Where do I begin?
First, while GE has historically been a Fortune 10 company, the reason that it is is that it doesn't provide the right level of resources to its business units. Dividends and returns for shareholders are always most important, even if that means that GE cuts corners in its business. In the time I worked there (for more than a decade and a half), GE Healthcare's fortunes and resources rose as the healthcare market rose. For a time, GE Healthcare could do no wrong and many resources were provided from GE Corporate.
But when the healthcare industry and market began to change and medical devices began to become commodities, it quickly became clear that GE Healthcare would not be the money-maker it once was. Thus began round upon round of layoffs.
Since GE's work culture long has meant that an individual employee typically had 2-3 full-time jobs in one, with the laying off of many co-workers the remaining workers have been crushed under the weight of 5-7 full-time jobs in one. That's not even rational.
Because GE is publicly traded, it creates a culture driven by making the numbers every quarter. That creates a cut-throat atmosphere where numbers are more important than people. Back stabbing is commonplace. There is not any work/life balance for those who want to be viewed as a success there. For those who aren't ambitious, there also is no work/life balance because they have 5-7 full-time jobs in one.
Leaders pay lip-service to employee engagement and work/life balance but their actions say just the opposite.
In nearly every case, I learned how NOT to be a manager from my experiences at GE. There were a few managers that were worth emulating, but not many.
Once vaunted for its leadership training, GE has lost its way. Younger employees don't want to stay; older employees are burned out from years of overwork. And even investors aren't getting the returns they want, fleeing to new economy and technology stocks.
My life has been infinitely happier since I left GE and I have told many people who have asked me that GE is no longer a good place to work, unless you are right out of college, have no family, and are only out for yourself.
