W.L. Gore Reviews in Philadelphia, PA Area

Pros

Good work life balance good benefits, allows flex work for those in need.

Cons

Some have the power to derail another's career and not be challenged. There is nowhere to go to complain without being seen in a negative light.

Advice to Senior Management

Starting to get too many layers of management. That can lead to being out of touch with what is really going on.

Pros

* Ability to find your own teams
* Acceptance of people already there, seasoned individuals welcomed with open arms
* Benefits are good
* Work life balance, no one works that hard

Cons

* Leadership, Bill Gore designed plant leader role around his skills, current leaders are mixed bag of politicians and non technical folks
* For a company that doesn't have titles, seem to worry a lot about titles (only they call them "commitments")
* Work life balance, no works that hard
* Nepotism is rampant
* "all in same boat" dumbs down everyone (was not the original intention)

Advice to Senior Management

Stronger technical leadership, less nepotism (new hires have to be related to someone), more fairness in compensation.

Pros

Very flexible when it comes to yuor family they don't hesisitate to let you have time off if you need it

Cons

Don't seem to care about employee well being while working on the job. They don't want to upgrade work conditions even. If someone gets injured. Would just try to modify things

Advice to Senior Management

Put people who are competent in leadership positions not who is your best bud or just agrees with everythingQ

Pros

Private company with strong margins. The support of defense and aerospace contracts is significant. Innovative products. The lattice structure organization is perhaps best suited for the research and development aspects of the business.

Cons

Company of synonyms. There is a great deal of subjectivity in the interpretation of the culture. Each site, even within the same division, has the 'freedom' to choose how to operate which perpetuates inefficiencies. 10,000 plus associates in 90+ countries with no organization chart. Corporate politics is a popularity contest. Power of small teams, decisions require a team. What happened to the individual and personal accountability?

Pros

Gore is a very flexible work environment, but so are many other companies these days. The culture of Gore used to be something unheard of but today many companies are catching up.

Cons

There are no clear cut career paths to take to end up at certain goals. They discourage you from planning ahead to careers you may want 10-20 years down the road and they want you to focus on right now. That's fine but you need to develop towards your goal at some point and it's helpful to know what types of experiences you need to get under your belt to work towards your goal (this is very unclear at Gore). The culture is one for people who are particularly in tune with their emotions. It seems like the whole culture is built around demonstrating empathy. People who are very direct will not do well at Gore. Gore pays very competitively. You will not get rich working at Gore. Our plant leader makes the equivalent of what senior engineers make in other companies.

Pros

The people are great to work with.

Cons

Lots of unqualified people making key decisions. The overall quality of work is very low. Little training, and limited career advancement opoprtunities. In general, a poor career investment.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus more on your quality of work. Find a way to retain talent.

Pros

If you are up for the challenge, opportunities for growth are always there. Cool science abounds in the products that Gore makes. Freedom and flexibility make working at Gore more rewarding. Fellow associates quickly become your best friends. Leadership associates really do try to be fair with their teams and maintain a great working environment.

Cons

If you have to be told what to do everyday, then this isn't the company for you. If you aren't comfortable with speaking up and expressing thoughts and opinions, then this isn't the company for you.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to get out and walk around the building to find out what associates are working on. Leadership meetings can easily consume one's schedule and leave no time for it. Most associates love to talk about what they are doing and why it matters to the enterprise.

Pros

People treat you and each other respectfully
Wide range of freedom to choose commitments and work in areas of interest
You are trusted and allowed to make mistakes
Creativity and innovation are valued
Others willingly help you
Long term view of people, products, markets

Cons

You need to feel comfortable with ambiguity in your commitment area
Some projects don't work out and you have to be willing to pick up new ones
Not the kind of place where everyone conforms and does it the same way; each plant is different

Advice to Senior Management

Keep the culture alive by resisting the pressure to be just like other companies

Pros

You can have freedom to choose your projects to a certain extent.

Cons

You have to be a great propaganda artist to succeed, no matter how good you do your job. you will end up lower in the ranking process if you are bad with office politics. Leadership is incompetent at best.

Advice to Senior Management

Practice fairness or the high turnover will destroy the once great company.

Pros

Culture! Associates, integrity, Knowledge based decision making

Cons

If you prefer a hiearchy, you should work somewhere else.