DON'T WORK down in the casino. Stop underestimating the intelligence of your employees AND your customers. Stop telling us how tough times are when the newspaper names 9 of the top 15 highest paid execs in town as Harrahs employees. And lastly - stop trying to run Caesars Palace like your other properties. You can't buy a fine dining restaurant and run it like a McDonalds.

Pros

Describe some of the best reasons to work at Harrah's Entertainment : Big company with many opportunities for future growth.

Cons

Describe some of the downsides of working at Harrah's Entertainment: Big company so there is a lack of visibility and it is difficult to make your mark.

Advice to Senior Management

Offer some advice or feedback to the leadership at Harrah's Entertainment: I have only had positive experiences, so none at this time.

Pros

Easy to get a job.
Pay is decent for what you do. (Basically a Bank Teller.)
Breaks and days off are adhered to.

Cons

Schedule.
Lack of Communication. Everything remains the same, despite constant feedback on how to improve company.
Lack of upward Mobility.
The customers are really hard to deal with at times.

Advice to Senior Management

Get some people that actually have business degrees to lead this paticular division. Casino Cashiers are easily replaced, but you don't have to constantly remind them of this. By my count, the majority of you just don't care.

Pros

The work is easy - you deal cards. Interesting people and friendly coworkers. Considering the job requirements, the pay is very good when you have work.

Cons

Work is sporratic - you don't always get it. The job is repetative. Advancement is difficult do to limited openings above.

Advice to Senior Management

You guys do what you can with what you've got, no real complaints.

Pros

Good and usually competent peers, effective groups usually with competent low-level management, interesting real-world to IT interfacing and business requirements

Cons

When the company went private pretty much everything that enabled its success was forgotten in favor of immediate term profitability. Considering that the whole point in going private was to enable medium to long term decision making, it all came out a bit silly in the end.

Advice to Senior Management

How senior management can both creatively build a company from almost nothing to an enterprise monster and then ignore that success story for short term gains is really disturbing. I guess if I'd gotten $100M+ for it though then I'd be OK with it not making strategic sense too.

Pros

The procedures in place and the best practices that they pick up from all of their properties make for a very well-run and professional organization

Cons

The company has a massive debt load right now so the opportunities are drying up. Not many jobs opening up anywhere in the casino industry and Harrah's is no exception.

Advice to Senior Management

I think Senior management is doing the best they could do with the hand they were dealt. No matter what they do, Nevada gaming is going down hill, the way they've managed to keep revenue relatively flat by going after "high rollers" more aggresively was a smart move

Pros

A great place to work and receive invaluable training. You really feel like you are working at the premier casino company in the industry. Every company can do better with anything, but at least Harrahs makes you feel like they care and want you to succeed. The upside of working at the largest casino operator are numerous, everything from a large training pool of leaders to the industry leader in procedures.

Cons

It can be rough at times with the continuous schedule of nights and weekends. On the flip side, all requested days off and sick time has been approved without delay.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to the line staff to receive valuable feedback. You can basically find everything about operations from the line staff. The truth is they have no loyalty.

Pros

Harrah's has locations across the country and has the ability of being a launching pad for those who are fortunate to learn the business. They appreciate loyalty and hard-work, having many employees who began as dealers or restaurant staff who worked their way up into management. Despite the reputation of the industry, this location prides itself on being about family/work/life balance and provides support and flexibility for those who have families.

Cons

I began working at Harrah's just before business started to dip with first the smoking ban and later the economic downturn. The environment initially felt like a cohesive team, but soon felt like a sinking ship with each man fighting for themselves. Suddenly, senior management employees who had been with the company for years were retiring or going to competitors. It wasn't before long that HR seemed to be on a mission to eliminate dead weight, often looking for any minor mistake to give reason for termination - surely to avoid paying severence. There seemed to be too much middle management and some of that has been reduced with the RIF, but not all.

Advice to Senior Management

It goes without saying that these are tough times for the casino industry, as it is for many others, but Harrah's has done a lousy job communicating the severity of the situation without inciting fear and chaos. For a property that prides itself on its culture, the company and this location, specifically, has let employees down. HR has become a joke and one cannot disclose concerns about the conditions of their employment to anyone there as confidentiality does not exist. Employees cannot feel safe in their jobs when they do not get straight forward information from senior management, cannot approach their direct manager for fear of reprimand or losing their job, nor can they turn to HR.

Pros

While career advancement has slowed with the economy, I know this company will be back on top when the economy turns around. Harrah's has always had a reputation for promoting from within and we have so many opportunities to transfer around the same property or around the world. I've fully utilized the easy transfers to gain experience.

Cons

It's a BIG company and that always has its downsides. Decisions are made in Las Vegas and put down to all the properties. Sometimes what is best for Vegas or Corporate is not best for the individual property. This is not a family owned or small company, so you don't always see the logic in decisions. You have to remind yourself that your part of something bigger and there is more to the company than just you and your peers, you have thousands of peers all over the world. Lately, "the professor", has started to value degrees over education AND experience. If you have never worked the casino floor, it's hard to understand the customers and employees. We are a 24 hour operation and our manament team needs to remember that. Titles don't make you "smarter" or "better" than a front-line employee. Respect your team and see how the property could still bank!

Advice to Senior Management

John Payne and Gary Loveman should take a long hard look at the decisions being made by the leadership team in Bossier City. I doubt they really know what is going on and what is being hidden from them.

Get back to experience and education. YOu can't learn everything you need to know at Harvard or any of the other schools that are on "the list'.

Pros

Stable corporation, good benefits, competitive salary, training

Cons

Since the economic downturn, it's not the same place I hired in for in July! Skeleton crew, slashing of supplies, TDR stripped bare, practically. Most of us can't get a radio that works before we go onto the floor. Training follow-up has practically stopped. Also, they've combined EVS/Slots/Table Games as well as Total Rewards/Cage. Sheraton is the "stepchild" property here in Tunica - most of the $$$ and effort goes to Horseshoe and that pitiful moneypit Harrah's (formerly The Grand).

To be fair, I realize that revenue is way down, and that drastic measures are probably happening everywhere. I think the real downside is that Harrah's Ent. has overextended itself in acquiring various properties and that this time it's really getting bitten.

I've seen some really good and some really bad mid-level management here. I'm happy to say the really bad ones have been already laid off :)

Advice to Senior Management

Don't know how "senior" you mean. If you mean the people here in Tunica, I'd tell them send out their resumes. Harrah's is definitely hurting. If you think it can't happen to you, just ask the guys who were at the Shoe who eventually migrated to the Fitz!