How are career development opportunities at Consumers Energy?

Pay is great and lots of opportunities for overtime

Storms can be frustrating with the amount of micro managing

coworkers are very helpful, you have opportunities to learn a lot in your field, and great locations to work throughout Michigan

Company purposefully underpays employees(announced that they target for 50% of average market value and salary starts at 80%). Company keeps adding layers of management while increasing demands for employees. Employees are not given proper raises to recognize work. Promotions and career opportunities are dependent on nepotism rather than qualifications.

Good benefits, career opportunities, co-workers

Communication and change management are horrendous and/or non existent

Pay & 401k = they figure why have a great employee experience if we can just throw a lot of money at the employees, we’re good. No one with a pension will voluntarily quit because it is so good but most of them that I’ve spoke with hate working for the company. They just literally can’t do anything about it.

Toxic work culture, tons of favoritism, nepotism, and only giving raises, awards, and promotions to people that agree with everything the leader says and does and coworkers that do not challenge the status quo. They have an obnoxious and inappropriately used performance management system they refer to as “key talent.” It creates employee animosity and allows room for inappropriate hires based on being within the program versus actual experience, skill set or interview capabilities. They may claim that the program is now gone, but the new career and reward framework is a joke and they continue to operate the same as usual. They are great at communicating that the employee experience is important and that employees are empowered, but they do not walk the walk. Leadership has to force people to be on the employee engagement team because no one wants to do it, it is not taken seriously at all and nothing positive is ever implemented because they don’t want to invest any money into the employee experience. They completely miss the mark on a positive employee experience equates to a positive customer experience. Despite offering the occasional professional development session, no matter how hard you work there are no opportunities for advancement if you don’t play the game. “You aren’t doing enough.” “You’re doing too much.” The feedback is weak, with no specific examples, and it doesn’t make any sense. Leadership says whatever is necessary to align with their decision-making. No one is holding leadership accountable. If you are decent at your individual contributor job, they automatically assume you’ll be a great leader and promote you (if you are a “yes” man or woman) regardless if you have leadership skills or experience. Once you’re a leader, regardless of how terrible you are they don’t require continuous improvement training, and apparently don’t coach leadership. No one is perfect, but it is exhausting working for leaders that don’t listen, talk all the time, don’t coach coworkers or hold anyone accountable yet continues to get promoted. Top leadership put so much focus on waste elimination, and saving dollars that they don’t even see that middle leadership is making up efforts and overestimating the amount of dollars saved without any proof just to meet or exceeded metrics. Way too much pressure is put on this that it distracts from business operations and taking care of customers. Leadership is way too concerned with doing what they’re told versus doing what is right for their teams or coworkers. No one challenges the status quo therefore nothing changes and nobody grows. Due to this hectic, negative and disorganized environment and culture, Consumers Energy has lost many, many amazing coworkers over the last year +, and will continue to see turnover of excellent coworkers.

Great people, fulfilling work, you can build your own career path, desire to problem solve issues at all levels

Disconnect from leadership to frontline employees. Voluntary employee separation in 2023 created overworked employees and new policies make it harder to promote and reward good performers.

The pay is pretty good, the parental leave is good, and the 401k benefits too.

The positives we get in pay and benefit's are in great contrast to the work/life integration we are expected to manage. I say integration because the expectations of some management is work comes first, regardless what the overall company’s expectations are. The career and reward framework that was implemented in 2023 really hosed up future growth opportunities for some of the younger engineers also. Never mind the voluntary separation program in the summer of 2023 that left some departments short of employees.

Lots of challenges and unique opportunities that you don't get in a lot of other engineering jobs. Pay and benefits are very good.

Can be very demanding. I don't see opportunity for career advancement.

Vacation, customers, hours, location, Co workers.

Leadership is a challenge. Constantly cutting anywhere they can. Lack of fixing problems, they hear but don't take any action. Lack of career growth you get a feeling of being stuck. They intentionally do everything in their power to avoid paying any overtime. Don't meet their goals and wonder why after treating employees poorly. Will let people go them give you the work of 2-3 workers for the same pay.

Managers were accepting and understanding and provided growth opportunities as needed

Team culture could be a little better

Flexible schedules and offers autonomy to manage your business

Disconnected from career path growth.