Pros
There are some pro's to working at Solar: - It is a nice building with a nice lunch room (if you work in the office). It is a new building and is very well maintained. - Paycheck: Pay is always on time without issues - There are benefits: health insurance, dental, vision and 401K. - Decent co-workers. The people are generally friendly - Adequate pay for the area. Pay rates are typical for the county - You will get a lot of experience and knowledge for your resume when you decide to leave - The product SI manufacturers is beautiful and it is a nice feeling to have a hand in it. This is American manufacturing. - There is always work to be done. You will never be bored. - There is a company picnics which is fun if you have children. - Solar will always exist. You don't have to worry about the company going under and you are suddenly out of a job with a company who can't provide a severance. There is no doubt the company will continue to grow and expand.
Cons
Unfortunately there are many more con's than there are pro's. - The company is micro managed and there is a culture of distrust. All departments and each position are managed with a fine tooth comb, but often in the wrong ways. Small issues turn into mountains and large issues are often overlooked. - Because everything is micromanaged there is always fear in the air. Fear of someone ratting on you, fear of being caught talking to a coworker, fear of taking too long in the bathroom, fear of a project problem turning into a nightmare where everyone blames you for problems but no one helps... just a lot of fear. - You can forget about saying good morning to co-workers. There is no need to ask someone how their weekend was as you pour coffee. Literally - asking someone how their son’s soccer game was is considered a violation because you are there to work, not socialize. - There is a witch hunt mentality in the office, and probably the shop too. Management is always looking for faults and mistakes- down to things like salaried employees clocking in a minute late from work, throwing a plastic water bottle into the trash can and not the recycling bin (someone literally checks your trash), showing someone a picture of your dog on a phone, taking a personal call during work hours, or calling your health insurance company during work hours. Nothing is ever good enough. There is something to be said for continual improvement, but never doing enough, never producing enough, never being fast enough... takes an awful toll on the mind. - If you want a job where you are at ease each day this is not the place. The mistrust, anxiety, and criticism are too much. It isn't just one person criticizing it is company –wide problem. You will not feel appreciated or needed. SI is a culture which tears away at your soul one day at a time. - When you mess up, because you will, you will be publicly criticized in front of the entire department. Chances are good it will be during the morning meeting in an open room where approximately 50 people work. The owner will become angry and start yelling at you in front of your peers and for the entire office to hear. He is very charismatic and demeaning in his screaming so there is a good chance he will bring you to tears in front of your "teammates." - If you are considering a job here: Consider this - Are you starving? Do you currently have an income? If you said yes, then keep looking. If you are starving, with no food for you and your kids, and you are about to go into foreclosure on your mortgage then it may be a possibility. - If you are looking for a job and you are overweight then you probably will not be hired. It has always been fascinating that skinny people are selected, especially women. There are few overweight individuals in a county with plenty of sedentary people. - Also, if you are over 30 you probably won't get hired, and if are hired you will probably be fired. This is a young company where almost everyone is under thirty. Tech skills are prime and people over thirty are usually fired in the end. Keep that in mind. -If you are a single parent do not come here. There is no flexibility with schedules. If your child is sick you can't be off a day, if your child has a play you can't leave early, if your child gets sick at school your mom better be able to pick them up from school. Families are not seen as important to this company. The company and work is always first. - The ideal candidate for a position at SI is a single person who has no friends, family, children or significant other. Someone with drive and motivation to succeed. Someone who will put work above everything else and who is 22 years old. This is someone who is right out of college, tech savy and who hasn't worked anywhere else so they don't know how employees are normally treated. - When it snows you need to have a 4WD car. Coming in late is not acceptable. SI is on a mountain, a treacherous mountain. - There is a program called Pay for Performance. It will probably be discussed in an interview as a benefit. Ask for proof on the last time they paid out, and ask for documentation on how many times in the last 5 years they paid. - Life Problems: If your internet provider needs to come to the house, if you are sick and need to go to the doctor, if your car needs inspection... these all have to be handled at night after hours. You are not able to leave work early to take care of these issues. - The HR department is useless. Do not go to them with any problems because it will not be handled. The “winner” of such problems is whoever the owner decides he likes the most. It has nothing to do with HR and policy. - There is a lack of empathy for humans, but plenty of love for the environment. Several employees and their spouses have suffered from cancer and fund raising drives were not allowed: but Solar will contribute money to the local humane society for dogs and hamsters. The company is obsessed with recycling and being green, but they won't help their own employees. Actions speak louder than words. - These are plenty of reasons to think about working at Solar Innovations. Ask around and you'll probably find someone who worked here in the past and would be more than willing to share their experience with you. Solar has a definite reputation in the community and it won't take long to find a former employee.
