Pros
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is a 100% employee-owned company. Employees are incentivized to be high performers to meet company objectives. The overall benefit to meeting objectives includes the valuation of company stocks and how that translates into their retirement. The company is a values- and mission-based organization: provides disaster discounts and expediting shipments rather than increasing leadtimes and prices; provides support to communities and organizations; affords employees training and education opportunities and benefits; provides exceptional benefits. I loved so many aspects of SEL, including opportunities to be challenged, employee ownership, benefits, team comradery, the mission and values statements, innovation, customer focus, and community focus.
Cons
SEL has experienced tremendous growth in recent decades. As with any company, growing pains can and do exist. As the company has grown, so has the bureaucracy in many cases. As with other large companies, there are some subcultures that are not aligned with the company culture and values. The subcultures sometimes are a group/organization or an individual, that, in any case, cause a toxic work environment. Sometimes these are remedied, other times, unfortunately, they are not making for a not-so-good place to work. The win for employees and the company is where upper management recognizes and remedies these situations. SEL does not have a diversity and inclusion culture that is recognized in industry as being advantageous to the company, employee retention, revenue, etc.
