Boeing

The people I have worked directly with at Boeing have almost all been stellar – good work ethic, engaged in the project, and expert in their work. The benefits provided to direct employees are excellent, particularly for those in the SPEEA union (my husband is in that union).

Unfortunately, middle management has made some poor decisions and seems to have a tendency to plan schedules too short and workforce too small. On one project, the original work package (contract between Boeing divisions) was to provide software that had not been fully tested to the integration group. I almost quit when I heard that.

Boeing does not appear to have the best relationships with its unions, as there are fairly frequent strikes at the time of contract renewals and some scare tactics on the part of Boeing (such as the threat in 2013 to move the 777 work out of Seattle if the union didn't agree to extend its current contract). There is also the move by the company out of states with organized unions and into states without them (i.e., out of Kansas and into Oklahoma).

1. Management needs to be a bit more flexible when it comes to allocating budget and personnel. The USAF tanker program got behind schedule because management would not allocate more personnel where needed.

2. Don't put contract personnel in key positions that need to stay around in projects where you are going to start laying off people as they close up. The contractors are the first to go, and you know it. If you have a contractor in a key position, offer them a direct position, or work with SPEEA to keep them around.

3. Work on the relationship with your unions. Try to get away from the "us vs. them" mentality on both sides.