So how cool is HP's workplace?

[#1]

A reader asked, "So how cool is HP's workplace?" 

I am glad you asked - so many companies get recognition for cool workplaces and I think this is one area where, I believe, the company could use a little more recognition.

Cool is in the eye of the beholder - so if you let me know what you mean by cool, I can elaborate.  Here are several of the things I like about HP:

Working with people around the world

The experience I’ve gained, the ability to move around to different types of jobs – a person can have an incredibly varied career at one company

The scale of the projects I work on

The complexity of the projects I work on

The workplace – the energy of the people, the variety in work environments

The continuous push towards making improvements and getting ahead of the curve – how can you make things better, faster, more effective

The technology – the global webcasts, the online training, the ease (and sometimes the challenge) of getting things done collaboratively despite being on the other side of the world from some of my colleagues, technology that supports my getting work done no matter where I am

The leadership position of the company and the strategies that make me confident that leadership position will continue

The leaders I work for, the people I work with, the caliber of talent in the company

The role models – people with young families or older families and everything in between, people with outside interests, the number of women in leadership positions who have also raised families and been successful (and the ability to set that example for other women)

The focus on the outside world – the support of volunteering, the environment, and philanthropy with a heavy focus on education

The products and services, which I personally think are sometimes underestimated

I'll elaborate on some of these in future posts.

What makes a workplace cool to you? 

[#2]

Wow, your experience is just about the opposite of mine at HP.

We in Inkjet have no ability to move between jobs.

Working with people around the world generally means it will be twice as hard to get the job done.

IT policies mean it takes three times as long to get something done if you need to order software or have IT do anything for you.  Our IT costs are not lower because of Randy Mott.  The costs are just hidden amongst the lost productivity of people who have to wait for IT.  In reality, the costs of IT have doubled or tripled.

The workplace is a madhouse with people backstabbing each other trying to protect their own job in this environment of layoffs.  Big bonuses for the bosses, layoffs for everyone else.  Nice work environment.

The company has no leadership position.  We follow everyone else.  We used to be leaders but now we just buy innovation from someone else.  And then we lay them off.

All of the good people are looking for jobs elsewhere.  There is no future at HP.  We exist only to serve the short term interests of those at the top of the company.

[#3]

Hi John,

You’ve touched on a lot of interesting topics, it’s unfortunate that you see HP that way, but I appreciate you sharing your point of view.

I know I won’t change your mind, but it’s a good opportunity to talk about the impact of an optimistic versus pessimistic view, and the importance of a can-do approach, as you work through the realities of challenges.  

As a manager and HR professional, I have seen a big difference in the success of people who see the glass a half-full rather than half-empty.  There’s room for improvement in any workplace.  People who see improvements that can be made and work hard to change them typically have more opportunities.  In my opinion, managers look for high levels of engagement, as those are the people who will be able to move the company forward and make contributions in multiple areas.

While you’re clearly feeling disengaged, and I’m sure there are pockets of that at HP and at every company, HP surveys its employees and the results are very positive.

You don’t have to look far to see HP’s leadership position.  HP’s “Awards and Honors” is a continuous stream of recognition, such as “HP Named to FORTUNE’s List of World’s Most Admired Companies” in March of this year.  

The innovation shows itself in subtle ways sometimes.  I own a lot of HP products and sometimes wonder why the innovation in them doesn’t get more visibility.  In the Inkjet space, I love my little portable photo printer.  It’s easy, it’s kid-friendly, and fun, and I think it’s pretty innovative.  

Working in a global company definitely takes different skills.  Is it more difficult?  Yes.  However, I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from having solved a problem with people from all over the world, and the connections developed from doing that.  

There is a future at HP, but in order to see it, you may need to change your perspective.

- Steph K

[#4]

Just to add to this -- this isn't just rhetoric, please take a look at "HP in Brief" for more on HP's leadership position, which can be found at:  www.hp.com/.../facts.html

and external recognition, such as Business Week's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies:

bwnt.businessweek.com/.../innovative_companies

[#5]

How cool is HP?  How cool is ti to work for a company that cuts the pay and benefits of its lowest paid employees by 30%+ in less than one year without any reason other that they can?  How cool is it to work for a company that asks for anonymous feedback from employees, then seeks out the group that gives honest feedback to threaten them with layoffs and plant closures?  That is how cool the inkjet business is at HP.   I hope the executives sleep well with the bonuses they earned off the suffering of the labor force, who can look forward to only further pay cuts and layoffs.

[#6]

Hi Doug,

A lot of companies have taken pay and benefit actions to get through these tough times.  However, I don't agree with your figures, they're not accurate.  True that even a small base pay reduction is tough, but the result is still good pay jobs.  And keeping good paying jobs with competitive benefits in companies is better for the economy and individuals than the alternative of losing those jobs.

Also don't agree with your statement about feedback.  The company surveys employees using an external vendor, feedback is anonymous, and is used to improve the workplace.   Companies don't make layoff and plant closure decisions lightly, and they don't base those things on honest and/or negative feedback from employees, they make those based on business decisions.  

It's better for everyone to have strong, viable companies.  A lot of companies won't even make it through times like these.

[#7]

I have to agree with John about HP.  The company has changed a lot - at one time it was a place that recognized the value of the individual (a very tough thing to do in a large corporate environment).  Now almost everyone is seen as a number only.  Let's take a look at the last 5 years:  continual layoffs done in a way in dribs and drabs and now seems to have a policy of getting rid of the senior people and bringing in kids that don't know what they are doing.  Benefits continually cut - people losing their retirement benefits, no raises, cut awards for people even though everyone is doing the job of 2 and sometimes 3.  It is just like John said - a cut-throat environment and he is right - the changes in IT have devastated the workforce to get anything done.  There is a survey of employees that is done every year but even though projects are worked on, I have never seen real results.  I could go on and on about how disappointed I am in where the company is heading in terms of how it is treating employees.

[#8]

It has been interesting to read this blog and see the viewpoints of employees verses the blog writer. Kind of like reading the blogs discussing health care reform!  I have had a career working for both mid sized and large companies, with positions in management for the most part in the last decade. I know that many decisions are made as it relates to the bottom line, employee morale is always a concern, but at the end of the day, business is business.  I have now been unemployed a little over a year after a career in financial services took a detour south.  I have a sister who has worked for HP for nearly 30 years, she still loves the company in spite of the ups, downs and restructuring she has been a part of and witnessed.  At least HP is still in business (most of my former employers are not) and they still offer their employees benefits many companies do not.  Even our state workers took pay cuts this year.  We are all adjusting in one form or another to that state of our economy, hang in there HP, you have a lot of great people and that is your best resource.

[#9]

Carol, companies have to change to stay competitive and stay around.  And these are tough, unprecedented times, in a very competitive industry.  When you look at the business reasons behind the various decisions, they make sense.

Kelly, great insight, thanks for the comments, I couldn't agree with you more.

- Steph K

[#10]

Hi Steph and all,

My name is Simon and I work for PSG in the UK, I work in category management for the consumer side of the HP business. We are facing extremely tough times and I'd agree that the recognition and pay-cuts/redundancies (lay-offs to you guys) are making it very difficult to see the other point of view Steph is talking about....However it is still possible to take this as the oppurtunity to drive change no matter your role, HP is changing we know this because of the above changes, so if you see something that you are doing everyday and you dont like it, now is the time to do something about it, who knows if all goes well that change may help, recognition can be found, in every part of the business each of us makes decisions every day and the economy is making each one such a challange, but if we make enough good decisions and manage the bad we can balance our business to leadership in every arena, we have great products and I truely believe this....I have worked in many large companies in the UK and have found similar challanges in each, HP is no different but sometimes we forget that we are the largest technology company in the world, and steering a ship that big in the right direction takes alot of good people all wanting it to happen and a little pain along the way. lastly - someone once said to me something i will always remember 'never expect failure, just plan for it' this is the way i work i plan and change and add value to our compaines challanges everyday, and as we have alot of good people workng with us doing the same, my plans are always exceeded by the help they provide me, in cost savings, in supply chain management, in sales, and in people management. Trusting the rest of the people i work with is what makes HP 'a cool place to work'.

[#11]

Simon, thanks for your comments, I agree, the people at HP make all the difference.

Steph K