Pros
The CEO has been communicative during COVID-19 and keeping us updated by video. So far, I can tell he is really keeping our safety in mind. This is really important to me during this time, so I'm appreciative of the steps taken by senior leadership in this manner. There are union and management employees at PGW so this makes a difference. I'm a management employee which just means that I'm not in the union. I do not hold a leadership position. PGW is a family-oriented company, which means there are generations that have been here or work together. Everyone seems to know everyone, so keep that in mind. Mostly everyone here has long tenure which says a lot too. There are "some" people here that you will meet that are genuinely nice and helpful. Some people that are great to work with! There are many that are the opposite too. Sometimes one bad apple can spoil the bunch and that one rotten apple always affects the whole bag even if the other apples aren't near it. Hence, employee morale in that sense. PGW probably has the best health coverage in the city for their employees. This shows how they value our health. I can’t complain about their sick and vacation time. I think its the standard and increases an additional week after the 5 year mark. They offer a pension plan. They have a medical department staffed with a doctor and nurses in the main building which is very helpful. They are not a doctor’s office like you would imagine but when I wasn’t feeling well; they were able to help me on more than one occasion. They offer mini gyms so you can work out at some of the locations which is great. They have 2 parking lots for employees. They offer a lot of fun events throughout the year for employees, informational sessions from different departments, fun events, and different learning courses that are optional. I like the fact that they offer leadership classes that is open to anyone and not restricted to leadership. I enjoy the compressed work week option. I can say that everyone works hard and does what they are supposed to do. I like to tell others that I work for PGW but there is alot of room for improvement when it comes to leadership and the work environment. There has been a lot of surveys lately so Im hoping this will bring about change when it comes to recruiting efforts or maybe things will change for the better as people retire. I'm waiting to see what happens.
Cons
Managers and development cons • There isn’t enough transparency and too much secrecy. • There is not enough development. Employees don’t want to feel like they are just working to grow PGW, but we want growth too. • Managers need to have more open communication verbally. Saying your door is open anytime doesn’t count. Only delegating is not leadership! Come out your office and get to know your employees. • It can take a while for change to happen because of the different areas you have to go through. • Long tenured employees so less and slower advancement. • You cannot live outside of the city. • Managers should include their direct reports in decision making processes. • Managers should understand the importance of meeting with their employees privately beyond review time. • Develop your employees! Everyone at PGW isn’t here to just work and retire there are employees that want to grow and advance beyond their position. • They should offer training classes that is mandatory for anyone in a leadership position to attend and have it conducted from an outside company who specializes in that area. • Allow employees the option to provide written feedback on their performance reviews. We are told how we did and sign off on it and that's it. Provide developmental goals. Get to know what we want to do at PGW. Don't just assign goals that only helps PGW grow. Work environment cons • Enhance systems so employees can work smarter and not harder. • Due to long tenure, expect that if you have an issue to discuss with the person you report to and it's related to someone else; its very likely they are friends with that person and everyone else you know which impacts trust. • Not a team environment. I can deal with that but I shouldn't have to deal with rude coworkers that give you a hard time because that's "just how they are". Yes, these are adults that are supposed to be working professionals who act like this. Managers just turn the other cheek and ignore it. • A lot of cliques which takes away from the "team" aspect that is already lacking. • Often, I feel like an adult but in high school most days in my department because of the gossiping. • Pest control issues like mice and cockroaches. Please stop spraying when employees are around and claiming it's safe! • People smoke right in front of the building! This should not be allowed because people who are non-smokers prefer to not walk through it and would like to enjoy standing outside without taking in dangerous 2nd hand smoke. • Poor air quality in buildings. • Some employees are not as professional and cursing is a “norm” when they are interacting with you on a non-personal level. This is called unprofessional not needing tough skin. Work life balance cons • As someone mentioned, there is a work from home policy but I was never given the option until COVID-19. Most companies have this in place and before COVID-19, I don’t think anyone really worked from home. Offer a few days a week or at the department discretion to decide how that works since every area is different to offer work life balance. For example, allow working from home during bad weather so we don't have to just call out and waste a day. If an employee has an appointment allow them to continue the day at home so additional time isn't wasted traveling back to work or using PTO when they can work. Options like this makes a world of a difference! • Offer more alternative times and flexibility for compressed work schedules. Keep in mind the latest parents can drop their child off at school and then they have travel to work. • Family oriented company should offer more options like telecommuting beyond a pandemic and flexible work arrangements.