Experience is currently retiring and the positions are mostly being eliminated. Company is profitable but it's not enough because we are always told that we have to do more with less. Training classes give us the tools to ask intelligent questions but upper management stalls or avoids answering questions with real answers. Upper management underestimated cost of a major computer system upgrade but instead of owning up to it, they blame the increase in retirements for the rise in overhead costs. These overhead costs are the main answer given when asked why we need to eliminate positions and do more with less. People who do great work are rewarded with more work, those who don't get less work but the pay increases are marginally different for all employees. The low performers create a toxic and negative work environment that lowers employee morale. Metrics follow gross sales dollars yet in bad times we are told that volume of units sold in our two biggest departments are the main things to watch and that sales dollars are not the best measure of their performance. Company is currently improving to the best level of technology in company history, however, this is still miles behind the rest of the world. Most people only stay for the pension plan, aka "the golden handcuffs" and the company knows it and uses it as a convenient distraction for all of their shortcomings. Pension plan is nice but takes 32 years to max out at 52.5% compared to other companies doing the same or better in just 20 years.
