General Motors

15 days PTO. 1500 HSA contribution. Unlimited sick days. Relocation bonus (up to 10k). Far too good work-life balance – maybe work an hour or two and do Netflix/gaming the rest of the time. 8k reimbursement for tuition at university for masters, PhD, or bachelors. Exemption for certificates. Dental/Health (varies by location – Aetna, BCBS).

No room for growth or expansion. The senior manager explained the only way to transition into a different level 5 position is by “swapping” with someone from that team.

They also mentioned not to bother applying for a level 6 position, as they will require three years of experience, which you will never be able to get since you are forced to stay in a QA position.

“Rarely do people switch from QA to other positions or vice versa.”

I was basically told to keep my head down and wait until I am out of this program in three years.

QA is a pigeonhole for someone who wants to be more technical.

The 5-10% pay raise is just a fantasy for people in the program, since GM starts you off at a lower pay scale.

You are better off going with a different organization unless there are no other offers.

They label it as a great thing, but it really is stifling you in the long run.

Remove the bureaucracy for NCH’s from being able to advance their careers, especially if they can bring more to the table than what you people silo them into.

Also, pay is far too low compared to market rate. Stop pretending the 5-10% raises are a godsend when you purposely start people off with a low salary.

Additionally, there is way too much blubber in the organization. Too many butts in seats with nothing to do. Too many people, not enough work. There could easily be money saved by removing this excess fat.