11
eNPS Score
Q&A With Xylem Employees
Developing the skills and capabilities of our people is a key part of our strategic priority to build our workforce. We offer a variety of ways to support our employees’ professional growth, and continuous training is a key part of this effort. Talent development at Xylem is grounded in frameworks of our Connect, Perform, Grow (CPG) performance management approach. CPG creates a platform for our people to facilitate regular feedback throughout the year. The purpose of CPG is to provide a forum for collaborative review and development of employee results against goals, objectives and outcomes, as well as employee behavior and competencies. We strive to ensure that these goals and objectives are aligned with Xylem’s strategic and operational objectives. It’s not a one-time exercise. Rather, managers and employees are expected to connect several times throughout the year; we validate the quality of this engagement quarterly through a survey. In 2018, on average 70% of our employees participated in the survey, and close to 90% of them agreed that the quarterly discussion with their managers was focused on how they were performing and their ongoing professional development.
How employees describe working at Xylem
unlimited flexible time off; higher than average salaries; good 401 match
If I can move things fwd
This is a great place to work
More direction and support from senior leadership
Excellent company with great benefits and ability to advance.
What it's like to work at Xylem
- Xylem employees generally work 9.1 hrs a day
- Employees at Xylem report the work pace is comfortably fast
- 83% of Xylem employees look forward to interacting with their team every day
- Xylem employees most often take unlimited paid vacation and sick days each year
- 50% of Xylem employees report they are happy with their work life balance
- Xylem employees never get valuable feedback on how to improve at work
- 72% of Xylem employees call their work environment positive
Q&A With Xylem Employees
IDX: 0 TOT: 42
How's the work life balance at Xylem?
A little tough. A lot of work, a lot of pressure. Advice to take time off, but you have to be comfortable with setting boundaries and pushing back to do it.
Horrible. You are always on call and that includes vacation and sick leave.
Horrible! We are on salary and expected to work 10 to 12 hours per day. You are always on call regardless of your role. Most employees waste 70% of the day chatting around the office. Reason why we are all expected to work excessively long hours just to recover the time that everyone wastes.
How often do employees get raises at Xylem?
Raises are dependent upon performance. There is an annual review process, but people sometimes also get raises out of cycle. It depends on the individual's performance.
Small cost of living annually. Regardless of your personal performance if stock prices aren’t as expected or Xylems quarterly earnings fell short then executive management squeezes everyone and pushes those performing well even harder for the same or less pay
How would you compare interviewing at Xylem to other places you've interviewed?
The actual questions are pretty standard. The process is exceptionally long, disorganized and disjointed.
interviewers were not well prepared
Who did you meet with during your interview? And how long did it take to hear back from Xylem?
Initial HR interview by phone then multiple interviews with various managers, department leads, and team panel interviews where 4-5 interview you at one once. Week or weeks between each step. Followed by background verification, HR tests, DMV records and drug screen. Total of 6-7 interviews. 5 months from applying to hire date. Some co-workers even longer, some fast as 3 months
product director- 3 weeks
Does Xylem drug test or do a background check?
Yes.
yes. credit check also
How do I do well in an interview at Xylem?
Come prepared to prepare the individual that is interviewing you. Bring extra copies of your resume and any relevant documentation.
Provide answers with examples. Always answer with more than what is being asked. They want to know that you can do the job for which you are interviewing.
How would you describe your overall experience interviewing at Xylem?
Chaotic! No one knew or could find the person that I was scheduled to interview with. Once found, the interviewer was not prepared.
Very pleasant. I interviewed with some very nice people.
How long do the interviews usually take at Xylem?
About one hour per individual.
Interviews are always with multiple people. They take from half a day to a full day depending on your role. But never less than 4 hours.
How does Xylem make decisions around promotions?
You will be promoted if you are in a revenue generating role, if your manager likes you, if you are a "yes man". You will not be promoted if you question a process seeking improvement.
In my growth center employees are promoted based on the departure risk, value to the organization, and management popularity. I have never seen anyone promoted on merit or dedication.
How's the vacation policy at Xylem?
Horrible! We get very little time off for the amount of hours that we are expected to put in. Although we close during the last week of the year, it is common to be called back in to work during your Christmas break. Not because of an emergency, but because lazy employees waste their day chatting around the office, managers are scattered and disorganized, and managers lack focus and discipline.
The vacation policy is standard. As a new hire, you will earn two weeks vacation which also includes sick leave. After three years the company gives you additional hours. It takes over a decade for employees in my growth center to be provided with 5 weeks vacation/sick leave.
How's the work pace at Xylem?
Inhuman! I am expected to work on back to back tasks and it is frowned upon if I even leave my desk for lunch. Senior leaders rarely show up to work on Fridays and never arrive on time. You are expected to do what management doesn't do.
The work pace is chaotic at Xylem. We work on the whim and emotional state of the executive in charge of our growth center. We are forced to redo work just because our executive's emotional state changes from planning to delivery. Ours is a peculiar growth center.
How much and how often do raises happen at Xylem?
Close to never so make sure that when you are presented with an offer letter, you negotiate a salary that you will be comfortable with 5 to 7 years if you can stick around for that long.
Very seldom if ever. My attendance, dedication, and performance are enviable and I have never received a pay raise. Not even a $5 Starbucks gift card.
How challenged are you at Xylem?
Very challenged because I lack the support team and the tools to do my ever changing job.
I am challenged because the company does not provide me with the tools to do my job and my manager is not receptive to feedback or requests for assistance. All of my projects require that I build an entire new toolset under a lot or pressure and with very little time. I have absolutely no in-house subject matter experts to rely on because of the complexity of my projects.
How difficult is it to maintain a social life while in your job at Xylem?
Top Employee Response
For me, it is very difficult because I am constantly jumping from one project to the next. I never have a chance to socialize and in all my years have never even had time to sit in the lunch room to have lunch with fellow employees. I only know the voices that I overhear from my office but can rarely match faces or even know their names. When I leave for the day, I am on call and I have to constantly check my company cell phone and respond at all hours. In my growth center my role is not mission critical but as a minority I am expected to be tied to my role in order to keep my job.
Very difficult because we are worked to the bone. I am so exhausted by the time that I leave that all I want to do is go home and sleep.
How do you feel about going to work at Xylem everyday?
I no longer like going to work at Xylem everyday. My manager is the type that throws a temper tantrum over anything and everything. Working with someone so aggressive and violent is not pleasant at all.
I no longer enjoy coming in to work at Xylem. The more projects that expose me to our executive leadership team, the less that I look forward to coming in every day. Executives should be motivators. Instead, at Xylem, they are the ones that bring you down, humiliate you in front of other employees, and obliterate your humanity and ethical core.
How's the feedback proccess at Xylem?
Try to never provide feedback. If you provide feedback to HR about an employee who is valued more than you, it will be you who is asked to leave the company. Not the problem employee! Lay low, get your paycheck and go home.
The feedback process is horrendous and at your own risk. When I started working at Xylem, I provided documented and professionally structured process improvement feedback to an Executive Vice President. That was a big mistake! The executive, looked at me with a blank stare and trashed my documentation/work plan. A new hire sharing best practices is tantamount to professional suicide at Xylem.
What kind of people succeed at Xylem?
The people that succeed at Xylem are the ones that never challenge an opinion, always agree with management, and go along with the flow even if you know that your manager is wrong or performing at a substandard level.
People who want to lay low, work like a drone, and be in constant production mode. Creativity and feedback are not appreciated in my growth center. You need to be available to the company 24/7 regardless of what you are doing. Your manager will accept absolutely no excuses as to why you cannot be reached or why your workload or project complexity are tying up your time. If you are willing to sacrifice your personal life and your lunch hour to Xylem, you will be a exceptional worker.
How's the morale at Xylem?
low
Morale is low and not improving. A lot of change is affecting employees and not in a positive way. A lot of people have left or been pushed out and many more are just here for the paycheck. God help you if you every question a request from your manager. Your manager's request could be exposing the company to liability; but you better dare never question your manager or even try to inform them of a rule or guidance that their request violates. My manager is under the impression that their will shall be done and the company should bare the consequences of what is a misguided ego.
What's one thing you wish you'd known before joining Xylem?
I wish that I would have known that the company does not invest in itself or in its employees. In the USA, our facilities are second rate. The interior of our building is as cold as it is outside. The company will not spend money on heating or cooling. We have horrible air quality inside the building; the air smells and I always have dust on my office furniture. Policies and procedures are rarely respected. You can make things up as you go and there is no enforcement for policy violations. Employee benefits are nothing to brag about. The annual healthcare co-insurance is a fortune. The company tracks employee health issues and keeps a list of those who require extensive medical care and their condition. Acquisitions are a mess and the integration process is substandard. We still feel like the stepchild. No effort is made to promote Xylem's culture or to assimilate acquisitions into Xylem's culture.
That talent, formal education, and decency are of no value to senior leadership. That employees who are decent people are regarded as "too sensitive" and shelved along with low performers. Human Resources supports and enforces this practice.
If you could make changes, how would you improve the culture at Xylem?
The culture at Xylem requires external help. I would hire a consulting firm to coach our executive team and teach them how to motivate and treat employees humanely and with respect. Lower level employees do a very good job at motivating each other because we all know what we face from senior executives. From the bottom up, the culture is enviable. From the top down, the culture is horrendous and many cases liable.
They have lost a lot of good employees because of how management treats them poorly, especially women. Not surprising that United Rentals (pumps) and Landis + Gyr (smart meters) are doing so well. This company treated my wife awful. I hope management makes some changes, I hate to see an American company loose because of poor management.
What are the differences between maternity and paternity leave at Xylem?
Not sure. People don’t tend to stay out very long -maybe pressure to return quick. Employees remain in contact with office and are expected to take calls and emails while on leave, evenings/weekends and vacation time.
What kind of people does Xylem like to hire?
Experienced people who fit with team and company culture. I doubt it’s intentional but I don’t think are any minorities or women in lower, middle or national regional management positions. I think only one minority from any of the many Xylem brands in regional tier management position for all of N.America. So maybe avg 1/100 minorities in management, 5/100 women for the US?
What is Xylem's internship program like?
No experience with this
How can I get hired at Xylem as a recent grad?
Not sure, everyone I worked with had years if not decades of experience
What should I wear for an interview at Xylem?
suit and tie says you want the job
Curious about what work's like at Xylem?
Anonymously Ask Xylem Employees Any Question
Should I work at Xylem?
45% of Xylem employees would encourage their friends to become coworkers, whereas 21% are neutral and 34% would not recommend working at Xylem to their friends.
| 45% | Promoters |
|---|---|
| 21% | Passive |
| 34% | Detractors |
