Kansas City Southern Reviews

Cons

All different kind of hours

Cons

Don't care for you as an employee all you are is a number in their eyes. Pay sucks starting out

Cons

could be more applicative toward workers

Cons

Management at all levels is horrible to work for. There has been a lot of very good managers fired and replaced with sub standard employees to say the least. The unions are weak don't do very much to help. every railroad i've worked for since leaving KCS has been better then them. There is alot of good employees with college degrees working in train service that can't move up into management for what ever reason. If your thinking of railroading for a career do yourself a favor ask any employee of another railroad what they think of KCS before applying.

Cons

Management at all levels calls at all times of the day. When they say 24/7 they mean it. You will have no life. Management lies to their managers about their staff.

Cons

Company fires personnel indiscriminately without regard to performance. Lacks leadership for supporting & developing people. C-Suite is not transparent resulting in a disloyal workforce.

Cons

They don't promote from the inside and if they do, they choose low experience workers and make them AVP or VP before even looking at the people with the real experience. Another cons is that, let's say you apply to an open position, if your salary grade is higher then they just say "your grade is higher, we cannot offer you a job" even though you are qualified. Usually they prefer low salary employees to do the hard work. Turnover is high.

Cons

Good ole boy system is the governing structure that controls this organization. If you are a minority, meaning non-Caucasian, it will be very difficult to advance in this corporation or expand your talent and skills beyond what you were hired to do if you don't know anyone with a higher position within the company. If you have no other options, be the best at what you are hired to do with this company and you won't have to worry about harassment or being fired, it is smart and intelligent individuals at the lower levels that allow this company to give returns to stock holders and stake holders while making profits every quarter. The Directors and Managers are not business competent, but they are experts at recognizing smart, quite, executioners that strive to be the best without taking credit. These are the silent movers of this organization.

Cons

They rarely promote from within.
They require degrees for Director and Management positions but there are people without even an Associate's as Managers (and with no RR experience) because they are a friend of a VP, etc.
If you are good at something they will not promote, they will just add an additional responsibility with no pay raise.
If you are a minority your chances of moving up are even less.

Cons

Management top heavy. Slim on staff that actually do the work. Technology is about 20 years behind. Staff is still living in the mainframe era of 20 years ago. Employees are hired with an expectation of one job description and title, but then expected to be an everything jack of all trades. Home life / work balance is jacked! Railroad retirement is over-rated.