Qwest Reviews in Denver, CO Area

Pros

Great people, mission is worth working for, company treats me right, ability to work flexible hours, treat employees well. Benefits are good.

Cons

Communications from upper management is marginal. Limited opportunities to do something else. Promotions occur, but are infrequent. There isn't as much recognition as there should be for individual employee efforts.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate better - the CEO and upper management is not very visible. Hire more college grads, as the old people continue to retire.

Pros

The work in IT was interesting and challenging. However, with all the layoffs in the past few years the work gets piled on those who are left.

Cons

there is way to much work for the number of employees to handle in a downsizing environment. No telling what will happen now that the company is being bought.

Advice to Senior Management

The amount of churn needs to be controlled. It seemed that there were different processes being implemented very year. That makes it difficult to sell to those who have to follow the new processes when they think they'll just change in a few months.

Pros

- highly flexible
- effectively supports telecommuting
- opportunities to define own projects
- lots of opportunities to fix what's broken

Cons

- happy to take advantage of employees who let them
- everything is a "priority"
- inefficient
- communication from senior management is a lot of hot-air and spin and not genuine
- constant high level reorgs

Advice to Senior Management

Have realistic expectations of employees.
Set realistic goals.
Stop spinning so much and get real...employees can tell when you're trying to snow them.
Just say NO to some projects.

Pros

1] You can have a life outside work.
2] Flexible Timings as long as you get the Job done.
3] People are very friendly and helpful.

Cons

1] More Technical Talent required.
2] Pay/Position based on Seniority, not on knowledge/performance.
3] Management is afraid to take risks.

Advice to Senior Management

1] Have more trust on your employees when they say it can be done.
2] Recognize young talent and ideas.

Pros

Ability to work in a large network environment.
Ability to make impactful decisions
Freedom to execute without micro management
Ability to rotate job responsibilities

Cons

Due to the size of the company, decisions take longer to be acted upon.
Politics may play a large role in promotional opportunities
Senior Management performance varies due to size of organization.
Core business (land lines) is in an industry wide decline

Advice to Senior Management

Create a technology group that works on skunk works within leading technologies
Create a more stringent and well defined leadership ladder similar to GE that clearly defines the ability and criteria for advancement.
Obtain 360 feedback on upper management to get a better view with respect to performance of the management staff

Pros

There is a good scope for learning and good work life and personal life balance
Friendly work environment
good Managers

Cons

Few IT Projects get shelved at times due to funding constraints
A slightly oldish work environment at certain office locations

Advice to Senior Management

SDLC process could be improved a little bit more for effectiveness and could hire much more effective top level solution architects and tech leads.

Pros

Flexible work hours, some telecommuting is allowed, consistent working hours, good benefits, family friendly, management bonus program, virtual workplace mentality, intercompany transfer options.

Cons

Core business (landlines) is in decline, Constant Change without clear direction, Too many layers of middle management, Out of control IT Department, Outsourcing to India, Layoffs every quarter leads to more and more work with less and less people, poor recognition, low morale, big disconnect between workers and management. Few opportunities to move up or advance your career or abilities, due to stagnant business and a sell-the-business mentality.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop outsourcing to India. Its cheap, but your getting less than your paying for. The remaining internal talent pool is so small at this point that each layoff includes non-replaceable subject matter experts being let go. The internal bread and butter systems will collapse if the current trend of IT foolishness is allowed to continue. Too many managers and more process and documentation than actual work going on. The new strategy and tools every 12 months is insane and has resulted in perpetual chaos to the internal systems.

Pros

Great benefits and work / life balance, ability to work from home, able to interact with a variety of groups and customers.

Cons

No growth at all, seldom gets recognition, people who talk more and work less seems to get more recognition than who works more and talks less.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide a means to facilitate growth for employees, give opportunities for internal folks for open positions by at least giving the opportunity to interview, not being heard is the worst thing that can be done to an aspiring employee looking for a change within the company.

Pros

Great place to work that allows you to work from home when needed. Most of the managers here are great people to work for.

Cons

Not sold on the executive team here. Not very open about what's going on. Afraid to try other jobs here at Qwest due to the layoffs that happen all of the time... so I am forced to stay in a job that provides NO challenge instead of putting ALL of my talents to work for Qwest. Not happy with the pension going away and not happy the way the retired people are treated.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat people better. Make Qwest a place where people actually enjoy going to work again. Ever since the USWEST merger morale has been getting worse.

Pros

contacts and some of the people I worked with through the years

Cons

this is a sinking ship with a limited number of rafts

Advice to Senior Management

let your direct reports know what is going on and llow that to be disseminated to all the affected employees. It is very difficult to work under conditions when you have no idea what the direction is.