production associate

production assembler

production scheduler

Whelen Engineering

When working here was at it's best was prior to the Pandemic, after this, there were many benefits changes and staffing layoffs which resulted in a palpable change in work atmosphere. Great people were let go, and several more left on their own and many that remained were only there because of ties with the command structure, and not so much because of their performance or work ethic. To make up for the layoffs, mandatory overtime hours grew to a level that could be considered, unhealthy, for the remaining employees left behind. The original CEO retired a few years prior to the Pandemic, but stayed visible to the company, and it could honestly be said that he kept a Tight Ship all during his long tenure. He was fair and compassionate about the needs of all who worked for him, and was a very well liked, respected and trustworthy man. He soon passed away and was replaced by a member of the Founder's family. This man did his best, but soon made changes that were considerably risky and miscalculated, in my own opinion. He was replaced post Pandemic, or stepped down, it wasn't too apparent why exactly,  and that's when a degree of collapse began. It's still a good place to work, but it certainly isn't as stable and enjoyable as it once was. Changing Times I guess. Temps were hired when it was clear that product demand far exceeded the level of workers remaining following the layoffs. It seemed that the quality of folks being hired on was somewhat lacking. For every great one individual new hire, there appeared to be six more that were not as formidable. My hopes are that this company returns to it's roots, and comes back to the level of  top performance and overall employee satisfaction that it once had. 

The management is beyond filled with favoritism. They do not care about you as a person, just the fact that you are another person to finish the work. They have very high expectations of you especially if you have just started, or are in a lower position then HR. The HR sucks there. They are very hard to talk to, you have to go through so many people just to be able to have the CHANCE to get someone from HR's number. Have a problem with your supervisor and manage to get to HR? Too bad! They're going to make you come to work the next Monday, make YOU call THEM and then fire you! As if that's not enough in every single job description you find on this place the times are not correct. This place has mandatory overtime! Too bad if you thought picking up first shift was going to be nice to pick up your kids from school, you'd get out an hour after they do! You get your job, and bonuses held over your head constantly. They had a survey that said that 55% of workers were thinking about ending their employment there and they wonder why people don't want to work there. If you try to work here, just hope you don't go into a building were the supervisor targets you for being young. 
The only thing that I learned from this place is that if you ever are struggling with a higher up they will fire you before firing or even talking to the supervisor without a second thought. You are disposable there. 

No promotion unless you're family or know the right people.  Your a cog in the machine and don't expect anything else. The review structure is arbitrary and ridiculous. I one year was denied a raise because I came back from lunch too early 60+ times for an average of about 3 minutes each time.   But they don't correct you until the day of your annual review instead of correcting you months earlier. When I took a new job with MUCH more responsibility and knowledge I got told it was  "lateral move" so no raise. But a few years later someone else moved from my previous department they were given a raise.  When I questioned it I was told they "look into it" and nothing happened.  Additionally in the last 5 years the benefits have also declined dramatically.  Still better than most other companies but they're getting worse every year. Not the worst place I've ever worked but don't expect to be appreciated or valued.  You are easily replaceable.  That's why I changed careers after 14 years and my wife left after 19 years. 

I really enjoyed most of my years at Whelen Eng Co Inc. I learned many jobs and worked in a variety of positions, soldering, circuit board assembly, final assembly, packing, shipping etc. As with any "factory" you have alot of gossip which I try very hard to tune out. I am not rude to co-workers but am there to work not gossip. Their benefits etc are awesome and provide many extras to employees...profit sharing , luncheons etc. Have issues with some in management as many others do but try to accept and work around the differences.  That probably is the hardest part and the most enjoyable part is learning and accomplishing new jobs/projects. All in all they are a good company to work for and have watched major growth over the 19 yrs I was with them.

Typical day very busy, productive, fast passed. What I learned was work hard and the rewards are wonderful. Meaning when you did good quality work the company rewarded you and thanked you. The Management team had many people to look over and see if jobs were being performed right. The management team to me were ok to work for. My co-workers they were ok to work with. The hardest part of the job was dealing with a supervisor who lets say came to work each day with a new not so good attitude towards some of her workers. The most enjoyable part of the day was lunch break I got to have lunch with my husband. Going home at the end of the day knowing I did my best for the company, even if my supervisor had other thoughts about me. I left each day and came back with a positive attitude about working for my supervisor. The attitude that today is another day just deal with her in a positive happy manner.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people. Whelen takes good care of their employees, and the employees are some great people

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Sometimes there are some tight deadlines, but management will have a plan to get orders out on time

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is like a family, complete with occasional disagreements. But people genuinely care about each other. Little conflicts get resolved and sometimes results in an improvement in the way a thing might be done

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
In at 5:30 am, break at 10- free coffee, and nice food available for cheap. Lunch at 12:45, home at 3:30. Sometimes there are luncheons, sometimes raffles to raise money for employees who.are ill or if a family member is ill.

The company has made significant changes since G5 took over. There are too many directors and managers for a company this size. There are way too many people who are unqualified for their positions and rake in over $100K a year while the rest of the employees have to live paycheck to paycheck on menial wages. Hard work is unappreciated and gets you nowhere. 

The yearly bonus is going away and although there was mention of adding a few dollars to everyone's hourly pay to make up for the loss of the bonus, that has yet to happen. They are not an honest company and do not take care of their employees as a whole, only the selected few. 

I definitely have learned to be a better worker while working at Whelen. It is a pretty strict place but they treat you well if you do a good job. I like all my co-workers and have a good supervisor. I have learned to be better at working alone and also with working with other people. I do a lot of different jobs. The hardest part of the job is we are on overtime a lot and I would like to just stick to a 40 hour job there, maybe somewhere else I could do more. I enjoy my job because I like what I do and I like the people there. The pay is good along with the benefits.

What is the best part of working at the company?
In my opinion there isn’t a best part working at this company. Of course if you’re a family member of someone you’ll probably work out. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Constantly looking over your shoulder . They really need an exterminator the place is full of rats and I’m not talking about the four legged species. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic from the top down. The people that are managers have no business being managers. Apparently it is company wide 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Mindless repetition nothing changes . I’d rather be in prison

My day at worked involved answer all of the floor workers questions and approving and inspecting all  parts to be made to order to then be pressed out to shipping.

Although the job was really stressful i was able to take accomplishment and pride in most of the work i did. The hardest part of the job was making the best decision on the quality inspection for each part so it didn't come back on the department and waste the material and money. and my most enjoyable part of the job was some of the people i had the pleasure to work with and teach me new things.i learned a great deal about multi-tasking and being patient.
And also learned a lot about how to properly work as a Quality control trained eye.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Production associate 3 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour
Production assembler 3 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Production scheduler 2 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour

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