Overall desirable workplace and employer
Gut am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Flexible hours. Good location. Regularly informs employees of company strategy and performance. Encourages self-organized events like sport groups. Changing rooms with shower. Open to feedback.
Schlecht am Arbeitgeber finde ich
Upper management distrustful of employees' work ethic during covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, I feel some stress in trying to work 40h/wk on average. I don't think humans can truly be productive doing thinking-work for this long. I would prefer a system with no minimum hours as long as someone meets performance expectations (a maximum is still wise).
Verbesserungsvorschläge
Increase racial and gender diversity. Increase transparency of salary bands.
Arbeitsatmosphäre
My area feels relaxed so that I can focus on doing my job. There's minimal hierarchy in the department, managers sit next to their team and even organize additional social activities. I don't feel pressure to keep certain hours or dress a certain way.
Kommunikation
good on the departmental level. sometimes lacking on the upper management level, though I think they're trying.
Kollegenzusammenhalt
Varies between individuals, of course, but overall I'm satisfied. It's normal to approach colleagues with questions and to give/receive help in a friendly way. However, I sometimes observe colleagues complaining about the competence of others.
Work-Life-Balance
The contractual work week is 40h, with flexibility to balance out hours over time. Organizing your work around vacation plans is left to you. There's a policy of core-working hours, which leaves flexibility to shift your schedule earlier/later as you prefer. It's common for people to work 80-90% too.
Vorgesetztenverhalten
The managers I interact with care about the well-being of individuals and check in regularly. I get good feedback and am welcomed to give feedback. For decisions concerning me, I'm always asked for my input.
Interessante Aufgaben
There's plenty of work to be done, and thus I have opportunities to support side projects in addition to the main project I'm responsible for. With all this, there's a lot to learn in the first years, and this keeps things interesting.
Gleichberechtigung
Gender diversity is relatively good for an engineering firm - women are still underrepresented, but attitude is generally good. Racial diversity is low.
Umgang mit älteren Kollegen
Clear respect for long-term employees - their experience is highly valued. New hires are generally younger, though in my department there are a few people who joined later in their careers.
Arbeitsbedingungen
We have the right tools (computer, software) to do our jobs from the first day. The building has open-offices on most floors, so it can get noisy.
Umwelt-/Sozialbewusstsein
Despite being an energy-from-waste company, providing alternatives to landfill and fossil energy, the internal culture is not as environmentally aware as I hoped. It seems most of our paper and organic waste actually ends up in the trash. There are plastic cups set by the water dispenser, even though the kitchen has real cups in the cupboard. A surprising number of employees don't seem to be motivated by global climate and energy crises.
Gehalt/Sozialleistungen
I think the company offers a relatively attractive package.
Image
The company isn't well-known to the general public. Most colleagues have a good opinion of the company as an employer.
Karriere/Weiterbildung
I think there are good opportunities for career development within the company. However it is not clear to me what a typical path is, nor which/whether specific criteria are evaluated to guide career development. Maybe I'm too new, otherwise this may be a lack of transparency or a lack of organization in this area.