OnStar Reviews

Pros

Good work, no pressure, good environment

Cons

Very narrow focussed, need to be technology centric

Advice to Senior Management

Let leadership be there at different levels

Pros

perks and benefits are great

Cons

direct managers are clueless. Senior managers are also clueless. Mid level and upper people are great; however, they usually get picked for other positions within GM

Pros

The People and The Technology

Cons

No career path
No career training
Favoritism in promotions

Advice to Senior Management

Stop the favoritism

Pros

OnStar has had a great history. It was one of the pioneers of the telematics industry. General Motors didn't know what to do with their little project and let it die. They brought in a PR guy as president and he is driving the company into the ground. People are leaving the company in droves. Unfortunately it is most of the good people. The only good ones left are stuck here because our houses are underwater and we have families.

Cons

Management is out of touch with their employees
No strategic direction
Management is letting competitors eat their lunch

Advice to Senior Management

Wake up. Pick a direction. Rally the troops who are left and atleast put up a fight.

Pros

Fun place to work at liked interacting with different people from all over the world. Very nice and comfortable call center.

Cons

Customers are extremely rude have to be persistant even when customers say no people who work here with authority really look down on you.

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure that the team leaders and the trainers know what they are doing before hiring them. They often go on a power trip when they have no idea what they are talking about.

Pros

Pay and benefits are good; sense of satisfaction in working to help people; there is some good leadership at the tippy top of the org

Cons

Problems occur because top leadership doesn't monitor what's going on at the middle / upper-middle levels of management. There are many poor Directors and Managers who adopt demotivating, old-school practices and it kills the morale of the general organization. Only those who tend to come to work and maintain a very buttoned-up demeanor in the face of unfair practices enjoy it here. Those who are more creative, want to think out of the box, take risks and have a less "corporate" demeanor will not be happy there.

Advice to Senior Management

With the many new changes in the organization, Leadership needs to perform one-on-one meetings from the top to the bottom of the organization to learn what's REALLY happening and find out how this can be changed to be a workplace of choice.

Pros

Great opportunity to make a difference by creating products that save people's lives. The work is challenging, but one is able to see the results and the relevance when the products and services are deployed.

Cons

Too many clicks and too much politics. Sometimes the politics can get in the way of doing what is right for people in their career development.

Advice to Senior Management

Develop an upward feedback program for managers. In doing this, perhaps managers may be more fair towards their reports and this may create better work environment.

Pros

Few People are very dedicated and make the programs work.

Cons

Most of the people are useless. Dont know how the business works. Are not good technically.
Never seem to get any projects wtih any deliverables. These people still continue to work for over 10 years and management does not do anything.

Most of the work is handed over to a few SME and technical people to do.. And if you are technical, forget any chances to grow. Only work comes your way. No recognition and no growth potential..

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the slackers. Spread the work around. Provide more visibility to the technical staff. T

Pros

Not many processes in place. Opportunity to be creative and put processes in place.

Cons

Clickish environment. Lack of educational degrees in management resulting in poor management skills. Lack of management support for subordinants.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more supportive. Recognize your employees who really do the work. Be equal to all your employees regardless of race, sex, or if you hang out with them after work!

Pros

OnStar is a fantastic product - something everybody can get behind
Cutting edge telematics - no real competition in the auto industry
We make a difference in people's lives every day

Cons

GM is a miserable employer recently - bad news after bad news
OnStar management is cut from the GM cloth - poor / slow decisions are the norm
In the midst of a major revamp of OnStar applications the business cannot stop themselves for asking for more (trivial) enhancements
Very cut-throat environment - swim with the sharks are become chum

Advice to Senior Management

We need our leaders to lead - not take weeks to get a consensus
Make a decision and run with it for at least 6 months before second guessing yourselves
Either revamp the existing system or create new features - not both simultaneously
Stand up to GM and demand more headcount to support one of the only profitable business units