Solar is a horrible company to work for - Project Engineer Solar Turbines Employee Review

1.0
4 Oct 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1) Location is Great.. (Its San Diego) 2) Starting salary for new hire from school is $65,000 with $10,000 sign up bonus for HB facility and $65,000 flat for KM facility which is $5000 more than other companies in San Diego.

Cons

1)You have to have a family member in Upper management in order to move up the ladder otherwise you will be spinning your wheels and wasting your time. 2) 90% Managers are not qualified for their positions. (They either dont have higher degrees or their degrees are from online universities) 3) They need to hire better HR reps. The director of HR and all her assistance are not qualified for their positions. They need to be sent to school to take more HR related courses. 4) There is no training and lots of tribal knowledge. 5) Poor Management

Explore other reviews about Solar Turbines

5.0
2 July 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great Culture, Good people, good experience

Cons

Any manufacturing place will have the typical downsides

3.0
22 June 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Strong benefits package: Holiday shutdown, competitive perks, and the advantages that come with being part of a large, well‑resourced company. - Paid parental leave (new): 16 weeks of paid leave, which is better than many companies in the industry. - Good healthcare options: Solid medical, dental, and vision coverage at a reasonable cost. - Annual bonus structure: Predictable and appreciated yearly bonuses. - Beautiful office + great people: The day‑to‑day coworkers are talented, fun, and genuinely supportive

Cons

- Extremely corporate culture: The company feels increasingly focused on pleasing shareholders and the board rather than supporting employees. - Loss of autonomy + heavy oversight: What used to feel like an independent, empowered environment now feels like “Caterpillar 2.0.” Badge tracking, VPN monitoring, and manager “hit lists” create a sense of surveillance. - DEI rollback: Programs that once had meaning have been stripped down to generic, checkbox versions. - ERGs restricted: Employee resource groups used to be vibrant and employee‑led; now they feel controlled, sanitized, and performative. - Rigid return‑to‑office policy: Leadership advertises “flexibility,” but employees are told that not being in the office 5 days a week, 8 hours a day will negatively impact performance evaluations - Slow, approval‑heavy processes: Even simple decisions require layers of approval, which slows down work and kills creativity. - Double standards: Senior leadership enjoys freedom and exceptions while rank‑and‑file employees are monitored like children. - Structure: People are encouraged to move around to get experience. While this may be a good thing for some people it essentially means you don't get rewarded by being a subject matter expert - you get stuck at the same salary grade for your entire career. It also means managers are frequently in a "step" position so they don't have the time or care to learn their actual job.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All