Allied Universal reviews

3.0

45% would recommend to a friend

(13,309 total reviews)
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Steve Jones

45% approve of CEO

36% positive business outlook

Allied Universal has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 13,309 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Allied Universal employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

13K reviews
2.0
May 19, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You can get lucky and be assigned to a great site. Where they send you is up to luck. I got really lucky and love my assigned site. The work is generally easy, perfect for students or retirees who don't expect a living wage for working full time.

Cons

I've been with the company for 3 years. After my first full year of supervisor having perfect attendance, not taking off a single day (not by choice, but rather chronic understaffing so no one trained to cover for me), I was supposed to receive an anniversary bonus. After inquiring about the bonus, I was told they couldn't do the bonus, but gave me a raise. I checked and the raise was for $0.06. I've never seen worse turnover rates. They're sending officers out to train without giving them uniforms first. I've been waiting on a new pair of pants for 8 months. Account Managers are supposed to be in communication at all times but mine ignores all of my calls and texts. When I have a no call no show or an officer calls in sick, there are no flex officers to cover which causes a breach in contract between the company and the client. There is no regard for work-life balance. Everything about this job is the absolute bare-minimum from the pay to the management. I regularly get in trouble for having officers work over-time even though there are not enough officers hired to cover regular shifts, much less when someone calls in sick.

3.0
Apr 29, 2019

Transfer

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You're able to grow quickly in the company.

Cons

Depending where you work i tried transferring from the Virginia Branch to Orlando Branch and let me just say one thing the Orlando branch is unorganized and unprofessional.

2.0
Dec 9, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Depending on your team, you dictate your own schedule on some days of the week. You can choose whether or not you go into the office to spend the day doing "inspections." At the end of the week, as long as your inspections are done somehow, someway, you're good. -You're in a leadership position. Management of minimally paid security guards is not an easy task, but it builds your ability to communicate effectively to some of the most underappreciated people in the employment world. -Exposure to a variety of different sites, personalities, clients, guards, cultures, etc. You are the go-to person for any security related issue for the accounts you manage. -You can bring your work with you anywhere in the country (and out of country for that matter), as long as your work phone can stay active and you're able to get wifi on your laptop.

Cons

-You are on the clock 24/7. As mentioned above, even when you are traveling, you're working. Situations at your sites may arise that causes your phone to ring at 3 in the morning, to which you must give your full attention to. -Minimum wage paid employees = employees who don't feel the need to work as hard. They can literally walk out of your site and apply to the fast food restaurant across the street for the same amount of pay. This, in turn, causes a very high turnover rate, which ends up becoming a headache for you way more than you'd expect. -If you have a soft-spot for good people who deserve more, but receive less, this may not be the best job for you. There are some security guards who have been in the industry for over 20 years and still receive minimum wage. And in all honesty, even if you wanted to help these people, you can't. You may help a handful move up here and there, but the majority of these people are stuck. It can become depressing to see a lot of good guys suffer financially. -You have to purchase a lot of things out of pocket and not receive reimbursement for them (i.e, Metrocards for meetings, work, security guards) -Anxiety. You'll develop a bit of anxiety due to your phone ringing and tinging off the hook everyday. You can eventually feel jaded by the ringtone, but it does take its toll on you. -LOW PAY. For the amount of work this job requires, the pay just doesn't cut it. A lot of us don't actually mind the work - it keeps the mind busy and you'll feel productive. But the pay is entirely way too low. Think: lower-middle class. You're definitely living paycheck to paycheck. Especially those of you with any sort of loans. Find a roommate. -Hiring of unqualified people. I'm sure this is an issue many companies face, but it's out of hand here. Many people with more experiences, better qualifications, and better work ethic are hired for a lesser title and pay than that Joe Schmoe off the block. -You will be very busy - all the time. Although you're able to dictate your own schedule on some days of the week, phonecalls, call-outs, latenesses, etc. will hold you. -You may handle anywhere from 2,000 hours to 5,000+ hours of work. Not including weekly inspections. I'm just under 5,000. It's insane. -Slow career growth.

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