Great Products, Definite Downward trajectory as an Employer
Pros
There's no denying the "cool" factor, or how great the products where. While I'm not a fan of what the company became as an employer, I'll always be a fan of their products. Even if you're in a position that doesn't naturally interact with the products, they are good at giving everyone opportunities to interact with the products (and customers). The relatively new HQ building is undeniably a cool building, with some cool features (but it's an awful work environment). The HQ Cafe makes it easy to eat healthy at a reasonable price. It's a great place for slackers, as there are no penalties for under-performance. The only way to get fired is to embarrass the company. Most positions can work from home twice a week. I think it's a good place to be in marketing or PR, but I wasn't in either of those groups.
Cons
-I can't speak to the new CEO, but as a place to work, PCNA went dramatically downhill under the last CEO. I worked there for a lot of years, and I used to love working there. The last CEO was a great visionary, but a terrible leader. Unfortunately, there are very few people in Senior Management who are good leaders. -Poor work performers are not dealt with, so high performers end up bearing a disproportionate burden. -In addition, it's very difficult to get promoted if you're not German, especially into senior management. If a German wants a job and they are qualified, they get the job, even if there is a better qualified American. -The two above points lead to an environment where a lot of good talent leaves, and unproductive folks stay. -As a company, PCNA is awful at project management. This applies to all departments, with the exception of the events folks. -The work environment is terrible. It's a wide open environment, and despite being a brand new building, there aren't enough meeting rooms. Private conversations are nearly impossible to have, and distractions are plentiful. Focusing on something for any length of time is nearly impossible in this environment. I'd estimate I lost 5+ hours per week in productivity when we moved from the old office to the new office. Which meant I worked more nights to keep up. -Accounting/Finance department has a chronic turnover problem, for good reason. CFO is a sharp guy, but a terrible manager. Not a people person at all. -Management spins the turnover in the past year as due to the bad commute. For most of the folks I've talked to who left, commute was not the main reason. But the commute does eliminate a lot of potential new hires, making it more difficult than it should be to bring in new talent. -Porsche AG (German HQ) has slowly been taking more and more control over the years. PCNA used to have a lot of autonomy, and operated like a small company with the financial backing of a big company. Now, it's a typical big corporate environment. The company is not nearly as nimble as it once was, and issues are MUCH slower to get resolved (and more frequent since PAG is running things). -Sr Management is completely disassociated from employees.
