- The facility is consistently understaffed. This is due to a number of different factors and eventually compounds itself. One of them is their lean principals. When they talk lean, they don't talk about efficiency. They talk about trimming everything down to nothing but a skeleton in order to 'cut costs'. Work is frequently scheduled in an attempt to make near the exact number of units needed based upon current inventory and forecasting. A noble idea, but the execution is quite poor and ends up requiring overtime to meet basic production needs at any given time. And because of a lack of staff, as previously mentioned, you may be forced to work overtime. - Of course, this all leads to a horrible work-life balance. As a side effect of that, it's often very difficult to plan vacation, as only a very small amount of people may have any given day off. - There also appears to be very little oversight when it comes to process engineering. Often, process engineers will perform time studies and analyses on their own proposed process 'improvements' instead of having another engineer perform them or audit them. This has often led to bizarre and counterproductive changes in process. Some process engineers will also only perform studies on certain associates, as said associates can guarantee their desired metrics. - Management quality varies wildly. Some managers micromanage and are incredibly unprofessional. Management is also quick to dismiss the needs and concerns of manufacturing associates if it means spending any amount of money that cannot be considered a tax write-off. For the longest time, pay was under average for the area and by a significant amount. - HR is ineffective at best and working against the company at worst. When I worked there, the points system for attendance was not cohesive and HR could easily have a different points tally for any employee than said employee's supervisor/manager. I additionally attempted to return after leaving to finish my degree, only to be strung along the hiring process for four weeks. Within that time, I was interviewed for a position at a different company (and in three different interviews, mind you), sent an offer, accepted, and onboarded within a week. - Management outside of the facility and the ombudsman are very slow to react, if they even listen. Quite frequently, concerns posted to Global Voices are left unresolved and even unlooked at. - There is virtually no room for career development if you are a manufacturing associate, regardless of your education and other experience. Even if you meet the requirements for a non-MA position and interview well, you will likely be passed by. The tuition reimbursement program, when I worked there, was also a joke with ridiculous and unrealistic deadlines.
