Lear Reviews

Pros

Career Advancement Opportunities based on performance
Working with Industry Professionals that are among the top 10 %
Recognition followed by Promotion
Average to better than average compensation
Better than average industry benefits

Cons

Top Grading practices means there is a annual review resulting in 10 % of the population being sent down to the minor leagues (JV's, other companies)
Time demands require 50 - 60 hour weeks as the norm in senior management
Excellent work is rewarded but their is no opportunity for mistakes
Survival requires a mind capable of operating at a detail level as well as 50,000 ft all the time
Delicate balance of working with customers and making profit

Advice to Senior Management

Develop a simple strategic message that can be communicated across the company to all areas of the organization. Example the old Ford communication ---- "Quality is Job 1" ----- and start to live that philosophy in every encounter with the companies employees and customers.

Pros

good if you enjoy long hours and a lot ...lots... of overtime.
The pay is decent and the benefits aren't too bad
good safety training program

Cons

Management wants to micro-manage line workers constantly
Recognition that line workers do work hard
more encouragement would be nice...everyone can use that

Advice to Senior Management

Realise how hard your employees work to keep the line going.
It would be informative if management let employees know what is going on in some areas of the work day.

Pros

You own your work. Nobody was micromanaging me (I reported totally to 3 people over the years)..
Benefits were good - I did not realize that until saw other companies' benefits.
About 99% are really nice people.

Cons

I was bored. Economy did not support any kind of switch to more challenging work unless you wanted to travel to Mexico. Too many people are promoted because they are willing to travel and either don't care about leaving the family or are single - so they can travel.
Too many really great workers were let go for political reasons (in tight economy). Politics don't surface THAT much when things are good. Nepotism is there. A lot of old boys network. But that's in a lot of places - this is not a bad environment although I hear it is not as good as it used to be a while back.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't promote base on traveling availability - but father on competense - competense a lot of times saves travel time and money. Hold on to really contributing people. Be a little more progressive rather than reactionary.

Pros

Management can be flexible with your schedule. Some high potential employees can move up very quickly.

Cons

Annual review process is quite antiquated. Bonus is not tied to individual performance. Career development / training is non-existent. HR is controlled from HQ instead of each site controlling their destiny.

Advice to Senior Management

Spend some time developing your future leaders instead of watching them leave for Faurecia, JCI and Magna. What do all those VPs and Directors do? There are some legacy issues for sure.

Pros

Great pay, fairly good communication from upper management, air conditioned plant, room for job improvement, cost saving opportunities and safety and environmental improvements.

Cons

An "us verses them" mentality from everyone at all levels. Room for improvement, but zero support. No concern with continuous improvement, just run the line and damn the rest. Upper management undermines lower management. The Plant Manager has no idea what it takes to be on a winning team. Segregated parking. Management directed not to fraternize with hourly employees. Signs of lean manufacturing and Six Sigma abound, but no real understanding or support from management. The Arlington location needs a "house cleaning" of all management. Many members of management don't have the background or experience to deal with the issues they face. The location needs some clear priorities, structure and discipline.

Advice to Senior Management

You have to be as good or better than the customers you supply. Currently this location is performing at levels far below than what it could do. The environment is bad, but it doesn't have to be.
You cannot talk about being "one team" one moment and the next talk about "everyone needs to be on board for my vision" and "stop meeting with hourly members on the weekends or after work".

Pros

fun people work here and have fun

Cons

some benefits here could be more focused on families

Advice to Senior Management

go direct to consumer to take the lead

Pros

Dependent on division and current management. Interior systems division vastly improved once it separated from Lear.

Cons

Traditional management direction at the very top. Nepotism very prevalent in decision making.

Advice to Senior Management

Bring new management in from outside

Pros

Lots of responsibility given to employees. You are allowed to take on as much as you can handle. Comraderie is developed among employees. Lots of change - a very dynamic environment. Nice campus. Global opportunities. Flat organization, with lots of upper management exposure. Open door policy of management.

Cons

Inflexible work schedule, no flex hours, long hours, poor company and industry financial position. Not supportive of work/family balance. Lack of technology or R&D investment. Regular salaried lay-offs over the years are stressful for employees, though an effective method for keeping a lean and strong team. Strong reliance on GM and Ford makes for difficult operating environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Find a way to trust employees with typical industry flexibility policies, invest more in R&D, and keep up the intensity on operating improvements.

Pros

Lear is a well run global corporation. Upper management does a good job of managing a lean operation and growing the company's business operations. Lear has an excellen IT department.

Cons

Lear is not as flexible as it could be when it comes to flex-time and working from home. A more progressive approach could mean happier and more productive employees who have more tools to balance career and family responsibilities.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider flex-time to accommodate employees' family responsibilities. Consider giving employees more opportunities for tele-commuting.

Pros

The pace at which you are expected to work and perform is relentless, as much a factor of the automotive components industry as it is the Lear culture. If you accept it and work with it, it will prepare you for whatever other endeavors you may undertake in your career and, quite possibly, your personal life.

Cons

The behavior and demeanor of many of the executives, at some of the locations, are, at times, less than professional in front of other employees and subordinates, never in front of the customers. This does not promote a satisfying work environment, much less a proffesional one. Also, process is often sacrificed in the name of expediency.

Advice to Senior Management

There is great opportunity in finding a way to adhere to process without the loss of being expedient.