Procurement Assistant | Wichita, KS | Jan 14, 2014
TO MUCH OF A GOOD THING!
Due to our site closure, my career at the Boeing Wichita facility is now ending after 31 years. I have been pondering past achievements that I have been obliged to experience, all which of course contain some good and bad. There were various elements within these experiences that allowed me to justify staying around here so very long. Regarding the bad, there have been years that I struggled with my frustration from some bad management decisions or, my trying to get things done per a very tight schedule and perhaps applying some common sense reasoning into our daily activities. That last one was a real challenge! All in all, the good of it is that I survived just like most everyone else that has left this place or is leaving today. We still have retained some pride of a job well done but perhaps would have wanted to prove ourselves a little longer.
Primarily, it is a mistake to close this facility. For all this site has been through in the last 85 years, let alone the last 30 I have seen, we will be losing something special when we close. That special thing is synergy. It is amazing what this site for nearly one century has accomplished from its infinitesimal beginning as a manufacture of cloth covered bi-planes to building five or more B17 bombers a day and an amazing quantity of B29’s in an effort to fight a world war. This military division did not stop at building just those war machines but, continued on with manufacturing B47’s and B52’s to circumvent
ProsHigh Level of Capability among employees. Highly educated
ConsClosure of site. Lack of advancement per Job Performance.
Over the years, Boeing, like most companies, has started to cater to the millennial over the seasoned employee. It's as if the company is betting their entire future on what these new employees may be able to provide vs. what the current employees do provide. If you're in your 40's, or above, your future is pretty much set in stone. Reaching a technical level 4 is probably it. Level 5's and above, as well as older level 4's, are always at risk of being tossed out due to the salary they're being paid. The company is trying to migrate to an average technical level somewhere between 3 and 4. Once you move from reviews that 'exceed expectations' to ones that simply say 'met expectations', you know your time is limited.
If you are willing to move into management your future is wide open. Staying in a technical track will never keep pace w/ the management track when it comes to salary and bonuses. Bonuses on the management side are nearly double that of the technical side. Side note, if you are female and/or a member of some sort of defined minority class then more possibilities exist now and into the future. Problem the company has now IMO is people who probably shouldn't even work there are taking the management track and it's starting to show in the decisions being made. Managers are rarely if ever put on the street for poor decisions, but, simply moved to other areas 'more fitting'.
Recent contract wins for military items have increased the number of technical
ProsChristmas shutdown, high pay for little work
ConsIndecisive/bad management, few opportunities for older generation
Been there are long time and this is what I have to offer. These thoughts are purely my personal opinion.
1. If you want to move up more than one level, best to move to another site
2. Tremendous pressure on assembly operators to continually reduce cost and improve quality
3. Tremendous pressure to find suppliers that provide parts at lowest cost which competes with quality and on-time parts. Boeing will choose a low cost bidder over a more expensive but consistent supplier and that impacts the line and the operators have to sacrifice to build products on time - many Saturdays and long work days but that's how operators earn more money
4. Health care is one of the best you can obtain
5. Professional employees don't find advancement without being a production leader and paying their dues, for the most part....it's not a golden rule but commonly expected.
6. Boeing likes to rotate 1st line leaders among different assignments for experience and to test leader's ability to adjust
7. Minorities and protected groups do advance albeit not always the best candidate or most qualified gets the position and that hurts the organization but Boeing must consider it worth the sacrifice to ensure these targeted groups are represented in the organization. Not true for every situation but I've seen less qualified persons accepted over other competitors.
8. HR questions are addressed via a common call center where you can get specific information from a qualified and knowledgeable pers
ProsHard working and talented people
ConsWages don't compensate the line workers well enough
A typical day at work for me has changed many times over the years.
I started in an environment which was over bearing due to the micro-management which interfered with work progress. I was able to gradually improve my work conditions by continually improving. In each job position the overall work environment got better. Changing times and changing American cultural values has degraded the work experience. When I started every job and quality was highly important no matter how removed from the airplane your work was. today in a millenial environment, everything is " close enough" where less than the best a.k.a. mediocracy is the standard. There are still many fine professionals who strive for the highest quality, but it is not the norm and of those who strive for the highest quality in their work, half will fold in a heartbeat when any resistance to their personal efforts for quality work is challenged.
A typical day years ago in the hourly tedious repetitive medial Job, their was laughing light hearted joking, and general fun at work. That has since been replaced with a flexible, higher responsibility, non- repetitive job with no fun, no joking or even meaningful conversations for fear of being politically incorrect or offending someone's sensibilities. If I could turn back time I would take the medial job again with fun any day of the week.
Over these years I have received many opportunities to grow personally and professionally. In some cases I have been encouraged
Unfortunate Treatment of an efficient and loyal employee
I really enjoyed my job with Boeing. In 7 years, I worked in two locations- Everett and Portland. Everett was amazing. Lots of overtime, learning opportunities, a very good work-culture, opportunities for advancement, and great management. I was being shaped to enter into a leadership role in the near future when something happened with my family and I needed to move to the Portland area. QTTP told me it would be easier to quit and apply at Boeing Portland than to try to transfer. So, I did. lost all of my progression steps. But, I was hired and started off at my previous rate of pay. Things started off great in Portland- was getting recognized for quality work, was usually ahead or on-time with my work, and again, being talked to for leadership roles. I had cross trained in many sections in my area and was pretty efficient in running any work station I was trained in. Many times, to keep busy, I would work in other areas. I made a mistake and had a couple of drinks before work. I was recently separated and saw some friends for dinner before my graveyard shift. I felt fine so I went in to work. (I also was out of leave for the year and didnt want to be written up.) some swing coworkers were tying in with me to let me know what work needed to be done, smelled the IPA on my breath from almost an hour prior, and reported me. BA .07% I was sent home and suspended. I made a mistake, I was also young but not an alcoholic. I complied with all terms to return to work. I complied with
5.0
Software Test Engineer | Bellevue, WA | Jun 18, 2015
Boeing provided excellent opportunities for technical training and advancement, interesting work, friendly co-workers and excellent benefits.
A typical day at Boeing, in the various software positions that I occupied, might start off with trouble-shooting a program bug. This is always fun work, because it involves puzzle-solving. I might be interrupted to answer a customer call, from someone who needed technical assistance. I would research their problem, talk with whatever experts in other departments needed to be contacted and consulted with, and call the customer back and explain to them what we knew about the problem. We might have a solution immediately, we might work with them on the phone to develop one, we might have to wait until another expert got back to me. I would typically return to the task that I had been working on, prior to customer support, and do more puzzle-solving. I might then turn my attention to an assignment to work with in-house customers to retrieve requirements for an assigned project, such as development of a report for their use, or to write software code that would allow the customers to obtain information about airplane manufacture, in any of its various stages, from an online system or from a written report.
My management typically did not get involved in the technical details of my job. They distributed company policies and information, answered questions about salaries and work schedules and took care of any employee problems. They left employees to interact with their peers or experts within the company to resolve day-to-day technical issues.
My co-workers were 90% wonderf
ProsGreat people to work with, good work atmosphere, great benefits, the opportunity to learn, to always learn MORE.
ConsStaff meetings are the only thing that I can think of. That, and frequent moving of office spaces, which seemed to happen about every two years, and was disruptive for a couple of days at work.
It depends where you are in your career and what you do. Boeing is a very large multidisciplinary, multi-market, international technology company that is constantly reinventing and resizing itself in a complex, changing world. My experience in helicopter production engineering support exposed me to one tiny facet of the company. This involved hands on experience with the people and processes required to produce military helicopters.
Depending on my position, my work involved analysis and resolution of production problems with aircraft structures and drive systems. Some of my positions relied more on people skills than technical skills. Boeing supported me with a large informational infrastructure.
Boeing, like any large company, requires continual online training in areas such as ethics, customer relations, information security and company policies.
Having come to Boeing late in my career, the knowledge I brought with me was the backbone of the technical aspects of my function. At Boeing, however, I learned how to function within a much larger collaborative environment than I'd previously known. I increased some of my knowledge of materials and processes and was able to get a better appreciation for fracture mechanics. One thing I greatly benefited from was Dale Carnegie training that was offered to employees.
Although management relies ultimately on people and personalities, the tools and framework used by Boeing went a long way to ensure fairness, obje
ProsGood compensation
ConsJob insecurity
1.0
Quality Assurance Inspector | Seattle, WA | Jun 12, 2020
Abhorent Culture, Deceptive Hiring Practices, Worst Career Decision of my Life
-Completely stagnant pay offered for area, 50% of your check will be rent or mortgage.
-Unfairly negotiated pay after talking to fellow coworkers and their experience and education levels.
-The union does a great job protecting terrible employees and taking your $120 (before taxes) with minimal representation...thanks for the 1cent raise, layoff protection, and loss of pension....
-Hires "Quality Assurance" (which isn't even QA) only for their stamp off on shoddy rework, ticketing, and to move aircraft out at a certain rate and not for "Total Quality."
-Recruitment half-truths, false job descriptions, and a very deceptive hiring practice.
-Toxic, non existent work culture with quickly declining morale.
-Non existent quality culture, completely devoid of any managerial direction, continuous improvement, or care from fellow employees. -Completely unqualified "mechanics and inspectors" doing MRO level inspection, repairs, and rework.
-Layoffs after just hiring people and moving them across country (not me unfortunately).
-Zero help transferring into the "real QA" position I was sold before signing the offer, zero care, zero employee development, and zero feedback from any type of talent or hiring practice. You are just a number. They can't even manage a rejection email for an internal employee!!
-Decaying facilities, IT infrastructure, tools, equipment, talent, and innovative design in the BCA group.
-No food at work anymore, or anywhere in the bad neighborho
ProsAircraft and military side of things are pretty awesome to be around.
ConsSee above, the list is large, the culture is terrible.
Ambition will take you far, but the union protects the slackers
My job is to create Production Illustrations for Propulsion Systems. I make 2D illustrations out of 3D Catia models. These drawings are used by the mechanics in the shop to hook up all of the plumbing and electrical systems on the engines and struts before they get installed on the wing. My drawings also maintain the historical record of the aircraft, in accordance with FAA requirements.
I work from home most days, because my manager knows he doesn't need to babysit me. I do my job, I do it well, and I am not afraid to ask for help or admit when I have made a mistake. Those are all essential to the trust needed to be able to work virtual.
Not all managers are open to giving their minions autonomy, but the good ones are. At Boeing, your direct manager will make or break your job satisfaction. If you have a poor relationship with your manager, you have hundreds of potential job openings to apply for within the company and can move to a new internal job after a year.
As augmented and virtual reality become more integrated at Boeing facilities, I believe my unique job will become obsolete. At some point software will replace me. But I am proactively taking advantage of all the training opportunities offered to prepare myself for a role change in the future. No one owes me a job just because I've been here a long time.
Training and learning opportunities abound for those who want to propel themselves forward. Boeing will pay college tuition for approved stu
Challenging but rewarding work in diverse environments
A typical day at work would consist of a final review of any Test Procedures scheduled for that day and making any changes if promulgated by the software development teams. Following this review, we would go over to the Integration Lab or Development Lab called out in the Test Procedure, and then conduct the test. After the Test Procedure was run, we would return to our office space and send out the end-of-session report to the appropriate distribution lists. There are always meetings to fit into your daily schedule as required by your status in the organization, followed by a return to the planning for the next test and/or working on the appropriate Test Report.
By and large the great majority of the managers are dedicated to doing the work correctly the first time, and take very good care of their engineers. They get the word out that is passed down from above, and do their very best to make it palatable to us (when necessary). We knew from long experience that one of our unwritten tasks was to support our managers at 110% to help take the heat off them when necessary so that they could do the same for us.
I have had the distinct privilege of being able to work on several different projects while at BMA in Kent. On all of them I found my co-workers to be intelligent, dedicated, and passionate about their work. We all found that we were constantly discovering co-workers on our current project that we had not seen in perhaps years due to the way people move around w
ConsRecently, living through the involuntary layoff process
Questions And Answers about BOEING
What is the interview process like at Boeing?
Asked Jan 9, 2018
Purely behavioral.
Answered Sep 24, 2021
S.T.A.R Style of interview questions. Google it to prepare for an interview
Answered Nov 16, 2020
Why did you leave your job at Boeing?
Asked Mar 22, 2017
My organization relocated to Huntsville Alabama and they only kept a pocket full of people in the puget sound area so most of us were laid off when new positions could not be found. I worked at Boeing for 30+ years; loved my job and most of the people. Miss those times.
Answered Aug 13, 2019
Forced out by the company after being replaced by a contract worker after 29 years of service. Constantly threatened with being outsourced. No appreciation shown for being a loyal, hard working employee. Manager was a devious tyrannical sociopath. So while I enjoyed my job and coworkers it was a relief to retire and leave the stressful toxic environment.
Answered Jul 27, 2019
What is the work environment and culture like at Boeing?
Asked Jun 12, 2016
Boeing New York in shipping receiving packages on time in transit of UPS meeting orders for on time services.
Boeing is doing incredible things in Aerospace working to deliver services of excellence
Answered Mar 1, 2021
It depends on your business unit. Boeing consists of a bunch of subdivided business units that all have their own culture. I only worked in global services and Defense and space. I liked those two business units because they deal mostly with foreign and domestic military customers. A ton of my coworkers were veterans and were super down to earth and experts in their lines of work. One thing I have noticed though is the overuse of the term Engineer and this gives a handful of people an inflated sense of self importance; this happens mostly with the people who don't have an actual engineering background. Overall, I liked working at Boeing but I worked in only a small sector of a very large company. On the flip side, I haven't ever really heard anybody speak highly of the commercial division of the company. I've heard that the culture there is particularly toxic.
Answered Sep 23, 2020
What is the best part of working at Boeing?
Asked Dec 17, 2019
It's a pay check
Answered Nov 29, 2020
Decent pay for this area.
Answered Nov 15, 2020
How flexible are your working hours at Boeing?
Asked Mar 21, 2020
Not flexible
Answered Nov 29, 2020
They were not flexible at all. Expect to be micromanaged and punished if you don’t come in early and leave late. Even if you are a salaried employee, don’t expect to be treated like an adult; expect to have someone constantly monitoring your whereabouts and calling you on your cellphone when you are using the restroom or at lunch.
