PGE is okay, but I expected better. - Engineer Portland General Electric Employee Review

The medical plan here for NBU (non-union) folks is trash (2023). After looking thru several other reviews stating that the benefits "are great", the only conclusion I could come to is that none of these folks ever worked for any of the adjacent companies (folks: the grass is not always greener on the other side, lol!). The only options are high-deduct plans thru Providence ($1.5k deduct then 80%- going to $1.7k deduct in 2024) and Kaiser High-deduct (yep, they have a high-deduct plan too- equally bad). The max out of pocket for a family is $6.5k in 2023 (going to $7.4k in 2024). I would caution anyone with health problems (or with family members with health problems) to work here. The hourly folks (union!) have several options, including several PPOs, and they pay less for them! The company only gives $1.2k per year stipend to an HSA account, and it comes incrementally (yes, $40ish bucks a check). The dental plan for NBU folks is equally blahh. Max of $2k yearly, pretty generic. Regarding culture: too many folks being promoted based on physical attributes, not skill. This company is heavily DEI influenced. Right now there is a spending/hiring freeze, yet the company just setup another "party" for BIPOC folks (which I am one of). There are a lot of women and BIPOC folks in management here that should not be leading. DEI is built into the bonus structure, so it's in the hiring manager's best interested to overlook more qualified non-BIPOC/DEI folks to make their bonus. I have seen some reviews here that say they don't take this stuff serious- I can attest to the fact that that is not true. I personally interviewed for several positions over the last several years and was overlooked (I stated "I choose not to respond" on the DEI questions). The moment I stated my race I had a job offer. I never wanted to be recognized based on physical attributes, as I don't think this is right.