Ultratec,-Inc

Ultratec, Inc., is a company that makes hardware and software for the hearing impaired (I.E. - hearing aids, etc.), as well as providing telephone captioning services. While the company has a generally positive mission and was an "OK" place to work, the negative aspects provided by management turned an alright job into one of the most unenjoyable experiences I have ever had. This review aims to provide constructive feedback for prospective employees and hopefully, the company itself.

Pros:
- The pay/benefits for my position was satisfactory, though this wasn't consistently applied throughout the IT department.
- My colleagues were generally pleasant and easy to work with, as well as reasonably skilled. They were, however, unavailable or sometimes unable to assist with tasks that fell within their domain due to poor resource management.
- The physical environment is a bit stale (Ex., buildings are older and could do with some modern renovations, etc.), but overall seems well-maintained and mostly clean. 

Cons:
- Management is very poor, specifically in the IT department. I will expand on it below, as I firmly believe it warrants its own section.
- Your will work in a silo, even if you are capable of performing duties outside the initial scope of your position and tasks/projects are falling behind.
- The culture is corporate and is very top-heavy.
- There is little room for advancement or maturing your career.
- While this may be department specific, socializing with coworkers in any duration north of 5 minutes was frowned upon. I felt as though I could only engage with coworkers through officially scheduled meetings.

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Management - An example of what *not* to be.

Instead of an unproductive "management is bad" dialogue, please review the following points, which I hope are read by (and taken into account by) the higher-ups at Ultratec:

1. Management will not respect you.
Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the job. You will not be treated as an IT professional, especially if you disagree or have any sort of difference in opinion on tasks/projects.

2. Management will not be truthful with you.
What you interview for (I.E. - what you'll be doing, what you'll be working with, etc.) will not match the work you're actually expected to perform. This inconsistency is evident within the first couple weeks of employment and causes major confusion, resulting in a lack of understanding regarding job responsibilities.

3. Management is underqualified.
The level of experience and competence possessed by IT management is far below the level required for the projects/initiatives they are tasked to manage.

Example: We purchased a new module within an existing software solution, and I asked what management would like me to do with the additional data/features beyond what the vendor recommended.
- Management could not provide a tangible, measurable outcome regarding the software.
- I received no guidance or direction in terms of implementation/configuration.
- Management was hesitant to even activate the new module, as it may "upset" our end users.
- I was given grief later on for not having a "better understanding" of the software, despite the module being released very recently. Unless I had previously worked directly for the software vendor, there would have been no way to possess experience with it.

4. Management is underhanded and malicious.
Over the past 15 months, management has "relieved" the IT department of any staff member who had the courage to challenge or even question their decisions. I have witnessed retaliation such as yelling at employees, unnecessary investigations into timecard usage (this even applied to salaried employees working 40+ hours per week), performance improvement plans for extremely vague reasons.. the list goes on. HR will do nothing to assist you.

5. Management always knows best (AKA: my way or the highway).
Your job is safe only so long as you stay quiet, agree with management 100% of the time, and stay in your lane. The reason behind this is clear: management takes all credit for ideas, completed projects/tasks, etc., even when they had very little to no contribution regarding their planning or execution. If you are competent in your role, you are a threat to those in management. This has caused a general fear to manifest amongst the staff who remain, as those who spoke up in the past or stood their ground are no longer with the company.

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Summary

Ultratec, Inc., is not the best place to work, but nor is it the worst. Unfortunately, a powerful and seemingly consequence-immune IT management team heavily detract from the Pros, who will continue to perpetuate an unhealthy environment until they are removed or replaced. I would strongly recommend against working here for the foreseeable future if you are looking to join their IT department.

The job itself is extremely easy and most anyone could do it. You repeat what is heard into a speech recognition software to be converted to text and is about as simple as it sounds. However you have almost no freedom to do anything while you are there. You cannot even use the bathroom or get up out of your chair without recording it and/or asking for permission to do so. You will get reprimanded otherwise. You must clock in within 3 minutes of your assigned shift time and no leeway, you can't even start early without it being an infraction. Easy job for extremely low pay, only would recommend for maybe elderly applicants or people who otherwise can't do other jobs that require some skill of any sort. Only benefit is you get paid versus not having a job and not getting paid.

Management does not work together, facility is compartmentalized making changes to a lean manufacturing system impossible.
I was hired for my experience in lean manufacturing to assist with a culture change. As a supervisor I was denied any authority to influence other departments. Continuous improvement projects were submitted but not acted upon.
I was in charge of three manufacturing lines which performed well with few quality issues and 18 months consecutive on-time delivery.
Daily activities:
Manage build schedule
Manage parts supply to production on a timely schedule.
Manage labor by hiring talent and providing an effective work environment.

I started work at Ultratec (Captel) as an installer because I needed a job with a flexible schedule while I finished my Bachelor's degree. At Captel, I was able to set my own schedule for installations whenever I had the time. The supervisors and managers are very helpful for any information or assistance you would need. I would definitely recommend this job to anyone who is responsible enough to manage their own time and inventory and who needs the ability to make their own work schedule.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The service provided helping folks with hearing loss use the telephone like normal.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Poor management in many departments.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Bad management in certain areas makes you regret being there. Nobody wants to hear what you think. It's their way or the highway.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Aggravating, wasted effort. Seems as if you are surviving instead of contributing.

this job is very amazing and I love those people who work there.  they all very very support and help other.  they give alot of respect and very friendly.   they are very amazing people.   

only problem I have is, I alway sit on chair and work with my head down which cause my neck and back sore often.  they have goal that they want us to meet all the time which I totally agree but most of the time I dont meet their goal it because it become very bored and make me fall sleep few time because I dont have anyone to talk to since Im deaf and I been watch everyone chat and able work well cuz they have someone to them company

I would highly recommend Ultratech Aerospace. We have a versatile, highly skilled working force. Second to none. Our ability to manufacture tight tolerance aerospace specifications and consistency in doing so has been a catalyst for success. Happy to call it home. Management keeps our team up to date and educated in all aspects of work load and future development. 

This manufacturer hires people from Nepal as a majority of its employees for poor pay. They make telephones for the hearing impaired. They do not embrace Lean manufacturing principles. Management does not work in a cooperative manner, preferring to pursue self interests rather than have a goal or mission style manufacturing environment.

It was an okay work experience in not really the type who likes to stay in one place. Also I feel like they could've been a little less strict with there sick policy because I had a doctor's not when I was fired but it was still during my probationary stage of the job

Ultratec is a nice place to work because the coworkers and the working atmosphere is quite good to get a suitable experience which will help in further opportunities. Some of the managers that I worked with, are nice and friendly.

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