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Solar Turbines

Part of Caterpillar

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Solar Turbines reviews

3.9

74% would recommend to a friend

(619 total reviews)

Jim Umpleby

72% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Solar Turbines has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 619 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Solar Turbines employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Energy, Mining & Utilities industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

619 reviews
1.0
Mar 23, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work/life balance. Still a place where people can spend their entire career at (if you're OK with the constantly worsening compensation package)

Cons

Culture promotes cohesion over everything. This means that nearly identical raises are given to people who do the absolute minimum and the highest performers. This is done to keep everyone "happy". Company states that it pays in the 75th percentile (without sharing any of the data with its employees) and deceptively includes "at risk" pay (incentive compensation) as part of this baseline. Executive management have tied managers' hands from giving out large raises to high performers, and made it so that most new employees are unable to advance in the salary grade and are constantly near the bottom of their salary grade. Company is slow to adapt to market opportunities, and is conservative to a fault. Most of the highest performers have left for better opportunities, as the pay structure is a give and take (in order to give more to one employee, you are required to take from another employee). In order to keep everyone happy (which is the most important Solar value), despite discouraging high potential/higher performer employees, managers tend to give nearly identical raises to all their direct reports regardless of ability and potential.

1.0
May 3, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not many anymore....Used to be great pay, benefits and the chance to grow. Today, not so much anymore. Jump ship before it sinks completely. It actually used to be a great place to work, with pensions and good benefits. Then it transitioned into the sunset retirement for people hired between 1996 and the 2000's, and now is just 401K if you are permanent. But mostly now the place is now staffed with temps, who still have a spark in their eye thinking they joined a great company. Pay is average/OK, but mediocre when you take into account it is a hazardous environment.

Cons

Since last year with the oil prices down this company has been dramatically reducing staff and where needed, added temps with no real benefits through a staffing agency. In light of massive layoffs and a lack of real product innovation, the president will dress as Batman (yes, that is right) as Batman, to address factory employees and dispense advice to employees that are on the brink of losing their jobs. He will talk about how to face the challenges ahead and some personal stories that do not relate. Some directors who have recently left Solar had it right when they saw the downfall coming and left that once glorious organization. Before, Solar was riding on this prosperous windfall of high oil prices, but now that oil is down to $30 a barrel, all the ineptitude starting from the top and cascading down to middle management is going to really suffer from a lack of business acumen. If you are fresh out of college, don't think that this is the organization your parents joined. It is a sad remnant. If you are employed there, you already know it is a matter of time before this old technology company implodes with all the regulations and cost cutting pressures enhanced by its mediocre performing Caterpillar parent implodes. At a recent meeting, one of the directors for O&G was asked what the incentives to stay were for younger engineers. He replied that he did not know, since he was already very close to retirement and that "it was a different environment now" Amazing, that coming from the leadership. What a lack of it! The problems at Solar are compounded by Cat's troubles. Google this, it's public information: they bought Bucyrus and Siwei. Bucyrus purchased in 2010 has not turned a profit yet and Siwei was a Chinese deal were they cooked the books. So again, if you are a bright young fella, don't join here. You will just grow frustrated. Do your research based on the above listed facts, add to the mix that only families and nepotism rule, and you will soon realize its better to leave this company to rot.

1.0
Sep 20, 2018

Die In Place

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really flexible schedule and no need to work overtime. It lends itself to great work-life balance No deadlines, really easy work, no real need to be smart, proactive, or competitive. Standard benefits, good amount of vacation, really laid back job. For technicians is a great place to work focus on safety. Great place to work if you are not passionate, do not want to innovate, and want to slowly decay in a silo becoming irrelevant for the industry. Great place for underachievers, and lazy people. The inefficiency of production lends itself to big overtime opportunities.

Cons

No possibility to growth. Only "good old boys" get promoted. Must be part of a click in order to be consider for promotions or a different job. The company still operates with a dated structure with no chance of mobility. Top management doe snot believe in rotation, or using the talent instead relaying on "perceive" image of a employee to determine the worth of an employee. Upper management is sales based and does not understand engineering principles. It is more akin to used car sales lot than an engineering department. Young professionals are given menial tasks, and are not developed. There is no establish training paths, and managers only know how to put people in silos without being able to successfully make team work happen. Over-payed disgruntled legacy employees would not allow process improvement, and will beat you down with "that's how we always done it" slogan.

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Glassdoor has 805 Solar Turbines reviews submitted anonymously by Solar Turbines employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Solar Turbines is right for you.