Hewlett-Packard Reviews in Sacramento, CA Area

Pros

great people, good management, flexible

Cons

the pay, really. been underpaid for years.

Advice to Senior Management

pay your employees what they are worth...otherwise they WILL look elsewhere

Pros

The content in my job is great. I love it. HP is a very flexible place to work. HP is trying to get its act together and it will

Cons

If you do the "fundimentals" work on your team, you do not get recognized. It is odd... I am not motivated because what I do is the "fundimentals"...

Advice to Senior Management

value and recognize workers if they do the "fundimentals" or the new projects... they should be values and motivated in the same manner.

Pros

If there is any good thing is that they pay fairly well if you plan on being a part of their sales teams or programmers. Unfortunately everyone else will find frequent pay cuts and equally infrequent pay raises.

Cons

HP has, in the past release really good hardware, however they they are making huge shifts to a bundled product approach for enterprise customers by focusing on services and hardware. Thus, consumer products have fallen by the wayside. Both myself and another family member worked there during the same time frame in unrelated groups and we both were dissatisfied by how bogged down they are with the big corporate atmosphere. They are becoming very big very quickly and as a result they can be extremely disorganized. I was without a computer, desk or telephone for the first week of work if that's any indication.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't buy so many companies so fast. The organizational structure of the company needs some SERIOUS improvements.

Pros

If you work in the bay area still might be ok place to work. HP is still recognized as a business powerhouse but has completely lost its position as a company that treats its employees with respect and appreciation.

Cons

long hours, Very high politics, company no longer invests in internal R&D only focused on buying and merging to block out competition by mere size and not innovation. If you are there for too long your compensation will not catch up with you dedication and experience. Lots of lay offs due to the constant acquisition of new companies and mergers in order to keep employee count low and high productivity per employee. Only guided by short term share holder profits. Very little recognition, not a place to learn latest in technology or marketing. A big me too company. Sad because it was the most influential company until Carly came along and her successors were worse. Basically expensive bean counters that cut costs and investments with no integrity, creativity or innovation.

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to initial company values. Invest in innovation and people both employees and customers. It is now achieved that HP is mammoth so now with all the money maybe it can be used to truly come up with innovative products that change people's lives and therefore become great on it's own merits not by being a big Multi-national bully with mediocre technology and reputation of destroying a fascinating altruistic company culture with happy dedicated employees

Pros

Good learning experience.
Tolerant Co-workers. Helpful.
Management trying hard to correct damage under Hurd.

Cons

Low pay and bonus not upto industry standard.
Promotion based on co-workers review about emp "niceness" not effectiveness or innovation nor hardwork.
Management slow on changing course.
Management slow to hire and fund right R&d.

Advice to Senior Management

Get your act straight. Motivate employees with better pay and bonus. Eliminate top heavy structure. Punish bad decisions at the executive level.

Pros

Many experts to learn from.

Cons

Poor management focused only on production numbers and less on motivating the employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't treat your employees as assets , they are humans with personal and career aspirations. Help them advance in their careers. Give them opportunity to work across organizations and on different projects .

The yearly reviews should be both ways, mgr -> employee and employee -> manager, having employees also review their 1st level manager in a more detailed way . HP should institute the anonymous online Mgr review , similar to what GlassDoor does.

Managers should read the HP employees reviews on GlassDoor (this is as close to reality feedback as you can get without fear of repercussions), learn from them and change your management style based on suggestions.

Pros

Working with best in the industry.. lots of expertise

Cons

No career growth opportunities across the organization.
No salary increases .. or very little.. bottom of the industry.
Poor management.

Advice to Senior Management

Help your employees grow professionally and reach their career goals.. not just the productivity goals you've set for them. Don't be afraid of loosing them .. one way or another it will happen.. and is better to keep them motivated and help them move within the company rather than seeing them frustrated and leaving the company. You are waisting the money and time invested in the professionals they became, when they leave.

Promote from within instead of hiring outsiders.

Pros

Company name recognition,
resume builder,
if in the right group, global travel opportunities can give you interesting experiences and a global perspective
good stepping stone to other companies

Cons

- bureaucracy
- you are a number - and you'll need that employee number to do most anything
- reward structures are just odd; I was told to hand down pay reductions while the company was posting record net profits; all while being told that 'talent retention was a top priority"

Advice to Senior Management

off-shoring jobs does not automatically result in lower costs or improved performance
relationships matter - especially with customers
1st level employees are not the enemy;

Pros

Large company, very stable.
Lots of lateral opportunities at lower levels within the company.
Pay is industry norm.
Health benefits.
New leadership has a chance to right the ship.

Cons

What was HP has been diluted by years of acquisition activity--to the point that senior management is all from "elsewhere".
Little of the classic "HP way" exists anymore.
The "People Promise" at HP--which management was touting as their main focus for years has proven to be empty.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to care for your people. They are the bread and butter of your operation. People understand and see through the words behind the "People Promise" and will measure you on your actions.

Pros

Big Company - lots of different business areas for movement and career growth
Fair compensation
Great people to work with

Cons

HP grows through aquisition and spends a lot of energy merging IT systems, not necessarily to the cutting edge but into existing systems.
Not too focused on training
Long hours

Advice to Senior Management

From an IT point of view, concentrate more on newer technologies. More focus on training and bringing back a sense of community within HP