Staff Engineer - Anonymous employee G2 Partners Employee Review

New management trying hard to implement a culture of quality and safety at work.

Top heavy, too many chiefs not enough Indians.

So since this should be as accurate as possible, I should be as forthcoming as I can with the Pros list, although there isn't much to boast with this company. The company is very small, so they do have a tactical advantage in the energy market. Recently, G2 became the parent holding company for subsidiaries like their various work divisions, (i.e., aerial patrol, project management consulting, etc.) mainly in the natural gas pipeline service industry. The "Integrated Services" marketing approach was obviously hastily arranged in a way to present the company in a more forward leaning & capable position with their clients. G2's clients consists of energy utilities for the most part. So forecasting their work and revenue stream is fairly straight forward and can be accomplished by anyone in the company just by reviewing utility and industry leader rate cases and public works portfolios. Also, since G2's primary revenue stream consists of unit rate (T&M, N-T-E) Master Service Agreements contracts, it is fairly simple to calculate and predict their revenue and profit projections. Ok, for the important matters you are probably looking for; compensation and benefits. For the most part, they offer the standard packages that you would come to expect working in a similar position elsewhere in the bay area. I DO CAUTION - you need to negotiate for them. Don't worry, the company supervision and recruitment teams are not competently versed in counter-offering skills, so as long as your expectation is realistic (keep in mind that they are billing you out at roughly double what you make), they will meet you at your demand. If they are talking to you - they are in demand and just need a warm body - so make sure you get everything you want out of the deal. This will most likely be the last time you have the chance to address your compensation package since they only offer raises based on cost of living increases annually - (imagine working at Macy's - no commission.) Sorry no profit sharing bonus! But they might give you a really nifty thermos and bag of chocolate at Christmas. Since they are a Texas based company, their benefit structure and put-ins are very bare-boned for California, however, they do line up with most LARGE employers and out-of-state contracting firms in the industry. They offer a standard 401k with company match that has performed as expected with other plans for 2016. There is no Kaiser plan (remember, they are Texas based), so they offer Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas - a self-funded health plan portfolio which boasts a PPO and HSA plan.

Shall we?... To start - let's wrap up the items mentioned above. 1) Compensation - as mentioned before - make sure you get what you want out of the negotiation if you choose to start work for them. Remember that they have a fixed unit billable composite rate for you that is very low in order to compete in their market. As you will begin to discover after talking with them, they need a warm body, but once your in, the same people who hired you will seem very unapproachable or unreachable. G2 really doesn't have a product or service beyond the capabilities and experience of the "consultants" and experts they hire. You are the brand and service. Following your new hire orientation, they will dump you in a spot and you will have no further chances at re-addressing your role and compensation within the firm. They will not meet with you regularly to discuss your issues, supervisors will not escalate any matters that require higher levels of attention, and they will flat out refuse to compromise with you or offer assistance to you should you need it. They will only deal with you in ultimatums. 2) Benefits - The health plan is a self-funded health plan that the company is utilizing starting 2017 to skirt the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. While having a PPO/HSA plan does have advantages, the company is striving to capture every nickel they can hoard into their pockets. What does this mean for you? Well, first of all, if you are married and live in the bay area - your spouse probably works - therefore - say goodbye to healthcare coverage for your spouse. They don't want to cover your spouse if they can avoid it (and trust me - they will audit). They would also remove your children from the health plan if it was legal - just wait. Also, with the HSA plan, the company assistance is a one-time payment of $500 that is deposited when you open the account. That's it. I don't think there is anything else to be said about this. The main goal of their health plan policy is to appeal to the younger folks, with no wives, husbands or kids to take care of. They are shooting for a younger work force because they believe it will ultimately cost them less in overhead by implementing the self-funded plan. (They aren't the only company to do this..) Technically, it's not age discrimination, but they aren't far off. They are obviously trying to curtail the costs of paying premiums for your family. They prefer a younger work force because young people seek medical treatment less than older folks. Overall, the company is as deluded as our president, but not aware of the dire situation they find themselves. They choose to operate and position themselves as a "consulting" service company, but treat their employees, their ONLY source of revenue, extremely disrespectfully. They place more effort, resource and energy trying to get your contact information and getting you on-board, then they do at trying to retain you. Don't expect to advance at G2 either. The supervisors. or managers, or directors, or whatever you want to call them, are in more tumultuous positions than you probably find yourself to be in. They were all in the same spot as you, but offered a couple of nickels more an hour. Keep in mind, they are all billed out at the same rate as you. G2 cannot afford additional overhead costs since their profit comes from your fixed hourly rate. (if you go on vacation or call in sick - they can't bill for that - they don't make money). Recently, their CFO unexpectedly resigned and went back to the company he previously worked for, they had a massive "let-go" (they won't call it a layoff because they don't want to pay unemployment), and they cannot figure out how to branch into different markets. Mainly because the people they employ don't have professional networking skills beyond Facebook & LinkedIn to establish future lines of business. There is no market development effort - just hope... Obviously, I could keep going - but the important thing to remember about G2, is that even though you might feel like you are waiting in line everyday at the DMV, in a foreign country, and nothing makes sense, and you aren't receiving any support from your supervisors - you are getting paid by the hour. So long story short - if you need the money, and just need something short term - strike a deal with them. But keep looking for something better, because they won't hesitate to burn you at the first opportunity. G2 will place you in a position where you will be interfacing with the client and other companies that will most likely take notice of your hard work and frustration and try to hire you directly. So hope does work. Good luck, and I hope this helps.