Working at Otto Engineering in Carpentersville, IL: 4 Employee Job Reviews by Real Employee working in Carpentersville, IL Area

"Otto Engineering has an interesting product line that is in demand and profitable. The public reputation is very good, but there are problems when you look under the hood. I had worked here for nearly 6 years, so this is not the perspective of someone who didn’t genuinely try to make a career here. HR policies that were written in the 50’s are still in use today. There is a points system, and employees are told to use their vacation days (which are few) in the event of an illness or emergency. There was actually an anecdote in the company newsletter about a 20-year employee that was referred to as “A funny story”. This poor woman forgot her work shoes, and since she had to go back home to get them, she had to use 1/2 day vacation! Really funny. Management can vary, so I will speak only to the management in the Tech Center. A long-time head manager of this unit was in the position for inexplicable reasons, his experience and skill set had nothing to do with managing people or organizing projects. He retired and brought hope that more direction and effective decision-making would come in the form of a new leader. This was not the case at all. There are people with great talent and skills that are grossly under-utilized due to a culture of mediocrity. The owner has repeatedly said that every duty should be performed by the least qualified person, which is code for the least expensive employees. People who could excel are held back by those who will not. There is a toxic culture between those who want to succeed and those who only want to work for a paycheck. There is an apprentice program that was poorly executed, essentially wasting some very prime years for young people trying to grow into a career. A lack of concern for satisfying customer deadlines is beginning to take a toll. The pool of customers in this field is limited, and a bad reputation for timeliness is becoming widely known in the industry. Come for a job, but not a career."

"The company manufactures products that are used in the heavy equipment industry as well as the aerospace industry."

"I've worked for Otto for quite some time now and to be honest I dislike it. The pay is very low, you probably even get paid better working at McDonald's. The work you do is very very repetitive,"

"Great place to begin a career."

What do you like about working at Otto Engineering?

"The people and management really care about each other."

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

"Ask questions about job responsibilities not in the job description."

What don't you like about working at Otto Engineering?

"Ask much for average wage."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Keep treating your employees as valuable assets."