Uncertainty with new arrival of new Caterpillar CEO
Pros
Complying with CAT policy is number one in moving up the organization. They are partnered with universities also so you can pay your way up via degrees. If you are an extrovert very easy to waste lots of time but if you’re an introvert very hard to cope with the tedium of the work. Work life balance can be better than some companies. A lot of employees go out of their way to make the job better. Ways the company should be doing like providing training or free food. Lower levels of management do care about survey results and may try to improve things in employee experience where they can. Upper management does not care at all. Even as a new employee there is potential to be highly involved in changing the processes of the company but that is also because things are disorganized. Full return to office has only served to make everything more disorganized due to more in person collaboration and less documentation which has hurt processes further. Most morale boosts involve free food or social rewards like taco days or ice cream parties or free merchandise recognition. Compensation and benefits can be better than industry standard.
Cons
I’m giving it 2 stars based on worse office attendance policy than industry standard. Mobility is challenging below manager level. You either have to carve your own niche or get a select few customer or manager facing rules in your department. It is very rare to see lateral mobility in middle roles. Most of it is at new grad or management roles. Uncertainty on where new CEO is headed in terms of AI, outsourcing, and layoffs. Return to Office policy was definitely used as a soft layoff. I saw it happen. Potential and worry of tighter control from management as means to increase attrition further. Employee input is not valued by management. Employee is expected to implement things managers way even to the detriment of the product and employee growth. Management does not seem passionate about engineering work. Management seems focused on “control”. At times engineering is done for the sake of engineering regardless of customer benefit just for performative labor. Lots of this could have been an email or teams message meetings. I gave diversity and inclusion a 2 because they have walked back many of the discussion due to Trump. Are there with issues with DEI? Sure. But you have to discuss it and keep working at and talk about it you don’t just get rid of it.
