TransCanada Reviews

Pros

Good people and a reasonable approach to issues. the management style is fairly fluid management. Smaller groups are temporarily created to address issues with full senior management support to avoid red-tape.

Cons

The compensation system is overly complex and lower than it probably should be relative to competitors.

Advice to Senior Management

Generally the leadership is doing a good job so I would suggest maintaining the same style. A better records management system would be helpful.

Pros

Worked 6 days a week for 14 hours per day. Lots of money made in 3 months working on pipeline.

Cons

Safety issues were supposed to be important but when it came to the almighty dollar and finishing up in time - people took risks.

Pros

Very happy with peers. A lot of great people to work with.

Cons

The work seems to be biased by individual manager agendas. When you have politically driven work and sneaky / ambitious management who are interested in looking good to their superiors, it creates an environment ripe with partisans - those who the managers favor vs those who don't. Progress for those who don't obviously is non-existent.

Advice to Senior Management

Newsflash - the Peak Performance and Leadership development program is not working! Stop measuring this program by surveying the managers. Survey the ones who receive the leadership..and not just once a year with the 360 degree reviews. Managers find ways to identify the ones who give negative reviews..and punish them.

Pros

Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits, Pay & benefits.

Cons

Constant confusion about work requirements. Not enough people on the ground to operate the plants safely. Poor training practices if any training is given. Due to lack of people, placing in positions that they are not trained or skilled to perform. A total lack of respect of the general employee.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire more field employees. Put people in there expertise.

Pros

Company with good benefits and compensation, generally good work environment, and healthy work/life balance.

Cons

As restructuring began, environment was less than nice. Took over a perfectally run subsidiary company and pretty much dissolved it and divested of the employees - many 35-40 years.

Advice to Senior Management

Worry less about location and more about performance of employees.

Pros

Lots of things going on. Good people. Star bucks in the lobby. Good salary and benefits. Seem to be proactive.

Cons

Moving around company is difficult. Work load. Not enough people to do the work. Seem really proud to have people work long hours.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to progress the company and grow the company into new areas of North America. Continue to support employees.

Pros

- stability, financial strength, etc.
- very interesting business
- lots of opportunities (although it's up to you to find and create them)
- good work life balance (depending on your manager -- see comment below)

Cons

- sometimes slow moving
- not going to get rich off the stock (but it will retain it's value and grow over time)
- your experience depends greatly on your manager (if you've got a good manager its fantastic, but a bad manager could be a horrible experience)

Advice to Senior Management

- keep it up
- continue to focus more on the "people" aspects of running the organization (great strides in the last couple years, but still a long way to go)

Pros

Good overall compenstaion and pension plan. Very friendly personnel.

Cons

Incompetent middle managment. Unclear directions. Very low oppourtunity for advancement. Too much politics. Too much process red tape. Huge disconnects between various departments

Advice to Senior Management

Too many management layers. Need to focus on getting the job done rather than sharpening their political skills.

Pros

Money is good. Benefits are great. Job safety is strong. The location is central. Building is nice. The executive team is fantastic. The new CEO is grounded, intelligent and extremely well suited to lead TC for the next few years. Problem is in the middle management.

Cons

This is a very top-down culture. For the ones in middle management - they somehow believe they know best and expect others to follow. That is okay as long as the ones in middle management are competent. The problem is that there are only a handful of those in here. The result is poor morale and culture - the worst is that stellar performers can burn out here fast.

Advice to Senior Management

TransCanada can be a great company to work in if and only if the leadership at the middle management level is significantly improved.

Pros

Interesting and challnging work.
Very professional people work there who are committed to doing a good job.
Good compensation practices and excellent benefits.
There is a general understanding at the corporate level about the importance of investing in people.

Cons

It is a very structured work environment where there seems to be a policy, procedure or process for everything and anything. If you are a creative, self starting individual, this is not the place for you. If you like structure, clear objectives and favor management over leadership - this may be a good place for you to work.

Advice to Senior Management

Not all of the intellectual capital in the organization is held at the VP level and above. Actually inspiring people to take the initiative and do work to the best of their ability will likely pay some real dividends.