Pros

The corporate office offers a very laid back and open environment, at least in my department. Management is very open to hear our ideas and very understanding of our needs.

Cons

The only real downside is that your contribution for benefits is excessive compared to other organizations of their size.

Advice to Senior Management

Probably just to streamline their communication a bit more.

Pros

Service Corporation International has numerous locations throughout the United States, giving you an opportunity to work pretty much where you want. I thought that the training program I went through was very informative and thorough. Training programs are ongoing. There are good opportunities to move up to management positions within the company. They have decent benefits and a great 401K program.

Cons

There is a great deal of hype on the type of income you can make as a commissioned salesperson with this company. The reality is that very few people are able to achieve the kind of income they promise. They also do not make it clear that there is a great deal to learn, and realistically it could be several months before you start seeing an income at all. Have enough money in the bank to pay your bills for at least six months before you take a sales job here. The compensation plan for commission only employees is fairly straightforward. The pay plan for hourly plus commission is more complex and you have to make a very high number of sales before you start getting paid on them. It is not really "hourly plus commission." It's commission or minimum wage. And even though the hourly pay is minimum wage, and you are required to do many tasks that have nothing to do with selling, they will not pay overtime in this position. And if you make a "large sale," it's calculated on a different scale so that you will earn less.

Advice to Senior Management

You might consider getting feedback from employees rather than just managers of the different locations. Sometimes they have a completely different take on what is really happening in the field.

Pros

Lots of development opportunities and challenges. Seems there is a never-ending list of initiatives. A fair bit of turnover at all levels, but that can be a good thing for those early in their careers looking for a variety of experience and opportunities.

Cons

Can be stressful, high pressure but with that said not many other places offer the pace SCI does (assuming you enjoy that)

Advice to Senior Management

Balance corporate initiatives and projects with resources. The recent Alderwoods acquisition required considerable work and we did not always have the manpower required to meet tight deadlines. It would also have been nice to see senior management front and center during the integration rather than just taking credit for the integration during quarterly earnings announcements.

Pros

Benefits
Salary very competitive in industry
This is the leader in the industry, and they have made significant improvements over the past 10 years

Cons

Long hours / weekend and holiday work, however this is typical of the industry
Job stress can be significant in dealing with difficult time in clients lives. Sales can be difficult based on uniqueness of product (prepaid funeral and cemetery plans) as well as reputation of industry.
While upward mobility is initially good, competent individuals cap out in any particular location, and to continue advancing, relocating will likely be necessary.

Advice to Senior Management

More involvement from employees in local decision making process
The composition of the board is hard to take seriously

Pros

Large North American footprint, largest consolidated funeral services Company. Location level employees take tremendous pride in their work and do great things in their communities.

Cons

Culture was not "leading edge" - heavy emphasis on board of director compensation, share prices, and profitability, which is not unreasonable, but it sometimes seemed to be at the expense of creating a cohesive corporate culture for all levels of employees. The acquisition of Alderwoods Group (Canada) Inc. was handled fairly well, but transition staff in the support centres were underused and not empowered to be positive change agents to help with the smooth transfer of employees.

Advice to Senior Management

The focus is very transactional - not strategic (at least when viewed from the bottom of the food chain). A more articulated strategic plan could help morale and employee engagement, which in turn will increase profitability.