Pros
I currently work at RH2 full-time. I have worked at other companies before starting a career with RH2. Disclaimer: I have worked for RH2 for more than 18 years at the time of this writing and intend to work for RH2 for the remainder of my career. • RH2 tends to hire good people that have a “team mentality” mindset. • High Quality Engineering – RH2 has a large emphasis on providing a very high quality service and products to our clients. • Employee-Owned Company – The firm is owned by the employees, no outside parties. To own stock in the company, you must be an employee. • Employee Oriented – Having had the opportunity to work elsewhere prior to RH2 as well as witnessing corporate culture through friends and colleagues, I firmly believe that RH2 is one of the most (if not the most) employee-oriented firm. • Hourly, not Salary – You are paid for the hours you work, not a flat annual salary. Often other firms put employees on salary and then expect them to work more than 8 hours per day. I wish more firms and agencies would adopt hourly pay for professionals because it tends to make people more accountable for their time, especially when you have to log each hour worked. • Overtime – Hours in excess of 40 per week are paid at time-and-one-half. • Raises – Merit and cost of living raises are issued annually. • Starting Pay – When I started, I was on the low end of the pay scale even with my peers in the company. My performance was quickly recognized and pay adjusted to my satisfaction within 18 months of my start. I am not sure, but this may be a “prove it first” type of scheme. I would recommend not shying away from a lower starting pay offer because it will be adjusted up if you perform. • Vacation and Sick Leave – RH2 offers vacation and sick leave that I believe is better than many other employers, especially after 5 years working with the company. • Paid Holidays – RH2 provides paid time off for the normal major holidays. • Health Care – RH2 pays for health care insurance for its employees, including vision and dental coverage. The plan includes a pre-tax Health Savings Account which affords savings to employees. RH2 currently also covers a significant portion of insurance premiums for spouse and family to provide the same coverage to them. • Performance Counts – If you come in and perform for this company, you will be recognized and rewarded. • Bonus Structure – Bonuses are paid twice a year in June and December, and that has been consistent since the inception of RH2 with its employees. The bonuses are notable and not token amounts, but it is not appropriate to share the details here. • Personal Offices – Professional staff are given their own office with a door that closes, not a cubicle. Nice touch. • Retirement Plans – The company offers 401k and Roth 401k options. RH2 also provides an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that RH2 contributes to on behalf of each employee. • Friendly, collegial atmosphere – No matter your staff level, everyone is on a first-name basis with each other, including the company president and vice-president. • Technology – RH2 is constantly looking for new and improved approaches, technologies, and methods for accomplishing work. This allows individuals to suggest new ideas and pursue new areas of professional interest. • Flexibility in Career Path – RH2 is a firm that encourages employees to create opportunities, work and relationships. As your career progresses, if you decide you would like to pursue a niche area of work, you are most often given the latitude to do just that. • Low Turnover – Turnover within RH2 is not zero, but it is low. There is a reason for that. It can be difficult for candidates to get their foot in the door, but once they do, many stay. • Multiple Offices – RH2 has offices throughout Washington and Oregon, allowing some flexibility for staff that may want to work in a specific office/location. • Stable Firm – RH2 survived the 2008 recession without laying off any employees due to a lack of work. This firm is very stable. RH2 focuses on establishing long-term, positive relationships with clients which leads to this stability and long-term success. • Proper Growth – RH2 does not hire a bunch of staff for a big project and then lay them off when the project is complete. RH2 seeks to hire the right staff and keep them employed full time. Big projects are accommodated by existing staff and if the staff are not available, the work is turned down. • Flexibility in Schedule – Sometimes personal schedules do not fit with the 8 to 5 work schedules, and RH2 can approve alternative work schedules to accommodate employees. • Remote Working – When approved by RH2 Directors, work can be performed by employees from home or other locations. • Family – RH2 understands and supports the importance of personal family, and in turn, this helps foster the staff to be a work family. It is very unique. • Equal Opportunity – RH2 truly is an equal opportunity employer.
Cons
• Health Insurance – Although this is listed also as a “PRO” above because the RH2 does indeed provide health insurance, the following are the cons about what is provided. Cost for employee health insurance coverage has been challenging for the company to control. The program RH2 has in place is a high deductible plan which typically means paying higher out-of-pocket expenses (tax-free though) for medical until deductibles and out-of-pocket requirements are satisfied. It is essentially catastrophic insurance, and I would say it is the best they can offer and maintain reasonable rates for clients and employee pay. There may be other firms out there that offer a better health insurance benefit, but deciding to select an employer primarily because of health insurance seems short-sighted in my opinion. • Low 401k Matching – Matching the in the 401k retirement plans is very low, however this is offset in my opinion through company contributions to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). • Training – There is not a structured training program within RH2. I am listing this as a CON although some may view it as a PRO. I partially view it as a PRO, since it allows me the flexibility to do my job the best way I see fit and also quickly evolve as the job and conditions change. Nonetheless, there is not a structured training program nor manuals for newly hired employees. RH2 will send staff to external trainings generally on a case-by-case approval basis and provide on-the-job training for new hires. Engineers that move up through the ranks will advance to Project Management and there is not a training program for this, either for how to manage a project or how to manage and effectively work with the staff you are managing. It is essentially on-the-job training for those aspects too.