Schnitzer Steel Reviews

Pros

Growth, Compensation, Supportive Management, Bonus Plans, Benefits

Cons

Slow to come onbaord with advances in technology and social media.

Pros

Some advanced policy, freedom, and some fun coworkers

Cons

very political, clique-filled, and behind the scenes terminations, reassignments and upsets. Competition with outside firms stresses working environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Its easier to learn the junk business already being a professional than it is to turn a junk person into a professional.

Pros

Decent medical and dental benefits
Nice office environment and accommodations
Up-to-date office equipment
Peers are friendly and helpful
Free coffee

Cons

Leadership is lacking from lower managers
Department goals are unfocused
Poor communication from lower managers
Discounting of employees' ideas
No concrete procedures manuals

Advice to Senior Management

It would be helpful if employees were able to review their managers. There are anonymous rating surveys available for this task.

Pros

Enormous Structure accross the nation & Canada
Growth for the people that work hard for it
Learning opportunities is endless
Great towards community
Treats employees on a monthly basis which keeps a good work environment
Executives are very kind once you form a work relationship
Great management
Exceptional pay grade for most positions
Trainee programs implemented

Cons

Production level employees growth opportunities are pretty minimal
Vacation Accrual could be higher
Program ususage structure can be frustrating at times

Advice to Senior Management

I believe upper management is doing a great job and they are all extremely friendly if you give them a chance and dont meet them with the assumption they are "above" your level; they might be in pay grade a position but they are all people nonetheless. They put in more hours then anyone in this company.

Pros

Co workers are fun and friendly. Pay is right. Advancement seems likely in current atmosphere

Cons

Uncertainty in the ranks. People seem afraid and uninformed

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to new ideas and don't promote fear and ignorance as power tools

Pros

It is a well known name in the Portland community and therefore looks good on a resume. It's a good place to gain some experience and then take that skill set elsewhere.

Cons

Management would rather have a lean headcount work 50-60 hours a week than spend money to give their workers a normal workload. Most employees can't take time off.
Would rather hire talent from outside than develop talent inside the company.
No sucession planning - jobs are created in silos that don't feed to any other positions so there's no growth opportunity.
Company culture promotes gossip & back stabbing to get ahead.
Promotions & raises are earned by who you know, not how hard you work.
Ran by right-wing executives who still think it is the 1990s (uses old technology and refuses to open benefits to domestic partners).
Absent Executive Leadership - CEO lives in New York and doesn't have a presence in the corporate office.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop letting your vision being clouded by dollar signs. Invest some money in upgrading your technology and developing your people (hire more people!) and you will stop losing talented staff (and may actually be competitive in the hiring market).

Tamara - visit your corporate offices (both Yeon & Montgomery Park) more often and actually TALK to staff (even those you think beneath you). John Carter, when he was in charge, made regular trips around the office just saying hello to everyone. It makes a difference in worker morale when you think your CEO actually cares.

Pros

Decent salary/benefits, good name recognition for future employers, and you always know where you stand with management (even if they are disrespectful in how they tell you).

Cons

Never in my life have I seen so many unhappy people working at one organization, all frantically scrambling to the top with little or no regard for how they treat others in the process. I am very thankful not to be working there anymore, and I've learned a lot by observing behavior that I never want to mimic. Word of advice to current employees who may be struggling: you are much better off rising above shallow antics, even if it ultimately means you have to leave.

Advice to Senior Management

If this is how you want to run your business, fine. But you need to understand that if you don't treat people with respect and kindness, then all the respectful and kind people will leave and you will be left with a quagmire of unhappy people, motivated by fear mongering. This is a recipe for a very unhappy work environment.

Pros

50% off your parts
Good coworkers who are very down to earth
Crushing cars and ripping them apart

Cons

Functional silo's
Lots of free Pick N Pull gear
Limited opportunities for growth - you are slotted and that is where you stay
Pay does not increase despite responsibilities and long hours
Upper management is generally negative and disrespectful of the hardest workers

Advice to Senior Management

Take care of your employees or they will keep leaving.

Pros

You can make good money and have growth opportunities if you know the right people.

Cons

Cliques and too right wing, little regard for the people doing the grunt work with execs buying new cars and off on elaborate vacations while cutting people at the yards. More about growth and glory than about taking care of the people in the lower ranks.

Advice to Senior Management

Considering the salaries you're probably paying you could get a whole lot better talent in the leadership ranks.

Pros

if you love moeny this is the place to be. lots and lots of hours and then go back and do it again

Cons

Everything is done on the fly. nothing seems to be planned in advance.

Advice to Senior Management

if your going to talk about integrity, respect, honesty and good character then you have to hire managers that also belive in that. if you hire people who are underhanded, dishonest, and ingenuine that lack good character then those are the types of people you will keep around.

its sad to see a company that could do so much good for the community lower itself to the money making attitude. it shows in the exhausted and run donw faces i see when i go to work there everyday. Even worse, is that Tamera Lundgren probably is not even aware of how poorly work practices are conducted. If she did Im thinking most of management would be replaced.