Pros
At inception of Copart Direct, employees had a say in the direction of the new department...even if it were minimal. Employees were given a fairly open work schedule and productivity with even a few employees was very high. We used to purchase 80 to 160 cars each per month. A handful of folks did the same amount of work that the eventual 50 + agents did and customer satisfaction seemed to be higher along with employee morale. Work schedules were flexible as long as targets were met.Company meetings were actual moments when growth could be charted and new directions could be decided on.
Cons
The issue was that the management thought that putting the whole system on an assembly line environment would increase productivity. People with vast experience were suddenly reduced to call center agents (no offence- if that was the job you applied for initially and not snuck up on you) and good employees were let go. All of a sudden work loads increased threefold. No training was provided (even initially on joining). Existing purchasing agents were now responsible to meet hourly deadlines and also share training with new-comers and also had to explain why they were inactive for 5 minutes or 10 minutes. You could be on the phone with a customer negotiating a deal, when a simultaneous chat IM / email would question your current status. Employee morale dropped severely and everyone felt they were overworked and treated almost slave like. What used to be a rewarding work environment now was a drudgery. A study would have revealed that productivity was at an all time low. Unnecessary kudos and pats on the back were provided to employees who met targets while doing so totally unethically. Being un-ethical was actively promoted with higher-ups looking the other way. When ever these were brought up at meetings, employees were silenced and told to speak one on one with the managers. Conditions were and are still intolerable. Folks stay there just because no other opportunities have presented themselves. Newer ways to limit the existing pay structure were implemented. Earning under $1000 every two weeks (base pay) was the norm with just 3 to 4 employees (out of 50) earning commission over that within a few hundred dollars. HR is a joke. if an employee complains, suspiciously a manager calls to find out if all is well. Many have confirmed this and therefore no one complains anymore. Overall this was a very demeaning and inhospitable work environment and I personally saw my health and mental well-being suffer greatly. Copart seemed to become a company that prized them selves on getting the most done by their employees for the least amount of pay or benefits. Absolutely not worth it.
