Pros
Looks good on a resume.
Cons
Where to begin? 1. Zero work/life balance. If you are a manager in department that operates 24/7/365, you are expected to be on call 24/7/365. This means you are subject to being called in to cover someone else’s shift if they call in, with barely any notice. You are also “encouraged” to have your email set up on your personal phone so you don’t miss anything when you’re not in the office. You’re also bothered when on vacation and are never really “away”. Many times, I’d work 60-70+ hours each week and still had to be on-call regardless. 2. Long hours. The ones in the “glass palace” work a modest 8-5 with a lunch break and have time to go to the on-site gym. The ones at the Harriman work a minimum of 10-hour days with no lunch (they can’t tell you that you CAN’T take a lunch, but it’s frowned upon to leave and get something to eat. Most just eat at their desks). 3. The HDC also does not have a gym on-site for employees to use. It’s a mile and a half from the UP HQ building, so it would be impossible to get a workout in over lunch. 4. Incompetent management and nepotism runs rampant. People are promoted based upon their popularity rather than their skill level, tenure, and knowledge of the railroad. 5. Management and directors will block people from interviewing for promotions because they’re worried about losing good employees. 6. Management and directors will also hold employees for MONTHS until a replacement is hired. Oftentimes, the new department rescinds their offer because they can’t get the employee in time, leading to the employee not getting a promotion they rightfully earned. 7. Unrealistic expectations set forth by management. 8. Attitude from subordinates that are never addressed by senior leadership, which leads to a negative work environment. Everyone is constantly walking on eggshells as to not say something that may get them subject to an EEO investigation. 9. Participation in work-related groups and events is discouraged by managers, even though they want us to be involved in activities per our TPT/performance review. Lose/lose situation here. 10. CONSTANT layoffs. There have been a round of layoffs every single year I was here, with more coming. The executives don’t understand the bigger picture. All they care about is padding their wallets. In turn, these constant layoffs create added stress on the employees that were left, because they have to pick up the work that their peers used to do on top of their own.
