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Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Is this your company?

Solid company and a job that is what I make of it - Anonymous employee Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Employee Review

5.0
12 July 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I've really enjoyed working here. Like any job, it "has its days," but in general the expectations of me are challenging but reasonable, and I have the resources necessary to do things right. Thinking about so many other companies in America that are driven by venture capitalists or shareholders barking for a higher price, I feel like it's safe to say that the pressure I feel here to perform comes from within or from our company's drive to do a great job for our customers. I know there are some divisions where the work-life balance needs some work (again, like any company), but especially in the last few months I keep seeing ways that the company is trying to address that. One of the reviews I saw below talks about SEL being "underfunded and understaffed." That just doesn't ring true at all, although I'm sure that some groups are more pressed than others. We hired like hundreds of people in the last couple of years. The underfunded bit seems more like an excuse, personally. I like that the founder is still involved. Our competitors have boards of accountants running them and we have an actual engineer who still cares about innovation at the helm. I wouldn't trade that.

Cons

I've been here for a few years, and we run differently now as a larger company. But mostly that means that we run more professionally and have more resources. It's hard to call that a real "con" even though sometimes I miss the feeling of knowing everyone. Pullman may not be my first choice of where to live, but I will say that on a professional salary you can get a decent house and live in a way that's SO much better than on the coast. The weather's a lot better too. So I'd call living in Pullman a neutral-to-positive aspect rather than a con.

Explore other reviews about Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

5.0
2 July 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work culture and benefits

Cons

Less other location options other than Pullman

4.0
8 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Right job for some people. If you buy into the koolaid and are passionate about the power industry this can be an incredible job for you. The benefits are pretty great. I really enjoyed my coworkers, all of them feel human and are earnest. You can live quite cheaply in Pullman. There is an incredible amount of job security. SEL boasts they've never done a layoff. Additionally their ESOP distribution is generous - though it takes 6 years to fully vest. There is a lot of things I really admire about the company and the culture.

Cons

Comp is lower side. A lot of people are hired out of college and have only ever worked at SEL so sometimes I feel like there is a bit of an echo chamber. Small town. I really struggled with the initial allocation of 12 days PTO. 17 after 2 years is much easier. As a SWE, the company feels very catered to their power engineers. Company is very traditional in its values, people wear suits to work. Seems like the timeline for promotion is quite slow for SWE compared to other companies. I see a lot of friction when lower level engineers trying to advocate for changes; though I do think that the conversations with leadership happen in good faith.

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