It could have been so good, if only... - Anonymous employee Sparton Employee Review

1.0
19 Mar 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I loved the work (most of the time) due to the variety and fast pace. It led to a lot of experience in a short amount of time (4.5 years). I would consider working here again if changes were made to management in the Plymouth office as well as company benefits/policies.

Cons

Low level management has created a very bad culture of lying, unethical behavior (stealing, a.k.a. siphoning contract work off to a personal LLC), shady hiring/firing practices for female contractors, poor communication, no opportunities for training, no opportunities for advancement, no willingness to listen to employees, no willingness to provide clean drinking water, and no willingness to talk to HR about employee concerns (see comment about listening to employees), no willingness to outfit the lab with equipment needed for multiple projects at the same time. What's just as bad is that low level leadership Is completely out of touch with the culture that has been created and how it affects employee morale, and how it affects the ability to recruit and retain top engineering talent in a market like this (Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area). Every initiative I took to improve employee morale was squashed, followed up with a comment such as "just keep your head down." I suppose that's like an ostrich sticking it's head in the sand when a predator is nearby. Just ignore the problems facing the team and focus on your immediate task of billing the customer. I could only put up with this culture for so long and ultimately I found something better. As the saying goes: people don't leave companies, they leave managers. It couldn't be more true in this case.

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Sparton Response
10y
First, let me thank you for taking the time to share your opinion. Sparton does encourage our employees to share their thoughts, innovations and ways to work smarter. It is unrealistic to think that every contribution can be implemented, but many brilliant ideas have come from employees, just like you. Recently, the Plymouth office has been a facility that we have significantly invested in. We have received a variety of positive feedback about what a comfortable office environment exists both from a facilities perspective, as well as, an interpersonal one. Additional investments will be implemented, but they must be strategic and responsible and regrettably, that can take time. The direction we are taking as a Company, and the leadership we have in place will always need to be adjusted and modified. With that said, we must not overlook an amazing fact - we are a 116-year-old Company! We have weathered many storms throughout those years. We hope our engineers can identify with the long-term progress we have made over the short-term bumps. For all that Sparton has to offer, we understand that there will be employees that leave to pursue other opportunities, as it is the right direction for them. We are appreciative of the contributions that they have made and respect their decision. We wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors and again, thank you for your feedback.

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