assembler

machine operator

senior material handler

electronics technician

senior assembler

G&W Electric Company

G&W Electric is a company mired by an extremely poor senior management culture of finger-pointing and blame, plus a refusal to modernize operational systems past what existed in the 1950's.  

G&W hires for upper level management positions yearly, claiming exponential growth, then fires the same people a year later, blaming all the problems of the past on these new-hires.  All the while senior management is left unaccountable for their own failures and refusal to coordinate toward any cohesive company plan - it's like a bunch of independent contractors in small cliques working toward opposite ends - little communication, bad business ethics, "flavor of the month" decisions or pet projects.

Even though automated production lines were invented in the 19th century and perfected later by Ford, G&W Electric still champions backwards manual processes and heavy physical work, such as pushing 1,000 lb. products through the plant by hand on carts. Prospective employees beware!

Few promotions, except for buddies of fickle senior management.  Company would rather hire from outside than promote from within.

Customer orders go unfulfilled, inventory is lost, all documentation still on paper forms causing countless errors.

Most departments are severely understaffed and mandatory overtime has been the norm for years - prepare to be overworked and underpaid.  12-hour shifts with punitive point system for attendance.  You will get questioned if you use sick time or take any time off.

Hourly employees pay gap between seniority employees and new-hires causing major morale problems.

Union unfriendly company.

I worked at G&W for 6 and a half years and I loved it. They appreciated and valued me as a person and what I brought to the company. I had plenty of exposure in my role, and room for growth, and was rewarded with a promotion after 4 years of hard work.

I loved the people I worked with. I felt like I was a part of a team, and that I had input to make large changes when they made sense. I really liked that the company celebrated wins with employee gatherings - food truck days, picnics, etc.

The biggest thing I remember about working for G&W is the ownership really cared about their employees. I remember walking the factory floor with the owner on my first week, and was amazed as he stopped so many employees on his walk and not only knew their names, but was asking about their individual family members as well. He really is a people person. At holidays, we would get hand-written cards from the CEO. Those are things that made me feel like a human, and not just a number for a corporation. 

Are you looking for better opportunities? It’s becoming clear that the company is not supporting its employees as promised. Ongoing broken commitments have kept many of us here, but now the situation is out in the open and more people are starting to look elsewhere or put up some lost time in their position.

Originally, employees were allowed to apply for internal job postings after six months. That policy was later changed to one year, and then a six-month freeze was put in place starting in February. To make matters worse, apprentice candidates were selected, interviewed, and even hired—only for the entire program to be canceled a week before it was set to begin.

Disorganization makes it impossible to plan weekends—mandatory overtime is often announced on Friday afternoons. They have recently scheduled overtime but still cancel some of them at the last hour. 

I have worked for G&W almost 5 years. Our director, manager, supervisor, and team leads have all changed multiple times each. They leave, they find better jobs, or they are so incompetent that they are terminated. Engineers constantly change work instructions, processes, and tolerances, but there is very little communication of changes to operators. Operators are then held responsible when something is not done right. Inventory has been an issue for years, but because of the constant management changes, nothing is done about it. It is a work environment that is a headache to anyone in middle management.

G&W Electric is a great company overall with a friendly work environment, good pay, great benefits, bonus opportunities, and mostly friendly colleagues. It is busy and you are expected to do a lot, but they also offer a decent amount of time off. They pay their manufacturing employees well and also treat them well. The offices and plants in Bolingbrook are very nice - clean, modern, updated.

There are some managers who are not the strongest and they take too long to make decisions, but my own supervisor was excellent. There were also a few leaders who came across as arrogant and talked down to people, but they were not in my department.

I honestly wish I never resigned from this company. 

I have been working in the welding department for over a year, and while the work itself is hands-on and rewarding, the management and environment are very challenging. There is inconsistent training, poor communication (often just notes on a whiteboard), and a blame culture where workers are held responsible for issues caused by management. Standards and expectations are often unclear, and the recent retesting felt more like a way to create excuses for disciplinary action rather than improving quality.

If you’re considering working here, be aware that the company prioritizes appearances over proper training and support. Strong welding skills will help you succeed, but the workplace culture can be stressful and demoralizing.

The interns were separated into different groups to work on different projects, with further divisions stemming from having to focus on particular parts of the plant. Despite that, working at G&W felt like I was part of an integrative team, where we use our results to help along the work of other groups. We even occasionally go out to lunch as a group to get to know each other better. The time I worked at G&W Electric provided me with an invaluable experience, working with lean manufacturing techniques as they were being implemented into the workplace. The work left a lasting impression on me, as if I made a lasting impact on the company in some way.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The connections I made with co workers

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Managers are friends with upper management and HR. Can’t really trust anyone to be professional and unbiased.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It’s a private company, so employees are low in hierarchy. Manager and HR are friends and thier professional and personal lines and boundaries are not separated. Can’t trust them or count on confidentiality 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You work doing multiple jobs not in your original job description. Long days and into the nights.

Mid level management micromanages. Culture is lacking. Poor training program. Leads are more like floor Supervisor and supervisor are more like floor managers. Some are in positions because of who they know not because they have the leadership or skills to do the job. No accountability across the board. Unless you are or close with the top brass your words mean next to squat. Many on the floor are too afraid to speak up due to the work environment mid level management has created. People walk around with the attitude of come in do my job and go home. This is feedback not just from me but what I’ve also heard. 

you get there and just wait for its time to start work and they go over what they expect and whatnot in the meeting and they assign you to your station and as soon as you need something the team lead isn't there for half of the time so which sucks. I've learned all stations within my department and i also learned how to control a robot. the culture is nice a mixture of everything, people are nice to you and help you out a lot. the hardest part i would say just not getting your material and the lead isn't there and cannot get ahold of him 

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