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• Twelve years after my first review, not much has changed. Too many consultants versus employees. Fewer opportunities for much upward movement for union employees.
  In some cases job descriptions are ancient, requiring experience in applications/software that no longer exists.
  Engineers are doing far too much administrative work at a much higher charge-out rate than an admin has. Makes no sense not to hire support staff. The admins we do have are extremely overworked and many succumb to the pressure and take medical leave.
  It remains a gong show and I'm glad my retirement time is approaching.
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  Posted on 21 October 2023 by Rater #44 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• One of the worst companies I've ever worked for. Company is run by Incapable managers, irresponsible accounts, and politicians.  

  Posted on 10 February 2016 by Rater #43 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• A very unsatisfactory experience. Managers - especially those in Procurement are very poor. I once saw a VP try to give a Christmas door prize to a person who was let go 2 weeks before. While the pay and benefits are great, the moral is poor. Many people are looking to get out but cannot leave because of the "golden handcuffs".
  
  Worked at BC Hydro for over 5 years, but was let go in one of the many "Transformational" re-organizations that continue to plague the procurement department.
  
  Be very wary of joining this company.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 21 August 2015 by Rater #42 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• Pro:
  -Work-life balance
  -Relatively easy work
  -Knowledgeable consultants and employees (non-management)
  -Social and environmental responsible
  -Culture of safety
  -------------------------------------------
  Con:
  -Pay is low relative to other utilities in the country
  -Opportunities for growth is limited
  -There are more managers than workers
  -Lots of managers have been there for ages and are pretty useless (lack of diverse skillset and are waiting to retire)
  -Favouritism runs rampant
  -Engineers doing admin work
  -Top heavy management
  -Lack of accountability for work
  -Inefficient policies and business practices
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  Posted on 4 March 2015 by Rater #41 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• There are many good things about working at Hydro, but sadly there are many bad things too. For some the pay is great but for others it's not very good. For COPE employees, it takes five years to get to full pay. Be prepared to be paid at a lower group rating than what you are working at. Also be prepared to do someone else's job while they get paid far more. I'm currently supporting a manager who made $100,000 more than I did last year but he only works 15-20 hours per week, I do most of his job because he's incompetent and often not around. There also an expectation that people in certain groups will work unpaid overtime to get the work done, while others the overtime is free flowing.
  
  Favoritism is rampant within BC Hydro, the worst I've ever seen in all of the employers I've worked for. Often qualified employees won't even get an interview yet people that aren't qualified to run lemonade stands will get hired into positions. The security department is a prime example, the manager of that department is loading it full of his ex-RCMP buddies looking to double dip, and coast along doing very little in the way protecting BC Hydro's assets. In other cases rather than hiring qualified employees, they will get passed up for interviews, and friends and relatives will get hired from outside the company even though they lack the experience and skills.
  
  Sadly there is very little accountability within the top heavy management ranks. There are a couple managers who did a lot of damage to the Generation side and are now creating a mess in T&D. I also find that there is this big push for all of these processes that no one ever seems to be accountable for and are created by people that know nothing about the work it involves.
  
  Many positions within Hydro are going unfilled and being posted as temp when they should be posted as regular positions. Also, many positions are now being filled by "consultants" rather than regular employees, at last count I think we are now over 3000 "consultants." Many parts of Hydro have been contracted out with poor results and its been very costly too. When ever Hydro is looking to cut costs they always go after the lowest employees, meter readers, customer services, procurement, finance and the administration staff. They are cutting the hours of Field Service Admins but still expecting the same work to be completed and more duties being added all of the time.
  
  I've also seen a number of high quality long term employees let go while total duds are being promoted.
  
  Lots of training opportunities for some, none for others except for useless QLMS online courses.
  
  HR is not helpful at all and only helps enforce the rampant favoritism that occurs within the company.
  
  What the future holds for BC Hydro is hard to say, some times it appears that the upper management is intentionally trying to sink the company. It is an ok place to work but be prepared to not have a lot of stability. The benefit plans are pretty good and if you know the right people you can be pretty successful within the company.
  
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  Posted on 13 July 2014 by Rater #40 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• Worst company I have ever worked for. Management has no respect for the workers and promotion is based strictly on favoritism.  

  Posted on 15 March 2014 by Rater #39 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I've worked for quite a few companies and for me BC Hydro ranks number one. In general the employees are professional and care about the electrical system. Hydro is going through a tough time right now and has been since the government review but that's the joy of being in the public spotlight. Due to headcount restrictions we've been forced to outsource engineering and field work to companies that are less experienced and cost more (no you wont see this story in the Province newspaper). There is also a minor brain drain since Hydro's contractors typically pay more than Hydro does (see above).   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 29 November 2013 by Rater #38 | Comments (1) | Flag as inappropriate

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• There is no chance for advancement. My skills have never been fully utilized and there is no technical training.  

  Posted on 27 November 2013 by Rater #37 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• BCH has gone from a superb company in the 1990's to a company run by the support groups.
  
  HR and ER dominate decision making on many issues. There are great people working at the company but poor decisions on critical issues are leading to money being wasted, people becoming disillusioned, and strong employees and leaders seeking employment else where or retiring early. It's a bloody shame!   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 16 October 2013 by Rater #36 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• BC Hydro has gone through substantial change in the past 10-15 years. I cant complain about the company but I can complain about poor hiring practice when we look at senior management, the highest levels are appointed with little to no utility experience and that lack of technical expertice and knowledge is impacting the company greatly. Secondly to much chnage being implemented by a VP in T&D that comes as a previous government employee   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 22 August 2013 by Rater #35 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I've been with Hydro since 1996. I believe it has hit a new low. Discussion among my fellow workers , we are not sure of the motivation, but our general outlook is very negative. Is the government forcing lineman to quite as an easy route to privatization? If not it's hard to comprehend the level of incompetence at the upper levels of management. I have no trust in BC hydro and can honestly say , I'm embarrassed to be a part of this company.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 22 June 2013 by Rater #34 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I have worked for BC Hydro form 15 years, holding a variety of jobs. I used to be proud to tell people I worked here, but now I'm embarrassed. The company is a mess.
  I have watched the company become extremely top heavy with upper management & HR. We used to have 3 VPs. Now we have 14, plus 26 directors and a slew of other upper management. How did we ever function without all these roles before? I'll tell you: we focused on the employees, the people who actually do all the work. It doesn't take 50 executive managers to tell a lineman how to do his job. Instead of firing employees as the current government suggests, fire upper management who've made such a mess of this company and HIRE more employees to keep the lights on.
  We contracted out all our customer service functions (billing, credit, etc.). We contracted out our computer helpdesks and offices services (janitorial, maintenance, repairs, etc.). We even contract out a lot of line and design work. When are we going to be allowed to hire enough employees to do all the work in house? Not while the government has its hands in BC Hydro's pockets, taking the lion's share of the profits and not even leaving enough to maintain our current infrastructure, let alone make improvements and upgrades.
  If you want a job where your day-to-day activities are overseen by a dozen managers and leaden bureaucracy halts any potential for advancement or improvements, then come to Hydro.
  If you want a rewarding and fulfilling career, look elsewhere.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 12 April 2013 by Rater #33 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I've worked for many companies over a thirty year career as a Consultant and BC Hydro is one of the most disorganized and has the most incompetent management teams ever. I think theres about 3 managers to every worker, on the tax payers dime. They are not in tune with their customers requirements and they think they can "bully" their way to push their initiatives through, like the smart meters.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 10 October 2012 by Rater #32 | Comments (1) | Flag as inappropriate

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• Wow, In my 20 year management career I have never seen anything like it. I have been a manager for 4 years at BC Hydro and shake my head almost every day at the GROSS INCOMPETENCE in Senior management of this Crown Corp. The Millions wasted in unrealizable corporate initiatives is staggering. There is absolutely no accountability and the HR governance is embarrassing. We have senior managers with pretty much no business experience and those managers who show promise and could make a difference are hen pecked to keep them from shining or simply let go (with hefty packages of course). Any criticism of the machine is viewed with Gestapo like reprisal. We have managers calls every month, and there are only softball questions asked by the brown noses, and today, not a single question. The senior managers take this as " I guess we are doing such a great job of communicating" - This could not be further from the truth. I am looking for work external to BC Hydro and can't wait to break free from the insanity. Anyone who does not think privatization is the best option for a business like this has never worked at BCH - I guess a private company could do the work with 1/2 the senior management resources.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 20 July 2012 by Rater #31 | Comments (1) | Flag as inappropriate

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• Terrible place to work for a number of reasons:
  
  - Complete risk aversion means limited opportunity for innovation.
  - Decision making by massive, ambiguous consensus.
  - Lack of motivation amongst employees
  - Highly political atmosphere.
  - Massive talent drain - if you complete a masters of any sort you are going to leave.
  
  Flat-out an unhealthy place to work.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 29 June 2012 by Rater #30 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• Being one of those that was laid off back in October, I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to be there now anyways. All the cut backs and low morale of the employees is just depressing! And with more lay offs on the way I can't imagine how people feel at BCH.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 4 January 2012 by Rater #29 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I used to love working here but since the government report came out all heck has broken loose and it's difficult to feel engaged any longer. I'm not a long term employee - - only 7 years, but in even that short period I have seen the demotivation of so many of my co-workers. It's really sad.
  Our work loads have increased tremendously, but the salaries haven't moved upwards in a few years now. It's kind of sad that the public thinks we make such great money...I just wish that was true.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 21 December 2011 by Rater #28 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• It's all politics in the head office. The only thing that kept me here was the pay (decent but no where near to what you get in Alberta) and the benefits (close to Alberta's power system industry). The motto for decision making is "Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt". No one is willing to take the risk to make a decision lest they make an unpopular one. And speaking of popularity, it's nothing but a contest in the company. Forget about doing a good job, just do what ever management wants you to do, no questions asked, and you'll keep on getting raises and promotions. As a professional engineer, I've never been so demotivated in my life. Going back to a place where they know how to work hard and party hard.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 16 December 2011 by Rater #27 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• Company is dysfunctional. Management does not set clear direction or have a plan. Compensation is good considering productivity standards are low. Not a good company if you want to achieve; good if you want to coast.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 7 December 2011 by Rater #26 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• This company is a mess, there is no attempt to retain talent but rather to drive it away by keeping those in engineering doing administrative duties and meaningless jobs which do not allow advancement. Engineering has been reduced to managing consultants who learn all the aspects of the infrastructure and cost the corporation endless money by dragging out projects until they are hopelessly over budget.
  
  Managers are not in place to do much more than to protect their own jobs which quite often is at the expense of never allowing rivals to gain experience.
  
  Annual review of staff performance is usually based on favouritism by management or directives from senior management to cut costs brought down by the government of the day. The company is top heavy with redundant managers who produce nothing but red tape. Much of the time productivity is lessened by excessive meetings for such things as to listen to managers relate statistics about "scorecards" (a means to try and track all manner of things to convince upper management of group successes most of which cannot be quantified but they try none the less). Work progress is "paralyzed" from endless protocols and procedures which change constantly and become more cumbersome with time. One who goes to a site for the first time is always scared that something has been missed that will get them in trouble that they would not have known about due to the nature of relations between field staff and Edmonds office staff and the ever changing environment at this company.
  
  Staff are overpaid when compared to the private sectors, complete with excessive allowances for sick days and flex days. A Management and Professional staff who are not in a union get (in their their first year): 15 AV days and 20 paid days off called flex days or the equivalent in cash. Employees quite often take advantage of the generous allowance for sick days at BCH.
  
  Sadly, as more of the work gets outsourced and more people get laid off, customer service will get worse. As more money is re-allocated for things such as "smart-meters", operations and maintenance will get neglected which could result in problems to an aged infrastructure in dire need of attention.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 10 October 2011 by Rater #25 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 12 14