Like a gleaming mansion with crumbling foundations, appearances can mask the fractures lurking beneath.
Pros
Field personnel and field support personnel are great to work with, dedicated employees in many functions and are the reason for the positive aspects of the company and its culture. They genuinely care about the ratepayer/customer. Benefits and pay are on the more positive side of average depending on role/business unit. Diverse opportunities with careers across the business structure from operations to regulatory, finance, or customer interfacing functions. It’s an opportunity to gain longevity with a company but having the opportunity to move/gain new career experiences. Being a regulated utility offers a unique advantage to career stability.
Cons
It feels like Xcel often exploits its position with being regulated utility and accessing federal funding. There is a lack of accountability that exists across different departmental and business unit layers of leadership up to executive levels. Financial challenges are almost self-inflicted in many aspects, lack of thoughtfulness and thoroughness in financial stewardship and strategic priorities. Corporate governance is largely neglected, seems to be a disconnected between business units and functions, this can be perceived as demonstrating a clear disregard for ethical management and accountability, also creates unnecessary and preventable risks. At certain managerial, directorial, and executive levels, there exists a noticeable disconnect in personal accountability. Leaders often prioritize self-interest and favoritism within their circles, neglecting their obligations despite their compensation. This directly impacts diversity and inclusion as well, diversity isn’t just around culture, race, sexual or gender identities. It has to be inclusive of considering those/others that may be great at running a company, or department that are outside of their existing inner circles or may be threat to them when it comes to performance and delivering sustainable results to execute companies goals.
