The Woodward Way - Operations Technician Woodward Employee Review

This company does not operate with any rhyme or reason. Their decisions lack any apparent reasoning and defy common sense. It will leave you dumbfound. They are often shortsighted and inefficient. Part shortages are a common occurrence. Whether it be screws, nuts, bolts, or bearings, something is always missing which stops production. These are predictable reoccurring issues which cost the company thousands and thousands of dollars. In response the company issues mandatory overtime to catch up on production. But there is always a new parts shortage on the horizon, so we work all of this overtime to run out of parts even faster. It is incredibly disorganized and has been this way for over a year. Many have been assigned overtime when there was no work to do. At this point I can only conclude the company has no idea what they are really doing. Communication is almost nonexistent. When a boss doesn't know the real answer they will make one up. I could ask 5 people and get 5 different answers. Resources and manpower are often devoted to areas that do not need them. Obvious production constraints go uncorrected. Meanwhile they preach a culture of "teamwork, perfection, and utmost professionalism". It's all a game of smoke a mirrors. All employees (with small exceptions) have the same job title and same pay. Weather you stack boxes. assemble product, or run a cnc machine everyone is paid the same. Raises are minimal and standardized. There is no real incentive to perform better or take on more responsibility. But they will try and force it upon you. They claim that job/shift transfers are determined by a combination of seniority, knowledge, and skills. Except they don't always follow that guideline. I know people with <6 months and no skills who hold jobs they should not have been hired for. This is just one of the many reasons I say this company defies common sense. They do these silly performance reviews twice a year to earn your raises. Keep in mind your raise is going to be the same as everyone else. The performance review is just a hoop they want you to jump through. Talk about your past accomplishments, and your future goals, etc. In summary I don't think the company is very passionate about what they do. They just care about making money. They have determined the minimum pay they need to offer to keep the building staffed and the minimal amount of effort needed to keep everything running. The only thing that scares them into action is when customers are unhappy, the threat of unionization, or lawsuits. About 5-10% of the workforce is very combative. The worst I have ever seen. Many who love to report you to management for whatever they happen to be upset about. Which just wastes more of everyone time while we investigate an issue that was never a problem in the first place. Front line supervisors are just adult babysitters. Unable to institute any change, excluded from making or knowing the reasoning behind policy decisions. They just act as a "buffer zone" so the people who actually call the shots don't have to answer to us. Pay is on the low end for this type of work. We often hear stories about how great Woodward used to be 15+ years ago. I wish I could have been there to see it. Sad what it has become.