Rockwell Collins Employee Reviews for Engineer

"Terrible company culture and work environment, terrible management."

What do you like about working at Rockwell Collins?

"Cedar Rapids good for family life. Great business growth since mid decade, although doubtful future prospects.Technical work is interesting if you find the right projects to work on (but terrible management and culture is a huge drain)."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"I would recommend you do your own research to find out if the project you are working has a good work environment. If you do not get information, just opt out for better companies."

What don't you like about working at Rockwell Collins?

"Company propaganda: Rockwell Collins is about integrity and goes by the book on principles. Fact: I discovered that for people that are connected inside the old boys/gals circle, integrity and ethics are mere convenience. They can juggle and flip it any way they want to suit their own agendas. Key people including people in Management, HR and Ombudsman are involved in behaviors that Rockwell should not be proud of. In addition, what I see in Glassdoor from other bloggers and what I heard and saw inside the company is not encouraging. Employee made to believe: Rockwell middle managers in Engineering are focused on providing customer value and will put themselves on the line to achieve it. Fact: In my experience and observation (and getting information from several quarters), the middle managers and long-time engineers are coasting along and need scapegoats to pass the buck. New hires with experience in other companies are particularly vulnerable. HR mentioned during new hire orientation that it is not what you know and are capable of doing that matters in this company but rather who you know. Employee is made to believe: Engineering managers and long-time engineer old boys/gals have good intent but it is just difficult personalities leading to difficult team dynamics. Fact: There is persistent and deliberate bullying and displacement of talent at Rockwell Collins perpetrated by people who are confident they have the support to get away with it. The support may go all the way up to Executives who seem callous when it comes to real issues inside teams, lest many problems would not exist. New employees especially with experience from other companies are easy target. Myth: Rockwell Collins has an inclusive work environment. Rockwell Collins has very high technical talent that is above and beyond. Fact: There is competition inside Rockwell on who excludes whom and people going to great lengths to edge people out. The rat race is encouraged by Management itself as some others in this blog have alluded to. Fact: Average talent base at Rockwell. Lot of people coasting along with no incentive to do real and great technical work, and many are doing work without trying to change the status quo. If anyone new comes along that have differing views, then just squash them. Paper pushers thrive. Crony behavior is rampant. Outsourcing to Asia, steep growth and density of foreign workers in Cedar Rapids as a proxy for competent leadership. Rockwell does not have it in its DNA to create a strong global culture either. Foreign workers have complaints about Rockwell as well. Myth: Foreign workers are needed because we are not able to find US citizens that have suitable qualifications. Fact: Employment of U.S based engineers and employee satisfaction inside the U.S are now closely linked to supply-demand characteristics of the global labor workforce. Management inevitably uses the path of least resistance to satisfy urgent psychological (ego and arrogance), sometimes for business needs by bringing in foreign workers at the expense of building a strong work-force domestically. If they have any disagreements with anyone, an easy step is to dislocate that worker and get a foreign worker that will obey all commands and orders without disagreements even if it is wrong for projects and products or better still just outsource the work to Asia to improve cost competitiveness. On the other hand, respect for foreign born workers is very low in this company. The company lacks diversity when it comes to synthesizing different viewpoints. Company leadership is unable to create teams where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Myth: In Rockwell Collins teams work by sharing, inclusion and collaboration and keep things transparent to all employees. All employees have free and fair opportunity. Fact: Engineering Leaders buy into rumors or maybe even create them. Rumors are rampant and generated particularly about employees that have innate curiosity and desire to do better and grow, but also bring expertise from elsewhere in the industry. Intellectual dishonesty is rampant among the old boys/gals Rockwell network. Verbal slurs are used if necessary to bully people. Innovation, product quality, product development cost, culture and professionalism are victims along with the bullied target."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"This is the lousiest set of management competencies assembled in one place that I have seen.Bring in decisive leadership and promote people who can execute with the right mindset and reasons. Do not expect positive business impact when you use fear, intimidation, rumors, coercion and other shenanigans on employees Command and Control works only in a predictable world. It is contrary to what is necessary for today's dynamic workforce with global competition.Embrace change. Bring leaders in that are reactive and not reactionary. Treating people who do real work like cattle is not the way of the future for society."

"It was good experience working with Rockwell."