Pay, while better than most places, is still lower than it should be for many departments and specific jobs. For example, operators make good money, I'm not arguing that, but their bonuses are limited by a glass ceiling. Even if they produce a ton of product, management will just lower the piece rate. They also use a 'group bonus' tactic, which delineates bonus by department, not by the individual. So, even if you bust your --- and make a lot if money, it doesn't matter unless everyone else is doing the same.
Pay is seriously lacking for leaders and foreman. While they do get paid a FEW dollars more per hour than operators or QAs, their pay doesn't even come close to what it should be for the amount of bull---- they have to endure on a daily basis.
Pay is also SERIOUSLY LACKING for fringe jobs, by which I mean jobs like office work, IT work, accounting and payroll. Basically anything not directly associated with production. I can't stress enough how little these people make compared to everyone in production.
Overtime can be a blessing, but is more often than not a curse. When it's voluntary, it's fantastic, although there is often this ridiculous pressure that if you don't sign up, it'll be mandatory. It depends on the department, but in my few years at Deka, I've been mandatory three times. The first was only a month long, the second was for eight months, and the third is for eight months and counting. If it's mandatory it's almost always six days a week, eight hours a day. It's extremely rare to see seven days mandatory.
Politicking -- This place is really bad for it. In most cases, it's not what you know, it's who you blow. If you don't believe me or think I'm just a disgruntled employee, just take a look for yourself. Most, although not all, of the plant managers, senior supervisors, and general higher ups didn't get where they are through intelligence and a good work ethic, they got there because they already knew someone, were willing to sell their soul, or were just so horrible at their last job that the Personnel department decided promoting them would be the best solution to remove from said job.
Turnover -- Deka has pretty much monopolized the battery market regarding quality. They also know that they're one of the only places in a 10-county radius that pays decently. This had lead to a huge "you're just a number" mentality. It's not too hard to keep your job so long as you follow their rules and keep showing up, and while that's not too hard, you may end up breaking a rule and not even realizing it. This can mostly be avoided by keeping your mouth shut, as it takes a long time to figure out who's cool and can be trusted. There are a lot of immature ---kissers there just waiting to see or hear you do the wrong thing so they can get brownie points by squealing on you. The worst part is that most managers entertain these petty "violations" and you actually do get in trouble, and if you're new enough to the company, you really could get fired. Put in a few years of quiet, steady attendance and you'll be a lot better off for it.
There's so much more to type, but this has already become long winded. Essentially, this really isn't a horrible place to work, but don't be fooled. The only reason they're on the Best Places to Work in PA list is because they're a DECENT place to work in a time when there are so few places to work to begin with.
