I had the pleasure of working as a contractor/consultant for a couple of years before working for a Midwest IOU, and can appreciate both aspects of your [September 2007] editorial, “What Color Are Your Stripes?” I would like to throw my two cents into the ring regarding this article and my experience working for an IOU.

Regarding the first topic, Career Advancement, I would say that our utility is more in the status-quo culture. In the Equitable Pay category, I would also say we are similar to the status-quo culture. However, I would add one thing, that being my management is not necessarily interested in my pay as much as theirs. Innovation is something that, from an automation standpoint, we have embraced and encourage. However, when it comes to new overhead/underground products, our folks are extremely hesitant to try new things. For the Meeting the Future category, we lean more toward the status-quo culture in the sense that baby boomers like what they currently have and do not like change.
— Anonymous

I like your viewpoint “What Color Are Your Stripes?” on the old industry versus the new industry. I wish I could be more optimistic about this, but I think the power industry is very segmented. I think amongst companies, there is resistance to progress and new technology, where others are embracing it. Even within my own company, some departments are using cutting-edge technology, methods and basically just have a very open and flexible attitude toward management. In my department, it is just the opposite.

In this electric utility, the organization tries to paint a picture that they are progressive and cutting-edge, but this usually isn't the case. They are still thinking in terms of the status quo and are unwilling to take what they determine to be risks. However, these “risks” often include things like moving to electronic filing, giving laptops to employees, and concentrating on productivity by reducing duplicate and unnecessary work. The new things are regarded as unnecessary or irrelevant.

At my company, 40% will be retiring in the next 18 months. What is really scary is they aren't looking to try to document their expertise or transfer it to new employees. Apparently, the plan is for newcomers to rely on outdated and not-yet-updated company documents from the last 40 years lost on bookshelves.

As one of the younger generation, it is highly discouraging. It has tainted my attitude toward the power industry, and try as I may, I cannot get excited about working in this field. I find myself checking IT websites and looking at embedded systems engineering jobs. I miss innovation.
— Bob