My first role out of college, worked across two SBGs (both not Aero) and while I’ve interned for other F100 type of companies I’m always curious how other companies are compared to here. I can see all the posts from you here and I agree with most (although again, I’m not in aero so my experience is a bit different. Most posts here seem very Aero centric)
Are other companies better or worse or similar? And how?
My friends at other companies complain all the time about theirs (including high tech FAANG companies) but I would love perspective from someone who’s experienced Honeywell and other places too!
Thanks!
11 replies (most recent on top)
I left my position at Honeywell a year ago and took a job at a F100 real estate services company. The culture is night and day. No more stressing about doing whatever it takes to make parts 24/7, no more constant fear of layoffs. People at my current company like working there and the company practices what it preaches when it comes to diversity and inclusion, time off to get the vaccine, etc. They do fun things like company sponsored cooking classes and trivia, frequent Q and A with leadership. I don't regret for a minute switching companies and industries.
I have switched companies 5 times in a 35 year working career. Each time I got me my biggest raises. I have had to move to change jobs. At each job the raises I got tended to flatten out - may not get one or it may be nothing to brag about. I think the experience at different companies and industries does well for the resume. Typically at any company you reach a point where to get a larger pay you need to move into a management role, and that's not for everyone. In hind sight, I have had a couple opportunities to work in consulting and my feeling is I may have done better pay wise had I done that - based on the pay some friends who did this make. I've always worked for large companies.
OP here
Thank you everyone for the answers! Very interesting to hear and thank you also for recommending I check other company boards! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that
I should also mention I’m in one of the business mgmt/ PM type roles, won’t be too specific but I’m not an engineer. I get an iPhone and I get to expense the usual $66 per diem while traveling
Follow up question in case someone still replies: in terms of compensation do other companies match up? I’ve heard honeywell attracts mgmt types because they pay really well. Also did the honeywell name act as a negative mark on your resume? I’ve heard of someone who removed honeywell from their CV because in high tech it’s not well reputed
Again, thank you for the responses and keep them coming
Left Honeywell just over a year ago. Let's just say it was the best decision I ever made on several levels. The smart engineers stick with HW because they get thrown bones. I guess they aren't that smart after all. Our little secret.
I left Honeywell Aero after 11 years due to the "you can't work at home any more even though you were hired to work from home" purge in 2019.
I went to a bigger company and it is so much better. Have gotten a raise and bonus every year. No 9 block performance evaluations. Can pretty much work any hours I want as long as I get my work done.
At HON I visited plants in AZ and Indiana and thought the offices were disgusting. My new job has world class offices even though I have not seen my cube in over a year. And even before COVID I could work at home any time I wanted to.
When you travel for work you can spend $50 to $60 on dinner vs the $30 allowed at Honeywell.
Before COVID our bosses would take us to lunch and dinner. That never happened at HON.
HON paid for a MLB Baseball game for us once in Tampa. But we were not allowed to claim dinner that night. New company paid for a game, parking and food.
I have a work cell phone iphone. HON took away our smart phones and gave us flip phones with no internet or texting. So you could not check emails while on the road. Or have a hot spot if the supplier did not have WiFi.
The grass is much greener away from HON.
The difference is I actually enjoy my job now. No more constant meaningless metrics and micromanaging. I've had a couple HON friends ask me how it is since I left. They stick with HON because it's "stable" and can put in "40 hrs" and go home. I told them that we all know those aren't even true most of the time. The chances of you getting a better job after leaving HON is much higher than getting a worse job. Take the chance.
Honeywell stinks at the top. CEO and leadership sets the tone. So far, the tone at the top is $$$, bonuses, GREED, self-interest. Corporate America at its best (worst). Lower rung employees considered dispensable and treated with disdain.
I have worked at four large companies. Honeywell is BY FAR the most interested in micromanaging every f—t you emit. Everywhere else people minded their own job and worked their hours. Everywhere else they hired people to do the work and I never ever Was told “great job delivering early but you aren’t working enough hours”.
@wzn captured the essence of the problem. Hatred. Disdain. Exclusionary self interest.
At the F100s I worked at, the ELTs were generally apologetic about the cultural, environmental, and financial "shrinkage" they imposed on employees, and did it gradually over the course of years.
In contrast, at HW, it seems to be a badge of honor for the corporate elite to find another band aid to rip off of the employees, who are the ones enabling them to line their pockets. And as we turn into abused old donkeys from the incessant beatings, it reinforces their MO for abusing us in the first place. And they laugh all the way to the bank.
Working at HW restores my faith that there really must be a H-ll, because there has to be an appropriate place for these miscreants to congregate after they're done with us.
Check out other F100 companies on this site. I think you will see the same concerns ( depending on the industry) as you see here about job security and such.
What you won’t see is the level of hatred, distrust that seems to spew from HON reflected onto its employees.
While a lot of companies are experiencing some level of business interruption from the pandemic, HON has a history of screwing over its employees and customers that predates the pandemic, back to 2001
That’s the difference.
Came to HON from a F100 company, and worked for others before that. I suppose it depends on your role. I was in tech management, non-manufacturing. Nice offices, company made a lot of the changes that HON did over the years as far as cutting out pensions, lowering 401k matching, offshoring, automating, moving from offices to cubes, doing away with holiday parties...but still outclassed HON in too many ways to mention.