Pros
I work in the CMSC (customer manufacturing solutions center) sector which consists of several satellites across the US (and other countries) that manufacture items and ship quickly to customers. They are often times custom. Think of it as a 'quick ship' order shop for a big company.
The pros at working at Eaton are
1. There is no buddy system in terms of promotions/raises. Everything is done through channels and rather slowly. You get reviewed locally but raises and promotions go through HR and must be approved. Also, if you feel you were not fairly compensated or evaluated, you can appeal directly to HR. This would eliminate the buddy system.
2. Everything is transparent. Due to it being a publicly traded company, all employees are made fully aware of how the company is doing as it is required by law for such companies (publicly traded) to show all numbers. This means you arent left in the dark if the company is doing well or poorly. This also means that salary scales are public knowledge. You know what you will get with a promotion or raise or have a really good idea (they do it by % of your current salary).
3. You are made aware of your positives and negatives. You get 2 reviews a year,.....the end of year review (for raises) and mid year review (to know how you are doing). You may also offer your commentary on a self evaluation. This can be useful if you feel a supervisor may have overlooked something that would be a positive and also may weigh on in terms of how you are evaluated on your negatives going forward (if you are aware and honest about them and show effort to correct).
4. Pay scales based in part by performance, title (they use a number system like 34 being entry, 36 being competent in 'x' things, 38 being competent in more 'x' things and 40 being the guy who can (and will) do everything. This gives you a very clear idea where your ceiling is with your current education
5. Advanced education is not only supported but paid for by Eaton. It is a rare thing in todays world to have a company be this generous. They truly do want everyone who works there love the logo on their shirt.
6. Benefits are at least on par with big companies and in some cases, better. They have good medical, dental and vision plans as well as unlimited supply of eye and ear protection offered to all employees and work attire the company pays for. They supply the shirts, pants and the money to get top of the line boots once a year (or just pick from boot truck that comes by on a scheduled date).
7. Family seems to be a very important thing to Eaton. While it is true that some facilities really push for OT to make sure the company meets the expected quota (how else will they stay at or near the top if they cant meet demand?), but the regular hours are very reasonable mostly and OT is often optional not mandatory.
8. Checks and balances are key to knowing you have a future at Eaton. If you and a supervisor or manager have a personality clash,......as long as both are professional,..it can be worked out relatively easy as HR is always available to resolve issues. We arent robots after all.
9. Cross training. This can go under pros and cons. It is great to have the opportunity to learn more but the way it is done at Eaton can sometimes hurt a persons career. Lets say someone is really good at something and comfortable and not concerned with doing other things. Cross training forces this person out of his/her mastered area into an unknown area to learn another aspect. Great for ambitious learners,..not so great for someone who is ok with repetitive work. Both have their places in the work place though and learning more is beneficial on the resume and in life (keeps the brain working). Some have quit over being moved to an area they are not comfortable with or to be teamed with someone they arent comfortable working with. I find older workers (50+) generally would prefer to do what they have been doing. They are really good at it and comfortable.
Cons
1. A big glaring downside is the fact that your ceiling (without a degree) is not very high. You can get your performance raises yearly if you do well but you are capped on promotions at 40 (and it is extremely rare to have a 40 btw,...none at our location and we are all excellent workers) and so if you dream of one day having the ability to do more than manufacture for them,......you absolutely must get a degree. No ifs, and or buts. Small companys can promote as they feel so that can benefit some if they get into the right situation and backfire on others who end up working for someone who doesnt favor them. Eaton eliminates favoritism but at the cost of restricting advancement regardless of how well excel or get along with everyone.
2. Sometimes the goals are pretty astronomical. Like most big companies, Eaton would like to improve on the year before no matter how amazing that year may have been for them. Sometimes these lofty goals can lead to tension and stress as the expectations to perform better than you did the year before may seem impossible.
