Pros

RJR had a great work/life balance. You run your territory as if it is your own business. Have the ability to schedule your day based on the need of your own territory.

Cons

In order to be promoted you usually need to be willing to move. This sometimes leads to the right people not being in the right positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote people based on work experience and ability, not on mobility. The company is doing a better job listening to the employees.

Pros

The company offers strong leadership development, comprehensive hands on training. There is ample opportunity for career advancement for those willing to work hard and demonstrate success in established leadership dimensions. Many perks - company car, gas paid, flexible work schedules, ownership of territory.

Cons

The salary paid in urban areas is not ideal for cost of living. Extra effort could be given to better adjust for high cost areas. The company also hangs on to unproductive members of the workforce longer than necessary - quick elimination of the those unwilling to demonstrate potential would better serve the entire team.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to focus on the dimensions of a good leader and bringing those characteristics to the workforce with new employment.

Pros

There are a lot of creative and diverse people in the organization. The culture is very unique / eclectic.

Vacation schedules are easily geared towards promoting work/life balance. Daily responsibilities involve a lot of independence and ability to make your own decisions.

There are excellent benefits in the Sales positions, including cell phone allowance, company car, decent salary, bonuses, 401k matching.

Cons

Some coworkers seemingly were hired out of desperation, are unprofessional, lazy, and feel "entitled".

There are advancement opportunities, however there are **no** clear-cut rules or policies for determining who is promoted or why.

Advice to Senior Management

My advice to senior management is to recognize that there is some great talent slipping out the door. The company is hiring recent college grads / entry level workforce, but only promoting the ones who are the most attractive, most similar to their immediate supervisor, and those who do not challenge the status quo.

The most qualified employees are highly sought after and leave the organization due to dissatisfaction with the "promotion" process.

Pros

You can take vacation whenever you want. Good place to start if you are right out of school. The company is desperate for young people to engage young smokers face-to-face. The company will embrace you and promote you quickly.

Cons

VERY political. I could go on all day here. They treat everybody, employees, customer, consumers, like crap. They think by saying something it makes it so (we are ethical, passionate.....etc) They are anything but. Senior management has no clue. I was with them for 21 years, and the company lost share every year. Like playing for the Cubs- lose EVERY time. The company is hemorraging cash, and will probably soon be bought by a competitor.

Advice to Senior Management

This company is beyond repair.

Pros

Great opportunity for advancement, and you own your geographic territory. The benefits are pretty good. There is a flexible scedule which leaves time for a good work life balance.

Cons

The constant change in direction from upper management. We are defiantly not compensated for the amount of work we do. We are the lowest paid of all the major tobacco companies, with the exception of commonwealth. The industry as a whole is in a steady decline so I really don't know if there is a long term future in the tobacco industry.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

You have a company car and the salary is relatively good. You also get to travel a great deal if that apeals to you. Although these are business trips, you fly to exciting places like Chicago and Las Vegas. The company has spent several dollars entertaining employess whiles on these business trips. Entertainment includes renting entire clubs, doing concerts with performers, including David Roth, The Roots and Miri Bin Ari. You have a lot of autonomy with this job, with manager work-withs about two to three times per month. You are totally responsible for your territory and creativity is encouraged.

Cons

It is a tobacco company. Your satisfaction with the job is based significantly on the manager to whom you report.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote based on performance, dedication, and true leadership abilities, not simply one's mobility.

Pros

Great pay, flexible schedule, lots of perks, benefits are great... Company car, merit increases/bonuses, 401K match + enhancements, work out of your home, cell and internet expenses, etc... Open communication with management. Always learning something new about strategy and marketing. Management will always back you up on decisions made in the field. Management gives you a lot of creative freedom and executive power over your territory. As long as you have the ability to quickly adjust and embrace change, you will do well at RJRT. This is a job you have to be passionate and motivated about.

Cons

There are times when the work load can seem overwhelming. This is not an 8-5 job. There are some employees who linger in 'transition' positions until retirement. This disables the ability for entry-level/TM's to be promoted to management as quickly/easily as initially suggested by senior management. This limits the ability for the company to properly groom the more abitious and motivated youth they so strongly recruit to eventually 'run the company!'

Advice to Senior Management

Be more realistic when suggesting a time frame for promotion. Be sure the expectations of your reps is more clearly stated.

Pros

good compensation, flexible hours. Decent benefits.

Cons

Senior management is quite arrogant. The long term outlook for the industry is not good. Unfortunately everything is looked at in a short term profit perspective. Most pricing is tied to taxes, so the ability to grow profitability is limited. The company has been slashing costs mostly personnel. this has limted their effectivenes at retail.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay closer attention to the filed people. They understand what is key in the industry. Theory does not match reality. Get out more into the stores and talk with retialers and consumers. You may not really understand what the situation is.

Pros

Significantly above average pay. Great benefits. Located in a low cost of living city.

Cons

Industry decline. Uncertain strategic direction of the company. Very impatient senior management leading to constant change in strategic direction. Lots of older conservative people with less tolerance to change

Advice to Senior Management

Need to be patient and stick with strategic direction for sometime. Also need to be proactive with regards to upcoming legislative changes and possible competitive tactics/strategy.
Try not to throw away the baby with the bathwater while changing strategic direction

Pros

The pay is above average for similar jobs elsewhere and if you make it to a management position the bonuses are awesome.

Cons

Everybody knows that working for a tobacco company in a declining industry is not the best, but hey, they pay pretty well. Senior management is more involved in politics than anything else. Most often than not they reward the wrong behavior (politics vs. performance). They just got rid of 40% of the salaried employees in Winston Salem. Sure enough they kept some of the worst managers I've ever seen in my 15 years of professional experience.

Advice to Senior Management

Get down to work. Make the tough desicions and look at your consumers and your brands.