customer service representative

engineer

service consultant

gas engineer

analyst

Centerpoint-Energy

I was one of the ones who read these reviews and still accepted the position not thinking these things could happen to me. My experience working at CenterPoint Energy was much more stressful than I expected. While the job itself had potential, the work environment made it difficult to feel supported or motivated. Communication often felt inconsistent, and there were times when concerns raised by employees did not seem to be taken seriously. The overall culture felt unhealthy and created unnecessary stress. You will never have a since of accomplishment because the work is never ending and you WILL miss deadlines for work and your management will be asking you why as if they don't know you are already short staffed, lack work resources, etc. Forget overtime. The company does their best to not offer overtime because they are currently cutting costs.

The environment often felt toxic due to issues with management style, workplace morale, and the way employees were treated. There seemed to be a lack of support and understanding, and it sometimes felt like favoritism and pressure outweighed teamwork and employee development. Instead of feeling encouraged to grow, I often felt drained and undervalued.

For anyone considering a similar role, I would suggest asking detailed questions during the interview process about management expectations, training, work-life balance, and team culture. The experience may vary by department and leadership, but my personal experience was challenging and not something I would want others walking into without being informed. Many of us who were in my training class decided to either pursue other opportunities in another role or left the company entirely.



You'll find common characteristics in the employees.   Most are there less than a few years (newbies) or they have been there decades.  So you go to work there.  Pay is okay....you won't go broke, but you'll never be well off.  Minimal COLA raise and small bonuses.  The exempt employees are expected to work many more than 40 hours a week and they do it...because the spectre of unemployment keeps them in line.  And the great thing about exempt employees is that you don't pay them overtime.

So you see managers doing jobs of front line employees to keep costs down.

Overtime is frowned upon.

Managers do all they can to keep costs down.   They have had years to practice.

The good news is that if you are the "one"...the employee/engineer type that is groomed for management, you get to move around the country.   You aren't kept at any one location for more than a couple of years, so you get good at moving.  It's the fast track to moving up, because nobody ever quits.  Meaning vacancies occur where somebody retires or dies.  Occasionally, after a bad year, they will offer early retirement...opening up positions for promotions...if you are willing to move.

If you are not willing to move, you are trapped.  Small raises and bonuses will be your reward.

I can't say I enjoyed my time there, but it beat going broke.  Though, the low pay isn't much better.

If you are young, you have the potential for advancement as the workforce is aging and getting close to retirement.

At its worst, every few months there are mandates to cut costs.   This is achieved by closing down offices, reduction of staff, voluntary retirements, reduction of benefits, etc.  It's sad because the people that should be sent to the street are left in place because they bow to the will of the most senior management in Houston.

•	Act as shift manager for crew if management is off and/or sick.
•	Train new hires on SAP and Excel procedures
•	Make detailed spreadsheets of Inventory costs and or zero lists.
•	Communicate with other buyers and purchasing agents to obtain correct material shipments (quantity and dates). 
•	Understand lead times of materials and plan accordingly with 3rd party clients.
•	Use SAP (MM) on minute to minute basis.
•	Obtained a Commercial Drivers License(CDL) and Hazardous Materials Endorsement in order to deliver materials personally to clients. In weekly emergencies I have personally delivered materials to clients in an 18-wheeler to ensure scheduled jobs were completed.
•	Regulate cost of materials, stock and non-stock items.
•	Write on/off materials that are no longer viable to the company.
•	Coordinate the disposal of materials according to OSHA and EPA regulations.
•	Attend meetings with Engineers to better understand new OSHA standards for materials used on jobs.
•	Coordinate and track new materials to field use.
•	Use SAP to great purchase orders, check order quantities and ensure delivery dates through company approved carries, or 3rd party carriers(if need be in cases where material needed to be expedited).
•	Scan and attach spreadsheets or documents pertaining to receivables or shipments.
•	Communicate daily through outlook email contact lists to vendors, clients and engineers.
•	Document, deny, and refuse shipments that do not fit company safety requirements or standard packing agreements.
•	Run inventory counts and stock overview counts on "A.B.C" (Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly) items.
•	Keep up with "Workflow" inbox to ensure accountant’s needs are met.

The company, as a whole, might be a good company to work for, but the processes and policies within the Call Center operations are horrible. They preach high integrity, but show the complete opposite. One great example: As a Tele-Sales Rep, the role is commission based an therefor pays at a lower hourly rate than the normal call center representatives. Yet, you will take overflow calls for normal call center operations and not be fairly compensated for such. Example: Spring of 2024, the Great Houston area experienced a string of heavy storms which caused wide spread power outages.  Electric Call Center Representatives were forced into Over Time, but so were the Tele-Sales Representatives. Difference is, the Tele-Sales Representatives are paid at a much lower rate. The Over Time rate for Tele-Sales is a few cents higher than the Starting Rate for regular Call Center Representatives. Additionally, as part of the Tele-Sales commission, customer surveys are large portion of the pay. CenterPoint Energy knows that some customers will either via mistake or in spite, select the wrong rating, thus impacting the representatives' pay. This has been brought to the attention of Management and Leadership, but with no intention of correcting. This, saves cost to CenterPoint Energy, to not have to pay full rate and further devalue the representative; even when the mistake is known and clear. Instead of being paid a full commission, Tier 1, a Tele-Sales representative could be paid a much lower Tier even while completing and performing requirements for the Tier 1 rating; again due to either error or spite of the customer rating entry.   This is a paycheck, but certainly not a long term role. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The job itself was satisfying and actually fun. The friends I made was overwhelming. The Benefits were fantastic. the company had events a lot that was set up for the employees. Working for CenterPoint Energy was like a family thing. The company even had training classes if you so desired to participate in for possible advanced positions. The company has all kinds of ways for an employee to better themselves. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I would have to say that the most stressful parts would have to be when there is an emergency outage. I believe this would have to be stressful for all, Employees and Customers. Mostly for the employees, for it is their responsibility to help keep the customers calm and focused. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is pleasant, of course you have some disagreements here and there , but that is true in any work environment. No one is in agreement all the time. It's only how you handle it that makes the difference. Biggest majority of employees have their friends there that they communicate with, but I never witnessed any new employees being left out of anything.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Well for it was work. There was always work to do. I was in customer service and there was always something to do. Whether it was talking to customers or having to get back with a customer, having to send out orders to servicemen or just following up on other orders and such. You did have some easy days to where not a lot of calls would come in, then you had the chance to chat with a neighbor or catch up on some reading, etc.

If you were to go by Centerpoint's website and policy manual, you would think that Centerpoint was a great place to work but the company often operates independently of its own policies, employment law, and federal contracting requirements.  There is a strong culture in place to keep your head down and not say anything or deal with harassment and marginalization.  More effort is put into place by lower management to rationalize and couch the harassment to make it seem “reasonable” than to correct policy violations. Centerpoint's policies and pillars are really only enforced when it is convenient and the resulting managerial actions don't impact employees that are considered “productive”, which is basically how Uber operated and a lot of other companies probably sadly do as well. This unevenness in the application of policy emboldens a lot of bad behavior within the organization. So be aware that there is a lot of boilerplate policy that is only on paper to meet federal contracting guidelines or help insulate the company from litigation.  It is there but the policies were not created organically, nor was there buy in,  or pressure to maintain congruency. The ironic thing about all this is that the organization talks big about its pillars, policies, and diversity.  It talks about them all the time but there is little to no support for any of these at the moment they become inconvenient.

When I first started working at CNP, there were local offices scattered across the state.   CSRs, a manager, a crew all worked in these offices.  They had a sales floor showing off some of the natural gas products.   The sales program was such that employees got rewarded for sales.  You'd accumulate enough points to earn a free vacation.  And that was how you afforded to go on your annual trip.

Except you went with your coworkers.

The company bred loyalty by keeping pay low and browbeat you into working overtime for free.  It was for the greater good.

As time progressed, the company started to realize keeping branch offices open in every small,town, was a bad idea.  So they closed these offices.  You lost that sense of community because of it.

Now, the company will do anything to squeeze an extra nickel.  Gone are the days where cuctomer service was the motivation.  It's all about getting that nickel.

Yet, they still brainwash you into thinking that you, an employee, are valued.  Oh, they serve lunch for free at the quarterly safety meeting....where an employee cooks you a cheap steak and you eat during the meeting where they roll out the latest cost savings measures and cuts.  And as an employee, you buy into it.

They promote those that are the best at brainwashing others.  If you are a free thinker, you will not do well here.  The company needs yes men and yes women that will toe the line.

A typical day at CenterPoint Energy (CNP) depends on the department where you work. Some departments are all work, all the time with little flexibility. Others have much more downtime and flexibility. The benefits of a company the size of CNP are the number of opportunities to develop your skillsets. CNP is shifting from a traditional utility mindset to a more data driven company and the transformation process is challenging as the company determines how to use the data, how to allocate the most efficient resources who know how to interpret the data, and how to securely store the data. The people who work at CNP are hard-working people and there are numerous instances of people spending 50+ years with the company, as well as instances of multiple generations within the same family working for CNP. The hardest part about the job is advancing. Many departments are very flat organizationally and unless someone retires, there are few opportunities for advancement beyond certain points within the department. Job positions with advancement opportunities are posted internally, however, many times it is as a formality and a desired candidate has already been identified, making the interview process an HR formality. CNP realizes the importance of work/life balance and many departments are able to enjoy flexible work schedules and dress.

a lot of working to resolve no time for extra text form the company 

if you like to improve you have to used your own time, like eat you 

lunch and learn a the same time no breaks.

or use you personal phone to get in contact.

life and work is no very balances, at Center Point.

micro management, special new employees, sink o swim.
no training, you learn buy you own.

workplace every body in his own businesses.

try to finish all the task of the day after you attend an emergency.

the fun time is the voluntary help to people, only.

you have to do you personal paper work in a sick day and reported to
the manager.

more stress that you need:

drilling with different companies for different service in a different state
to file a paperwork for any benefit and give copy to the manager.
plane to get a baby or sick day.

and revise all the bills of the medical service. after you returned from 
sick you have to do all the other job and assignment at the company
to, driving test, learning, and other test for gold at the company

after working many years, you no retire, 
they decided for you to scouted you out like a old dog, out of the door. you buy you own.

when they merge companies, you out., you never Know when you will be out.

you do the best for this company, they do no care, no always dear.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working for this Corporation gave me many opportunities. It afforded me knowledge, skills, and advancements through training, classes along with other areas of growth. I became certified in various topics and was promoted in every department for the 23 1/2 years I was there. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There were 3-month reviews and depending on the workload deadlines had to be met. The process of it all required focus and attentiveness to complete every assignment as needed.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There was always a very diverse group of people working for the Corporation. The environment was usually pleasant and we worked as a team until the job was done. We had opportunities to experience each other's cultures by attending certain functions concerning family members of the team or other co-workers we had come to know.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical morning was having breakfast at our desk while working. The breakfast was compliments from one of the vendors or sometimes depending on deadlines Management was very complimentary by rewarding the crew with breakfast or lunch; whichever came first.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Customer service representative 4 salaries reported	$16.13 per hour
Engineer 6 salaries reported	$84,500 per year
Service consultant 13 salaries reported	$80,308 per year
Gas engineer 4 salaries reported	$94,713 per year
Analyst 6 salaries reported	$85,333 per year

Working at CenterPoint Energy: Company Overview and Reviews

CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy Ratings

Popular jobs at CenterPoint Energy

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected