Horry Telephone Reviews

Pros

The people of HTC are the best reason to work there. The team environment is exceptionally supportive and everyone tries to work together for the best of the organization. On top of that, particularly in my group, the tools we are given to work with are very good. We forge ahead of the curve where technology is concerned and the company appears to be proactive and forward thinking.

Cons

We are facing a period of strong competition, which is a hard adjustment for a company which has been a monopoly for much of its existence. Interdepartmental communication is limited and those that exist are informal. That makes the job difficult sometimes when expectations aren't communicated and projects are dropped on workers at the last minute with short deadlines.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to express the need for change in departments throughout the company to help each employee adapt to our new market conditions.

Pros

Horry Telephone Cooperative provides exceptional benefits including two retirement programs that match 12 percent for your two percent contribution, Blue Cross insurance with no salary deduction and very low deductibles, a Paid Time Off (PTO) program, FLEX spending accounts, cell phone discount (we are the ATT carrier in the area), local phone discount, and cable TV discount. HTC has a supportive work environment that promotes goodwill among coworkers. HTC is strict about working from 8 am to 5 pm but promotes a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Many employees stay at HTC for 20 years, 30 years or more. For the IT worker HTC is an excellent place to grow. HTC is an early adopter in new technologies (VMWare, Citrix, Fiber, SAN, 10Gig, WiMax) allowing the relatively small IT staff to become deeply immersed.

Cons

Shockingly, HTC still hasn't moved past the grey walls and cubicle farms of the 1980s. The "build it cheap" mentality has resulted in a much higher infrastructure TCO and plays havoc with the mental health of employees. Those who commit 10+ years to the company are promoted to middle management and rewarded with a window to the rural South Carolina landscape--though many windows face a railroad track that runs through the main HTC corporate campus. The daily trains that run coal to the local steam-electric plant shake the very foundation of the HTC campus. HTC is the gloomiest work environment I have ever labored in. Friendly, thoughtful coworkers make up for the drab sterile offices and mind-numbing florescent lights (hey, are skylights too expensive?). HTC pays low IT salaries compared to companies in major metropolitan areas. My job would pay 30 percent more in Raleigh/Durham, for example. But the HTC compensation package is excellent compared to most other companies except perhaps Google.

Advice to Senior Management

Paint with color. Install some skylights. Widen the hallways. Get rid of the cubicles -- every salaried employee should have an office with a door. There are employees with 20+ years IT experience, multiple grown kids, and 80k+ salaries working out of tiny grey cubicles. Embarassing.