Pluspunten
I’ve been with Emerson Louisville for over 20 years, starting back when TopWorx was owned by Marcumm and not yet part of Emerson. Before Emerson bought TopWorx, from 2000 to 2008, we saw incredible growth. Even after the acquisition, the first 5–6 years were solid, with good margins and a sense of family—though general managers came and went quicker than seasons. But after 2016–2017, things started to go downhill fast, hitting rock bottom with massive layoffs in 2020. Leading up to this, problems piled up—constant restructuring, ever-changing priorities, no clear vision, and downright sloppy execution that hurt the once-pristine quality of TopWorx products. Back in the Marcumm days, that kind of mess would’ve never flown. By 2021, TopWorx wasn’t its own company anymore; it was just another business unit of Emerson. Layoffs became like clockwork—every few months—and many seasoned leaders were shown the door, even as profits soared past $100 million.
Minpunten
Here’s what the new leadership brought us: 1. Blame-First Culture: Whether you’re on the shop floor or in the office, management’s first instinct is to point fingers instead of fixing problems. Stalled Projects: Deadlines are missed, and projects are scrapped because management either doesn’t care or can’t keep up with the market. 2.Stalled Projects: Deadlines are missed, and projects are scrapped because management either doesn’t care or can’t keep up with the market. 3. The Outsourcing Game: The routine goes like this—hire cheap, work folks to the bone, lay them off, then ship the jobs overseas. Now we’re stuck working with teams across the globe, doubling the time it takes to get anything done. 5. Poor Leadership: What’s left of management can’t manage their way out of a wet paper bag. Problems fester, and favoritism runs rampant, with leaders more focused on covering their tracks than leading. 6. Rigid Policies: The flexibility you’d expect in today’s workplace? Forget it. 7. Low Pay and Benefits: Wages are stuck in the past, and the benefits are worse. The 401(k) match dropped from 6% to half that, and interns are paid peanuts. 8. Brain Drain: Between relentless layoffs and the toxic environment, the best employees packed up and left. 9. Inept HR and IT: HR is clueless, and IT is practically nonexistent. 10. Bureaucratic Mess: Everything from simple HR requests to project approvals is tangled in unnecessary red tape. TopWorx today is a far cry from the company that once thrived as a Kentucky success story. If you’re thinking about working here, let me save you some trouble: don’t. This place is circling the drain, and there’s no plan to fix it. You’ve got better choices out there—don’t waste your time here.