Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories reviews

I've been here for a few years, and we run differently now as a larger company. But mostly that means that we run more professionally and have more resources. It's hard to call that a real "con" even though sometimes I miss the feeling of knowing everyone. Pullman may not be my first choice of where to live, but I will say that on a professional salary you can get a decent house and live in a way that's SO much better than on the coast. The weather's a lot better too. So I'd call living in Pullman a neutral-to-positive aspect rather than a con.

Be prepared to work in an environment that is underfunded and understaffed. Even with talented people working smart and doing significant amounts of extended overtime, we often do not meet our artificial deadlines. There is a very negative fear-based blaming culture and good employees are let go regularly. Sometimes it seems like the project deadlines are set not based on sound reason, but to build on the sel industry legacy at break neck speed. It appears that so many sel people are overworked that they get stuck telling new employee candidates that the company is a better place to work than it actually is. But if the hiring manager tells the candidate how much overtime will be required of them, they may lose the candidate and then their department continues to stress in extended overtime and far too many projects in play. The company is still run very much like it was from the beginning with the founder very involved with just about everything. It is hard for professionals to develop in an environment of intense micro management. When we add the fear based management approach to the micro-management, it really makes it a difficult place to work and stifles creativity and personal-professional development. Housing in Pullman is very expensive and sel's wages are very low within the industry. If you do decide to move to Pullman to work for sel, ensure you rent for at least the first few years. You need that long to determine if it is worth staying. sel is a company that has an esop retirement plan tied to their competitive success, but SEL is run/dominated by the founder and his family. The board is far to narrow and does not have the expertise or objective influence to help the company grow in a healthy way.