Pros
What people that are left from pre-acquistion are dedicated, highly motivated & top talent. Work/life balance WAS phenomenal; however that recently changed, as did benefits. Stock options are offered but do not vest for 2 years. Highly diverse company; equal opportunities for women, POC, LGBTQ+. Great internship /Co-op program (unsure if this still applies after Zurn acquisition)
Cons
Zero trust for upper management; Any promises to retain a "culture they found similar to their own" has proven false as any direction, promises (freedom 2 flex/WFH, benefits, projects, tuition reimbursement, promotions, etc) have been completely up-ended or out-right reversed. Employees have been leaving in droves while emails about 'associates being the strongest assets & attracting/retaining the top talent is a top priority' fill inboxes, folllowed by constant United Way 'donation' requests, & a Return To Work order, despite a hybrid policy already established & the organization is not located in one single location (it is very unlikely there will be any 'water cooler collaboration' when the production plants, distribution warehouses & suppliers are spread across the US, Mexico, Canada, China, India & the rest of the world. Also, as there are no projects to currently pursue, being forced to drive an hour into work, waste time& gas, scramble to find childcare, only to sit in a loud, open concept office & do the EXACT work being done at home - only while saving time, $ & being less stressed & fatigued. There was always management bloat at Elkay, & expectations were the acquisition would remove much of the bloat, even if it was due to simple redundancy. However WFH has exposed that many managers simply weren't very useful and forcing employees back into an office is a backwards way of addressing the issue, & solving the wrong problem. ...something else that seems to occur often as well. Also, when promotions were occurring, they carried the appearance of being based less on capabilities/performance and more on whom one knew or associated with. Knowledge & hardwork would only get a person so far if they did not have the proper je ne sais quoi. Now that Zurn has started discontinuing product lines & shutting down plants, with all the employees being in the office (and I'm sure there will be NO resistance to that...that was sarcasm, by the way) it should be much easier to turn in laptops as they "restructure' & walk out large portions of, or entire departments. Most are convinced Elkay (which, despite it's many minor flaws, was a pretty fantastic place to work before this acquisition) is simply being picked for choice cuts before being gutted to the highest bidder. All the above is constant stress & has taken a toll on the ability for the average employee's mental health, but there isn't a single action by Zurn that shows they intend to make positive changes in employees' interests. Unless you're a C-level executive, do not work here..