Schneider Electric Reviews in Raleigh-Durham, NC Area

Pros

Generally, you will surrounded by nice, caring, dedicated people. The US branch of the company, formerly Square D, is a stable old-fashioned organization pretty much straight out of 1950s America. It's one of the few places that still has a decent retirement program, provided you put in your 20+ years of service. The company took some hard knocks a few years ago, but seems better positioned now to respond to market conditions.

Cons

The company is too focused on internal initiatives at the expense of innovation. And a lot of these initiatives are pie-in-the-sky, implemented from the top down, and fail to deliver on promises of streamlined effort and cost. The ratio of managers and support staff to core development people is too high. You're considered lucky if you get to do actual development work rather than reworking old or brand label products.

Advice to Senior Management

Shake things up. Set a goal to take the lead in terms of innovation.

Pros

Good benefits overall. Depending on which group you work for there is plenty of cash being thrown around if you can sell a project. Chances of travel overseas are good.

When I first started it was great. I worked with some fantastic people that I very much miss to this day. Our group was on the verge of becoming something great.

Cons

I literally watched 10+ rounds of layoffs over 3 years with no end in sight. To say that it had an impact on morale would be a complete understatement. Worse, the people I saw layed off were mostly long-timers who were making decent $$$ through attrition and commitment to the company. Because of HR (see below) you may have been 20 years with Schneider, but your end will be 5 minutes out the door with maybe a chance to get your coat. So much for loyalty...

Even worse is the fact that many of the middle-management types somehow keep finding their way into new jobs created for them. For instance, everyone will know there is an October surprise layoff coming. So some mid-level project manager type will suddenly become a segment manager with the implication being that we always needed that position anyway. The effect of this I personally watched over the course of many years with Schneider. You basically get a recycled group of self-interested managers with marginal skills and literally no attachment to the industries that they serve.

By the way, that is the Schneider game to be played: you just have to keep "manager" in your title. When one of these mid-level guys makes it to a senior manager level he/she will take his/her whole crew with him. Hence you will find many senior managment types without degrees, management skills, etc. because of this fact.

I understand that this is corporate America; it is not who you are it is who you know. But Schneider U.S. took it to a sickeningly refined level that is made more obnoxious by the sheer number of people being let go by their incompetence.

Also, the facility I worked for had some of the worst HR people I have ever seen. For a group that has walked 100's of people to the door over the course of 10+ years of layoffs you would think they could refine their techniques. Because of their lack of proactivity the "rumor mill" in the place I worked was always in overdrive.

I put in my multi-week notice and did not even get an exit interview with an HR person. To Me, that says everything about the lack of professionalism these people show. To summarize: HR was not interested in hearing what I had to say, the status-quo was just fine with them. My 5+ years was just a drop in a meaningless bucket to them.

Advice to Senior Management

As your own internal surveys tell you: demonstrate competence. Or better yet, prove that you have a strategy to stop the skid of the bottom line. The assumption that the unwashed masses within the company don't understand what is going on will be your downfall.

Pros

Like any place of employment, the people you work with really make a difference. At Schneider Electric in the U.S. people are generally freindly and cooperative. The electrical industry runs at a slower pace because safety is such a concern. So there is not a lot of pressure to meet strict deadlines. Most of the engineering is focused on maintaining existing products or cost reducing existing products.

Cons

Schneider Electric is owned and operated by the French. It is difficult dealing with and understanding them. The French like to really study a problem before implementing any solution. Most of the operations in the U.S. were once independent companies, e.g., Square D, APC. Sometimes people still act as though these companies exist and are independent.

Advice to Senior Management

Eliminate all the redundent Vice Presidents! Provide more funding towards R&D so that we may introduce new products and technology.