Vulcan Employee Reviews about "upper management"
68% would recommend to a friend
(10 total reviews)
Bill Hilf
76% approve of CEO
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "I personally feel very valued my direct manager but sometimes the structure of the company limits my compensation and career mobility." (in 5 reviews)
- "Lack of any senior leadership; lack of coherent communication about company goals, objectives or performance; unethical (and worse) business practices; much dead weight." (in 5 reviews)
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Found 10 of over 172 reviews
Updated Oct 23, 2023
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Reviews about "upper management"
Return to all Reviews- 1.0Apr 18, 2016Executive AssistantCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsSeattle, WA
Pros
PGA engages in amazing philanthropic endeavors and disrupts the status quo with provocative initiatives. Comp and benefits are above average - but may cost you your soul.
Cons
Upper management plays favorites. Do not speak your truth if the truth is not in alignment with what the Vice President of the department hopes to convey to the owners. Deep and rigorous focus on ROI which equates to biased and unequal success bonuses to the team. Again, favoritism. Administrative staff are viewed and treated as 'less then' with efforts unrecognized as contributing to the success of the department and as a result are no longer eligible for Success Bonus. HR 'advocates' are not advocates for the employees. HR liaisons aka advocates are concerned with pleasing the executive and covering the Executive's less than lawful behavior n
19 - 3.0Mar 26, 2014ManagerCurrent Employee, more than 8 yearsSeattle, WA
Pros
Great benefits: matching 401k, good health insurance, decent vacation time, salary is okay. Good projects that really do have the potential to make a difference. There's almost no where else I could work and do what I do here. For that, I feel extremely blessed. Smart, talented people work here. Vulcan recruits and hires the best of the best.
Cons
Morale is just lousy. Anyone who has survived more than a few years operates by keeping their head down and trying to stay 'off' the owners' radar. Once you're on the radar, it's just a matter of time until you're fired. Good projects, but the Owners are never satisfied with the project outcomes no matter how successful that project may be, they will always find the negative. Upper management who deal with the Owners are constantly demoralizedUpper management who deal with the Owners are constantly demoralizedUpper management who deal with the Owners are constantly demoralized...and that flows down. Upper management is working hard to cut bonuses...so if you're negotiating for a salary, don't take the bonus into account. Work/life balance is off - but remember you'll get fired eventually anyway, so don't work too hard. Thankless job. No opportunity for advancement...but you can take on more work!
14 - 5.0Mar 14, 2017Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee
Pros
Work/life balance, benefits, feeling of contributing to great things happening.
Cons
Very little exposure to upper management.
1 - 2.0Apr 22, 2022Software EngineerFormer Employee, more than 10 years
Pros
1. Intelligent colleagues. I worked with some very sharp, amazing people. 2. Excellent views of the city (Seattle office). 3. Generous salary for the Seattle area, unless you consider public companies with stock options. 4. Generous health insurance plans. I have never enjoyed better health benefits outside of Vulcan.
Cons
1. Those who are the most toxic get promoted. 2. No self-awareness by upper management. 3. Unethical HR practices. If you ever have an issue with a manager or other senior person, it's easier to just leave than consult HR. (See #5 below). 4. Skin-deep commitment to 'diversity and inclusion'. And very myopic. If you are a woman in tech that wants to move up, forget about Vulcan. 5. Layoffs are the primary means by which managers get rid of employees that occasionally express opposing opinions.
- 1.0Jul 21, 2010Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
Vulcan is a place to work for two years and the leave when you have it on your resume. They offer great pay/benefits-but that's because no one would work for the Allens if they didn't.
Cons
Zero work/like balance. Not family friendly at all. Asked for time off 8 weeks in advance of trip, got the ok two week before I left, you will constantly be made to feel bad if you take time off. Terrible upper management, people make it to management positions by not making waves-the ones who do are usually fired or find better jobs elsewhere. HR must be getting paid a ton of money because upper mngt gives them a workplace violation story, HR 'investigates' and finds out the story is untrue, HR is then afraid to report back to upper mngt and has the investigated employee give a 'report'. Backstabbing, incredible c.y.a, monitored emails/phone calls/texts, you're being watched at all times.
11 - 2.0Nov 17, 2020Marketing SpecialistFormer Employee, more than 1 yearSeattle, WA
Pros
Snacks, Free Orca Card, Lots of Training Opportunities, Great Co-Workers, Beautiful Office, Employee Bonus, Travel Opportunities
Cons
Lack of Consistent Vision, Too Much Bureaucracy, Lack of Creativity, Top-Heavy Upper Management, Constant Fear of Layoffs, Little to No Transparency
1 - 1.0Jun 20, 2014Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, more than 5 years
Pros
Benefits and some of the talented people. There were some interesting and unique projects you may have a chance to work on.
Cons
I would give them 0 stars, but 1 star is for the benefits and perks. Everything else is a con. Upper management that won't listen or take credit for your ideas. As others have said, CEO is not available and doesn't interact with employees. There was also no clear direction from the owners. Directives could change on a whim and contradict previous ones.
11 - 1.0Sep 17, 2018Anonymous EmployeeFormer EmployeeSeattle, WA
Pros
Reasonable compensation, good benefits, great co-workers.
Cons
Don't expect to have a personal life, nor employment security. You'll be subject to the whims of the Owner and management. Upper level management talks a good game about the value of employees and employee empowerment. Talk is apparently cheap. In actual practice a culture of intimidation and quick termination exists within mid-level management, and HR backs them up.
8 - 5.0Apr 6, 2017Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearSeattle, WA
Pros
-Unique perks like Cinerama movie nights, themed happy hours, Mariners suite tickets, office lounges with games and snacks, massages and manicures. -Incredibly passionate and talented coworkers. Some of the smartest people I've ever met. They encourage you to be the best you can and the team camaraderie makes it fun to come to work. -A lot of new upper management but they are working hard to be more approachable and communicative than previous leaders. For example, they have started doing breakfast with the CEO where you can ask questions in a casual environment. -Exciting projects and philanthropy like ocean conservation, wildlife conservation, AI and cell research. You feel like all your work is actually making a difference.
Cons
It's definitely a "work hard, play hard" environment which is not for everyone. Communication from the top down could still be improved.
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