Benchmark Electronics will make you feel worthless!! Concord, CA site is known for verbal abuse!
Pros
Somewhat good co-workers to have around. Good manufacturing. A LOT of workers, specially engineers, are looking for jobs outside Benchmark. Extremely high turnover rate (lost more than 10% of their employees at the Concord site alone within a year).
Cons
It's like a prison mentality on the production floor. Fights happen and people gossip behind your back. Management is a whole new beast (an incompetent one too). Quality group is horrible; the manager does not speak fluent English and he is known to verbally abuse his subordinates. Little to no direction on how to approach projects and management is known to over commit with false deadlines and if the group doesn't deliver, well lets just hope (depending if you want your job) that you either get or don't get a "write up". 3 "write ups" and you're fired! Miscommunication is also rampant at the Concord site. When you go for an interview, they'll act like they're the best contract manufacturer outside Silicon Valley. They'll pay you waay below market value and justify it by saying "we are not in Silicon Valley so we don't pay what they pay". Silicon Valley is like 35-40 miles from Concord and yet they justify dropping starting salaries by 25% or even more. Furthermore, IF you are desperate enough to join this place, make sure you understand your working schedule (especially if you go into Quality). As mentioned, the manager is known to run his group like a dictatorship. Some of his group members were required to attend a 7AM meeting (which is nothing but a verbal abuse session at 7AM). The manager informed HR that the Quality group will be starting work at 6:30AM. You'd think you'd leave around 2-3pm but noo, the manager will pile soo much work on you that you're pulling 12 hour shifts nearly daily. And if you're salaried, well your **** out of luck. Last but not least, Benchmark hires a lot of contractors as machinists, receiving clerk, planner etc. If you enjoy working on a contract for years then join this place. Raises are little to nonexistent. Benefits are average and bonuses, if any, depend how well of a "profit" the company made at the end of the year. Contracts have been slipping away from the Concord site so I'd be cautious to join .
