Physically-demanding, fast-paced factory work
Pros
Pay was good. Consistent wage increases. Opportunities for advancement. Good benefits. Many individual and team rewards for achieving goals. Good amount of company social events. Most supervisors are very friendly and accommodating for employees. Group stretches before start of shift and after lunch. Work is repetitive, so You know what to expect every day. Opportunity to get 40 hours most weeks.
Cons
Very physically demanding, especially if coming in with no previous assembly line experience. Whole body feels sore for 1st month. Pace is too fast for people starting out. Difficult to keep up with experienced co-workers. Takes a month or more to be able to keep pace. First few months are very stressful as a result. Production is very cyclical and tied in with manufacturing schedules of car maker, meaning some months have many long days and weekend overtime, while other months are the opposite. Potential for layoffs when contract with automaker is coming due. Most office management doesn't seem in tune with the ins-and-outs of actually working on the line, so oftentimes they make changes to procedures that are difficult to implement, or even makes the work harder.
