They had a quota system for troubleshooting and repair work; quotas should only be in place for "New Production" work, not troubleshooting. Constant shortages of materials and tools necessary to properly perform the work. These shortages included specialized security bits, hand tools, chairs, electrical components, pens, tape, and paper. Our computers and the computer network would fail, but we were told to reach the quota anyways. We were frequently sent home, without pay, because of a lack of work. Other times, we were expected to increase production to "catch up on the large volume of work in the warehouse" (the manager's exact words), but they would not make overtime available. Temporary quota increases were always made permanent.
When you were given the day off for a holiday, you only got the exact holiday; for example, you would get Thanksgiving off, but not the day before or after, so traveling to see family was impossible. They claimed to make changes to thank us for our hard work, but the reality was replacing the vending machines in the break room with a higher priced kiosk system (which the company got kickbacks from) and a $30,000 gym room that only management used.
If you were late or missed work, whether for a family emergency, by doctor's orders, or car trouble, you were fired. If you tried to point out problems with the quality of work, the work process, or the work environment, you were fired. For the last six months that I was there, I stopped learning the names of the new hires, because 90% of them would be gone in a month. They exploit the temp services. All of the technicians were temps, including one guy that had been there for over two years., but they refused to hire him on. He was unique for having been there that long.
I was only given two days of training, and then expected to perform. I was made a trainer for the new techs after only three months of work. I always felt bad for the new guys because they would ask for more training, but I wasn't allowed to train them for more than two days. If they really pushed for more training, they were fired.
You have to be close friends with or related to the President or the CEO to be considered for upper management. As a result, the company suffers.
If you really need the money, work there. But keep looking for a job because you won't be there long. And when you finally leave, it will be like a great weight has been lifted off of you.
