Once Strong Culture, Now Weakened by Leadership Changes
Pros
1. The company valued work–life balance. The 9/80 schedule, which provided every other Friday off, was well-received. For most office roles, workloads rarely exceeded 40 hours per week. 2. The culture promoted collaboration and mutual respect. The pace in Colorado operations was steady, and the environment encouraged trust in colleagues’ decision-making and capabilities. Opportunities for leadership were available, with contribution levels largely determined by individual initiative. 3. The company offered a strong benefits package, with competitive health coverage, retirement contributions, and supported work-life balance.
Cons
1. The acquisition by a private equity firm negatively impacted the organization’s structure and commitment to continuous improvement. Previous management under CAES by Honeywell maintained clearer direction and stronger operational discipline. Leadership repeatedly failed to deliver on promised employee benefits, such as funding for certifications or career development. 2. The HR department was understaffed and overextended, resulting in inadequate performance oversight of department managers. Exit interviews, when conducted, lacked meaningful engagement. Leadership assessment could have benefited from independent evaluation. 3. Department directors often lacked the bandwidth to monitor site-level performance or translate corporate objectives into actionable site goals. Long-term planning and structured goal setting were nonexistent. The structure behind performance reviews and merit increases are a joke. 4. The company maintained relationships with problematic defense industry customers despite contract disputes, poor communication, and low returns. Leadership knew f this situation and appeared unwilling to address concerns raised by employees about these partnerships. 5. Significant layoffs in 2023 and 2024 appeared aimed at reducing operating costs to improve the company’s financial profile for resale, rather than addressing underlying operational challenges. These actions eroded morale in manufacturing operations without clear recovery plans. 6. Some managers lacked a full understanding of compliance requirements and, at times, directed teams to bypass certain process steps to meet on-time delivery targets. These decisions often resulted in avoidable quality issues that later required remediation by the Quality department.