Pros
Granted that this review will seem very negative overall. BUT KEEP READING. I counter the following negativity with the following “pros”: (1) my specific teammates are nice people, but I see that we are unusual in this respect; (2) my manager is an approachable, supportive person, but I know that this is the exception not the rule; (3) work/life balance is something that you hear about a lot…I think insofar as, yes, you can count on a set number of hours per week and MOST people who are not literally installing parts in the factory do have weekends free, but there are swells in demand on your time with certain design teams…Nothing to be shocked about, but it's worth noting; (4) benefits are very good (retirement & education assistance, which I believe are the only meaningful benefits…the clubs, affiliation groups, etc. are valuable for those who are interested in participating...); (5) diversity (gender/race/religion, from what I can tell/see/know) – I have zero complaints and would actually say that this IS something the company is committed to in a noticeable way. The diversity in terms of age/race/gender is what I would expect by generation and in terms of hierarchy (i.e., the younger/lower-level generation of employees is essentially what any company would be aiming for in terms of a diverse workforce, and the diversity within the older/higher-level generation of employees is what you would expect with some nice surprises). This review is NOT to say that you should not work here. It is just addressing some points that will never be addressed until you actually start working here. Are these typical corporate problems? Yes, but this is a review for Boeing, so I think being vague by saying something like, “It’s what you’d expect from a big corporation,” is a disservice. No one comes here unaware that they are joining a big corporation. It’s the unfamiliarity of the manifestations of the corporate culture that beat people down/shock them/other. Please join (or reject) the company with open eyes. You will be better for it because you can go in being more honest with what you expect/want out of a job/this job.
Cons
CAMARADERIE/SUPPORT Management is hit or miss. Teams are hit or miss. Management does NOT have hard conversations with problematic employees to address poor performance or behavior that is unacceptable (how people communicate...or don't). This is not speculation. It is obvious based on the types of interactions I have with/have seen between other employees (newer and older). The negative behavior exhibited did not develop overnight. They have been in the works, but rather than nipping those habits in the bud, management lets it slide. The way people speak to each other/ignore each other is a problem because this is how there can be entire teams that do not progress. TECHNICAL VS. MANAGEMENT PATHS This will come up often. Unfortunately, there is a gap between technical and management paths. Supposedly there are efforts to change this and start to unite them more – I am skeptical because I feel like there are many “initiatives/goals” that higher-level leadership says/thinks about, but the individual contributors never see the fruits of that labor unless it’s by accident/for some other reason. DESIGN – Expectations vs. Realities of Most Engineers & Tech Designers Boeing does NOT innovate on a widespread level; by that I mean, there is innovation, but only on a few (FEW) select teams. The rest of the teams are mostly reviewing specifications and preparing and reviewing drawings in a database so that the designs can be implemented on the planes. This is a routine task, not really an engineering/technical task; it’s generally repetitive. I’m not saying it’s simple, but it’s more a tedious task than a mentally stimulating task. If you are looking for a job where you drive design changes from scratch, you will not have that experience here at all. That is OK for many people, but PLEASE BE AWARE of this. Most of the “hard engineering” is done by suppliers and/or outsourced labor in other Boeing locations. Many engineering roles turn out to be about coordination of groups rather than doing the actual analyses/calculations and/or designing from scratch. REWARD/SENSE OF VALUE This is subjective, but this is lacking. I see many people who just show up for a paycheck. That is sad because this is a company that can pick whomever it wants (in any graduating class of engineers…no one, unless they are lying, would be upset to get an offer from Boeing). Coming out of college or out of smaller companies might give people the impression that they will be more engaged in the design/production of the airplane at Boeing. However, it is very easy to be totally removed from the final product. Yes, we all have our roles to contribute to a huge end goal, but this is draining, especially on teams that do not support production directly. Many people are put on these “less essential” teams, but they would be more objectively useful on the teams that support production. That being said, the inessential teams (as well as, unfortunately, the more objectively important teams) get almost no support on a regular basis...on top of already being treated as low-priority yet being expected to deliver constantly. This MATTERS because it is easy to become detached from your work when you do not support product and when you get reminders daily that your work is less important. If you are on a design team, expect to have deadlines, too, and lots of pressure because you are often the most important contact for almost everyone. Any team as an engineer/tech designer involves being overloaded with work without management support to alleviate or mitigate that workload in a sustained way. SUPPLY CHAIN Nothing could prepare an engineer/tech designer for the influence of Supply Chain. Boeing feels more like a business that has engineers rather than an engineering company that does business. Just like between engineering design teams, there are misaligned priorities between Supply Chain and Engineering organizations. This causes so many problems. Supply Chain is too large an organization and has its hands in everything. This is problematic because engineering groups are limited in their ability to effect change in the company. Business (Supply Chain) determines the "changes" in the company. COMMUNICATION This is an issue – this is not a negligible problem. I wish it were treated with a seriousness relative to its impact on everyday life. This affects every single aspect of your day and ability to get your job done. Because managers do not have hard conversations with problematic employees, many employees continue to treat others like trash within their team and outside of their team. Then other teams get ignored by each other regularly because EVERYTHING is a priority, and management doesn’t try to rectify this by being clear about what is important and cutting off the things that are unimportant. Supposedly, some will say, “that’s the only way things will get done [if everything is a priority].” I don’t know…since it seems like when everything is a priority, a lot never gets done yet the expectation that everything is completed still exists. And all it does is fester hatred and a dead-eyed approach to work. The way people speak to others here is atrocious. Having worked in other jobs, no one would get away with the brattiness and condescension I’ve witnessed here. People whining to other employees about being asked to do their job/tasks that only they are authorized to do. People telling others that they have screwed up an entire project when they’re doing their best in a difficult situation - it is OK not be be happy with people, but turning it into a "blame game" is wrong. People cursing at others. People screaming at others for not understanding. God forbid someone decides that maybe treating other people better and with understanding – and doing their actual job description without whining (if there is a complaint, go to your manager – don’t sass at the person who is asking you…because you would not be approached if you were not assumed to be the contact). I am disgusted by the blind eye that all levels of management give to bad behavior. Soft skills make a company culture. There is no value placed on that here. And there isn’t even a lot of design work here. It’s repetitive and slow. It’s focused on shareholder values. It’s focused on money. It’s being reminded that you are a body. The toxic work culture is the worst part of Boeing. Higher management does not know/acknowledge how its indecisiveness wreaks havoc on the lower management and individual team members...and then wonders why things don't get done quickly or at all.