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Solar Turbines

Part of Caterpillar

Is this your company?

Completely dysfunctional - Program Manager Solar Turbines Employee Review

1.0
Jun 13, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay. Great 401K company match for employees. Work from home policy for some employees. A few good people keep this place running. Downtown San Diego location close to Little Italy restaurants and on the waterfront.

Cons

The most dysfunctional fuddy-duddy company I’ve seen: red tape, siloed departments, disconnected systems and utter incompetence. Work environment with passive-aggressive overtones. Employees hoard knowledge and go MIA during work hours. Deadlines are meaningless and most put in least viable effort. The corporate culture of a dead fish. The workforce is made up of disengaged contractors (80%) and mostly old timers counting the days to claim their fat pension. All vacation days need to be taken before year end, so the place is a ghost town in Q4, and no work can get done. Many white-collar workers work 6AM to 2PM manufacturing hours even though those are not the standard office hours. Good luck scheduling a meeting with key people after 2PM. Downtown main parking lot is full after 7AM, other parking lot next to airport runway is loud and 10 min walk crossing busy Laurel airport access road. During rain building leaks, floors, streets and parking lots flood. Homeless people sleeping around building, cases of assault during day when getting lunch. Their turbines power the gas and oil industry and have nothing to do with solar. This place is well past its glory days decades ago. Solar Turbines will suck every ounce of ambition and engagement out of you. Your experience may be different, but mine was terrible. Run from this place if you want to stay sane.

Explore other reviews about Solar Turbines

5.0
Jul 2, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Culture, Good people, good experience

Cons

Any manufacturing place will have the typical downsides

3.0
Jun 22, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Strong benefits package: Holiday shutdown, competitive perks, and the advantages that come with being part of a large, well‑resourced company. - Paid parental leave (new): 16 weeks of paid leave, which is better than many companies in the industry. - Good healthcare options: Solid medical, dental, and vision coverage at a reasonable cost. - Annual bonus structure: Predictable and appreciated yearly bonuses. - Beautiful office + great people: The day‑to‑day coworkers are talented, fun, and genuinely supportive

Cons

- Extremely corporate culture: The company feels increasingly focused on pleasing shareholders and the board rather than supporting employees. - Loss of autonomy + heavy oversight: What used to feel like an independent, empowered environment now feels like “Caterpillar 2.0.” Badge tracking, VPN monitoring, and manager “hit lists” create a sense of surveillance. - DEI rollback: Programs that once had meaning have been stripped down to generic, checkbox versions. - ERGs restricted: Employee resource groups used to be vibrant and employee‑led; now they feel controlled, sanitized, and performative. - Rigid return‑to‑office policy: Leadership advertises “flexibility,” but employees are told that not being in the office 5 days a week, 8 hours a day will negatively impact performance evaluations - Slow, approval‑heavy processes: Even simple decisions require layers of approval, which slows down work and kills creativity. - Double standards: Senior leadership enjoys freedom and exceptions while rank‑and‑file employees are monitored like children. - Structure: People are encouraged to move around to get experience. While this may be a good thing for some people it essentially means you don't get rewarded by being a subject matter expert - you get stuck at the same salary grade for your entire career. It also means managers are frequently in a "step" position so they don't have the time or care to learn their actual job.

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