Electric Boat

Halfway decent benefits, though this is not reliable as management keeps cutting them every couple of years. 

If your Mom or Dad work here, you have the potential (and likelihood) to go far. If you are obsequious or are a sycophant, you also will likely go far. For the rest of us, don't bother 
working hard because you won't get anything out of it. If you are prior submarine fleet (like me) I am telling you, do NOT come here. It will break your heart to see how poor the quality 
is (and the company management not only knows it, but that is actually what they shoot for because then the company also gets paid to fix it again and again and again). I was told recently 
by a friend of mine at the company who recently got picked up as a supervisorsupervisor, that the 1 week training he went through largely was a cultural indoctrination into what we refer 
to as the 'management mafia' wherein you are actually told to treat almost everyone non-management with disdain because they are all lazy, foot-dragging, union (or, in the case of salary, union-like enough)
garbage that needs constant hand-holding like a child, and cannot be trusted or allowed to think or act on their own. This makes for an extremely toxic work environment. Then when you throw in
the union who thinks everyone salaried person is their enemy, it becomes plain to see pretty quickly that this is not a friendly place for engineers. When you add in that the turnover rate in 
engineering is MASSIVE and as a result that you will have NO mentoring and almost everyone in management and operations will treat you like you're 'just another stupid, useless engineer', constantly subvert
and undermine you and your efforts, and end up doing whatever they want anyway (consequences be damned), it makes for an extremely toxic work culture, esp for new engineers. I could not possibly 
state enough of how toxic of a work environment and work culture this place has. 

The job is reliable, but largely because its a social-welfare hand-out program. I'm not joking. Fully half of the people in the company do absolutely nothing or very close to nothing on a daily basis. 
This is because the company hires tons of people, basically to charge the clock. The state politicians love it because now at least they can nail those people for taxes and claim a lower 
unemployment rate that would be otherwise in this area of the state and they don't have to hand out as much 'actual' welfare. This also has the benefit of making the state look better off than
it actually is. Its a facade, all paid for by federal tax dollars. Its a social welfare work program. Because of this, YOU as an engineer are expected to just stay quiet and take your 'paycheck'. 
You do not have any say in anything as an engineer and there is no way to move up if you're not from here and know somebody or kiss a lot of behind. The nepotism is the worst I have ever seen. 
Its because the company doesn't need half the people there (including you). 

One other thing at work is that it seems the state of CT and RI (where the work force primarily comes from) have been culturally socialistic for quite some time. Because of this, you will pay MASSIVE taxes
on any property you buy. The income tax is also pretty high. This is because many people, for going on four generations now, have simply chosen not to work. This adds to the entitlement and nepotism attitudes 
not just at the company, but in the whole region. Once again, take your paycheck, make it look like  you did something for the week, and go home if you are not part of the company royalty club. Its welfare yes, 
but its what you are expected to do. The company still gets paid for your hours. Because of this, the management (who actually DO work) feels entitled to do whatever they choose. They are extremely abusive 
because in their view, everyone around them is just another dim, welfare-loving, lazy, maladroit, who is undeserving of joining the 'management mafia' and more than that, they deserve to be treat like trash.
Believe me, I now realize how socialism always goes wrong after being up here for several years. When I  think of this company making national defense weapons to keep the country 'free', yet it is SO socialized and 
culturally ugly, I chuckle and sigh. The management mafia doesn't do things right here, they cut corners everywhere. I think some of it is because they think everyone around them is dim, some of it is because 
they are tired of fighting against an employee body that doesn't seem to care (I wonder why) and some of it is because the Navy oversight is very poor (and also doesn't seem to care). 

Overall, its a stable welfare check with half-way decent benefits (until they cut them again in another year). But I simply could not recommend it unless you like a social welfare job where you get treated 
like you're trash everyday, have no real purpose or meaning in your job function, aren't needed (and management reminds you of this constantly), and will never make it into management unless your family is 
part of the mangement mafia already. One last thing on that, if you are a young, pretty, woman, who doesn't mind flirting, YOU will go far here! There is actually an initiative to replace as many men as possible
in management in the next five years as possible. No, I am not making that up, it was actually a company-wide email a couple of months ago. Go figure, the president of General Dynamics is a woman. 
They have become more abusive than the men, and because they're women, there is NO recourse if you are a man. There is absolutely nothing you can say or do. It makes me think of how the Khamer Rouge took over in 
Cambodia. Give it a try, apply today!

The company is managed horribly, there's only advancement if you kiss up to higher-ups.

Your work is essentially pointless because someone somewhere will tell you to change what you did for the better.  Your reward for doing extra work, is doing more work that others don't do, and getting yelled at for not getting every project done on time because you have more than you can handle. 

Engineers don't get paid anywhere near what they are worth, so they're always leaving. So you constantly are training new people coming in how to build submarines. 

The benefits and schedule are very flexible, but low on paid time off for professional level workers. 

Company used to be fairly laid back until fixed price contracts. Pressure is unbearable from the upper management and they don't seem to care if the product is a good product. They just want the job done on time regardless if it's total garbage or not. 

They're too cheap on the manufacturing side to buy high tech tooling, so they leave the burden on design to make up the gap. Very few forward thinkers, everyone just wants to do everything the way they have done it for sixty years. 

Fellow employees are mostly great people except for when you're driving to and from work, then they will absolutely kill you if they have the chance to be one car length ahead of you. In person they're super nice though. 

Human resources takes over a year to get back to you on internal job applications.

I have literally waited in line for a bathroom stall for ten minutes. Otherwise you can walk around and try to find one open. I've climbed 5 floors with 5 stalls each floor and found them all to be full. 

You are truly just a number here, if you can handle that for the massive pay, then you're golden.

Electric Boat in a unique company, as a defense contractor, there is no typical work day. You must be committed to long hours and often challenging tasks. As an Electrician, there are many facets to each project, from learning the many drawings, installations in very tight spaces to long periods of building in difficult positions and locations.
I have become proficient at completing tasks on time, correctly,  while following strict guidelines set forth by General Dynamics and the Navy.
  The management at Electric Boat is commited to the project and the employees. Each employee has their strengths and I believe my management staff uses this knowledge well. 
  Many of my co-workers are former military, each bringing their own talents to the tasks at hand. Never an issue asking any of them for a hand if needed.
  The hardest part of the job is the confined spaces and the unforgiving nature of working in a large steel tank. Hazards are plenty.
 The greatest part is a successful, tough build!!! Your recognition for success is another tough build. You are able to progress by your own merits. Being singled out for a tough project, although sometimes stressful, is very rewarding.

My stint at Electric boat has been a whirlwind of growth – I've picked up skills that are worth their weight in gold. But let's be real, folks, the vibe around here can be a bit of a downer.

One thing that's been bugging me is how we do process improvement. Instead of getting the top brass to steer the ship, it feels like we're all just throwing darts at a board and hoping for the best. It's like trying to bake a cake without a recipe – messy and unpredictable.

And don't even get me started on the workload! With demand for our product shooting through the roof, it's like we're all trying to juggle flaming swords. Newbies? Poor souls are thrown into the lion's den from day one. It's a stress cooker, and it's tough to muster up the energy for change.

So, why the two-star rating, you ask? Well, despite the bumps in the road, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. I see sparks of potential here, a glimmer of hope that we can turn things around if we roll up our sleeves and tackle these issues together. Here's to brighter days ahead, my friends.

Some managers were better than others, but the level of incompetence there was greater than any other place I've worked. Major mistakes that cost the company money and made it look bad to its customer were often rewarded with career advancement. Management acts like it owns its employees, and their justification is that they pay well. Management is often verbally abusive to its employees. There are some good points to working there, however. Raises of 75 cents an hour are handed out every six months plus there is an annual cost of living raise. There is a lot of overtime potential. Also, safety is a major consideration. They want people to go home in exactly the same condition they came to work. There are injuries, but in all honesty, most of those injuries came down to people choosing to be unsafe.

So I've worked here for a total of 5 months now. I've noticed that there is a massive lack of leadership/accountability. We are trained according to SSPs (Shipyard Standard Procedures) however, there is no enforcement of said SSPs. Management is constantly working around them to accomplish boosting their productivity numbers. If you have a very good work ethic, follow rules, and are eager to learn, then look elsewhere. I have yet to have any steady work at the facility. They are an estimated 1 year behind in receiving essential materials to build nuclear submarines. So they have us "look busy" for 8 hours a day. It's a shame because I was so excited to have a sense of commradery and purpose being prior military. It doesn't exist here. Managers have been hired off the street with no trade experience because people are retiring or quitting at a rapid rate. 

Work is technical, interesting and exciting and teaches great engineering thought process and teaches employees to expect high quality results from themselves and others. This experience is perfect for an engineer in their early development years, however the company is production focused with little emphasis on employee development. 
Great frontline management takes a beating from upper management. Upper management is detached from the rest of the company and is struggling to figure out why young employee retention rates are low.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people and the pay scale for my profession in the area.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company most often puts unqualified people in management positions. This lack of people and technical skills leads to many personnel and production issues. 


What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is varied. Culture favors change for the sake of change at least in my area. Also people are not personally rewarded for their achievements. Many of the jobs are union positions so everyone is rewarded the same with no difference based on achievement. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Varied duties. A combination of lab work and paperwork.

EB provides consistent, stable work as evident with the many individual who have careers over 30 years at the company.  However, the management of the company and culture is very out dated and mimics the NAVY.  Although not unique to EB, there is a significant attrition problem at the company with the majority of the experience and tribal knowledge leaving the company and little turn over.  Engineering is run very much like the union and advancement is solely based on time at the company.  Little reward or incentive to excel.  Poorly managed at every level.

Electric Boat doesn't like change and will try if at all possible to keep things status quo for the next decade. New projects and ingenuity is not really encouraged because testing of new functionality and funding is deemed impossible to procure. Electric Boat does take advantage of hard workers. Mandatory overtime happens occasionally and depending on your manager, time is compensated differently. 
Comp time and floating holidays are wonderful. Workplace culture is professional and fun, coworkers are usually happy to help with questions. Retention of new employees is difficult due to retired navy mentality of some of the older employees.

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