Pros
The salary and Tucson is a small but nice city. Employees of Rain Bird are so kind and helpful - because they know what you are facing.
Cons
- Customers do not matter; Distributors do not matter; Employees do not matter. - Tony L have been described as not being a "people person"; this behavior filters down to the director level and ultimately plays out with all employees in the Commercial and Contractor divisions walking a tight rope. A mistake is grounds for corrective action (aka - you are being fired). - Tribal knowledge = wasted days tracking down the one person that has some insight on the process or product in question - New product development = make up the numbers to justify this product because the number of approved new product plans (BOI's) are on the executives incentive plan; - Obsessive focus on grammar and spelling - Fear of unions causes HR to ban many activities that would allow social interaction including having a cafeteria. If any company needs a union, it is Rain Bird! - Long hours for the sake of working long hours. - Very limited process & procedures; no training; very confidential about market and sales data ( We are up ++); no org charts; no job descriptions; no appreciation for your work How could I have missed these clues during the hiring process? - The interview sales pitch 1) "There are more senior positions available than there are qualified people to fill them". Of course, this comment came on the heels of describing the company culture as "hiring only the best" and being "over achieving"...if this was true, why is promotion from within nearly impossible? 2) High turnover is sold as "Many chose to leave because the culture is too demanding" where in reality, choose to leave = asked to resign. 3) No opportunity to speak to anyone but those on the interview list. Other companies encourage interviewees to have lunch with others on the team, but not Rain Bird. They could say something like "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE". - signature required for arbitration agreement (deters lawsuits for unfair firing practices). - employee handbook is HUGE - metal detectors in the lobby (keeps employees from harming their boss) - Silence in the cubical areas - no meetings in offices, discussions/brainstorming, laughter.