Pros
+Career length employment once you get in the door. Worked their for 8 years in 3 different buildings, 4 different departments. First 6 years were good. Last 2 realizing I should have moved on sooner. +They never seem to run out of work unless its the beginning of each quarter. Its bright, like supernova bright, if you have trouble seeing in low light this is the place for you. +Place employs so many people you get a good cross section of the Fox Valley.
Cons
-Zero real planning means OT balls to the wall 6-days a week or 10 hour days or BOTH MANDATORY! Be here or ur fired. NO JOKE. This can go on for up to a year or more all depends what area you end up in. -In 8 years worked 3 mandated stretches of 6 months or more in a row without a weekend off except for holiday and my meager vacation benefit. -Management downsizes employees with years of service every other year, depriving company of its culture and know how. -Quality culture replaced by numbers culture -When I first started Feedback was taken good or bad. As time went on the policy of openness means feedback marks you for "counseling" or "reassignment". -Managers are brought in off the street with no technical know-how and usually leadership abilities. Those that have "real skills or are the real deal" find themselves on the fences and move on rather quick. Usually in under a year. -Advancement without a degree is possible. There you are not well supported and you are held accountable for "hourly priority shifts or HOT lists" on products with lead times of several weeks (really months with the way things are so poorly managed) -Turnover is comparable to fast food which is clearly not good in sophisticated manufacturing. -Poor quality results from turnover + lack of feedback handling. -Hitting "numbers" and ensuring on time delivery is the only thing that is checked daily at the end of shift. Quality constantly suffers and it shows. -Fail rates in some inspection processes are worse then they have ever been, to the tune of more often than not, product fails basic inspections. Guess its human aspect of the working conditions, new building is not the problem. -Leaders are too focused on what their supervisor wants rather than what their team needs to work effectively. -Providing constructive criticism is met with "not a priority today" rather than lets fix that right now. -Support staff is not held accountable. Example... making sure working conditions are safe and productive. -Only way to get hired by Plexus as an associate, technical assistant, or production lead is to do a lengthy "Contract employee stint" Wont be less than 6 months, 12-18 months is typical, 22 months is the record. If you get hired on. -Company constantly recruits and hires, over hires sometimes, and then is forced to fire in bulk at the end of a quarter. -Employees are not appreciated except at the big meetings after we get "frequently challenged to not have to work the holidays that we are supposed to get as part of the big benefits package" because we are so appreciated. -Company has revised its own company wide internal goals downward since last state of company meeting because it could not meet its own goals. -Employee benefits have been cut -Employees who take health insurance must now do health assessments, this data is supposedly confidential, if you do not participate or meet the goals for health improvement, you pay more for your insurance benefit. (A lot more) -Leadership is more interesting in looking good than is good. -Morale is poor. -Assigned seats is a new thing that is contributing to lower morale and the ridiculousness of working in an already broken factory. If this sounds like the place for you. Go ahead and contact Kelly services they have a job for you unless you use drugs. Well you can use them and work there just pass one time drug screen.
