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Western Area Power Administration

Is this your company?

WAPA tries to act like a real company but is still bogged down with gov't regulations - Anonymous employee Western Area Power Administration Employee Review

4.0
Nov 8, 2020
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Like most federal agencies, there is a good work/home balance. Annual leave, sick leave, and (more recently) maternity leave can't be beat. TSP 5% matching is nice, but maybe not as good as other companies. Interesting and challenging work... you get out of it what you put in. Some regions are much better and better staffed than others. I think the administrator (Mark Gabriel) is sincere when he says he wants to improve things.

Cons

The region I work at (DSW) is terribly understaffed and I don't see this changing any time soon. The big problems with WAPA are: 1) federal regulations make it very difficult to get rid of "dead weight" and coworkers have to pick up the slack, 2) federal regulations make it very difficult to find and retain qualified people, 3) federal regulations also make is difficult to do anything efficiently, 4) lack of trust between management and employees, 5) terrible mid-level supervisors, 6) no long-term vision, 7) still using outdated technology, 8) no efficiency in job processes, and 9) engineers and technical expertise are not valued.

Explore other reviews about Western Area Power Administration

5.0
Apr 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Flexible hours - Not overworked - Good experience in the energy sector - Friendly team

Cons

- Administrative changes affect stability - Slow work sometimes

4.0
Apr 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong mission, good work-life balance, good coworkers, good GIS tools, good training opportunities, safety-minded culture.

Cons

Inexperienced upper management fold to wholesale rate payers who will never be content. Budget constraints prevent necessary travel. High turnover office with limited promotion potential.

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