Great company ruined by incompetent middle managers
Pros
- Strong technical expertise in areas related to power systems protection, control, metering, automation - Knowledgeable engineers who are leaders in the protection industry (from other SEL branches) - Strong quality process - ESOP growth potential - Employee benefits (medical, leave, parental, bereavement) - Great starting job for newer engineers
Cons
- Incompetent Leadership The leadership team shows a significant lack of trust in the technical team. When project challenges arise, the leadership will always point fingers at the engineers. The management lacks basic technical knowledge, communication skills, and leadership skills, Management overly emphasizes on short-term branch finances to the detriment of technical quality, employee growth, or future vision. Management will punish employees for voluntarily disclosing mistakes. - High pressure and toxic work environment. Engineers are working under significant and consistent fear of not meeting quality expectations, allotted project budget, numerous processes, or unreasonable deadlines. Instead of showing encouragement and patience, management uses shame and accusatory language when dealing with challenging projects. There is a strong lack of transparency in managerial decisions, causing engineers to work in a permanent environment of fear and distrust. - Poor salary relative to the market and SEL's competitors. SEL will never pay the posted salary range. - Lack of work-life balance Constant pressure to complete tasks by unreasonable deadlines and workload. - Loss of talent Significant attrition of experienced engineers. Existing (less experienced) engineers are left to fill in with negligible managerial support.
