A Company That Creates Its Own Truth
Pros
If you're lucky to have landed under a manager who has chosen to rise above the corporate culture perpetuated by the company's executive leadership, then you may have the chance to have a great experience with this company. However, if you land under a manager who has been born and bred into the Labatt culture, you may want to use this organization as a training ground and then switch to a company that will truly develop you to reach your potential. There's a focus on learning, which is good and noble. However, learning is tailored to focus only on information that supports current company culture and structure of belief. Which is interesting because the learning and growth actually require the ability to disagree, new ideas and a development of a culture that supports employees, not executives. Labatt hires plenty of young people, so if you may build a good network of friends. However, it's very difficult to maintain those friendships because Labatt corporate qualities eventually create a culture that becomes toxic for friendships. This company does not believe in building a community at work, quite the contrary, this company wants work to be life. The organization does focus on philanthropy through the San Antonio Opera, which is honestly a great experience. It also focuses on community service through different local organizations in San Antonio, which is also great. But you often wonder if these things are done out of actual care for philanthropy, or out of the need to keep up an image.
Cons
The biggest con, culture. There are plenty of others, but culture is fundamental to the development of a company and the development of a young employee. There's not a day goes by where I show up to my new position and wonder why or how I managed to live within the Labatt culture for two years. It's toxic, life draining, demeaning and solely authoritative based. The worst part about the culture is a complete disregard or lack of acknowledgement that the culture needs correction. Labatt believes, if you leave you just didn't embrace the culture. The reality is that you leave, because you take a look of the reality outside of Labatt and realize the culture of this company is insane. Labatt perpetuates this culture by paying its employees far more than the expected salary for the area. People basically get bought into working in an environment where your executives overwork managers and managers believe they can treat subordinates that way. The simple fact that subordinates is used to describe people who are managed is demeaning and disgusting.
