Gibson was branded the worst company to work for!

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I am in management at a very large and fairly progressive corporation, however so I am interested in this stuff.

 

So 1.9% dislike working at Gibson. That is statistically zero when it comes to employees disliking the workplace. You get more disatisfcation than that almost anywhere.

 

Everybody hates the boss? Is that another surprise? Not that everyone hates the CEO of every company, but it is far from unusual, and hardly remarkable. But only 1.9% disliking the company? That is remarkable and by most ratings would put the company in a totally different category. How often does the average line worker interact with the CEO?

[Gabriel E.]

No, it wasn't 1.9% of the employees dissatisfied. It was a 1.9 point rating out of a possible 5 points. I guess that translates into 70% of the employees being dissatisfied although I'm not sure how the rating is really calculated.

 

If you read the reviews, they are mostly negative and people are complaining about an overall negative work culture that's governed by fear.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

If you read the reviews, they are mostly negative and people are complaining about an overall negative work culture that's governed by fear.

 

That sucks. As I said, it is appearing everywhere now, though. We are headed towards an 1840s economic model. Scary stuff.

[Gabriel E.]

 

I agree that it's nice that they've made the effort to keep production in the USA, but it isn't so nice if the US employees are feeling like they could be packed off at any moment.

 

Right now that is a prevalent feeling in most workplaces. My wife worked for one of the really big law firms, in their US headquarters. She was laid off along with many of the other high dollar long term employees who cost the company a lot of money in salary and benefits, and the ones that were replaced were replaced with entry level personnel. Everyone in the company is walking on eggshells, and employee morale and loyalty, which used to be very high, is in the crapper.

 

The bean counters who have used the 'bad economy' as an excuse to take advantage of employees and maximize profits have pretty much screwed the pooch, and now US productivity and quality are on a downhill slide as workers feel disenfranchised, and quality people are jumping ship all over the place... not an option for line workers who do factory work, who rightfully feel stuck. This is not unique to Gibson, far from it. It is a national plague.

 

 

 

I think you're totally right.

 

My wife's workplace is the same. CEO is being sued by shareholders. Rumors have been circulating of 50% downsizing and they have been "restructuring" for over a year now. In the space of two months her boss took a buyout offer and her next boss got canned. Everyone's on edge and doing whatever they can to save their own skins. Doesn't make for productive workers or management who are willing to take necessary risks.

[picker]

During the time I was working for Sprint, a poll was taken by some independent group that showed Sprint to be dead last, number 7 out seven companies, in customer satisfaction with their Customer Service. Truth is, it was probably very accurate. I was in telesales, and when customer service calls overran the number of customer service reps on duty across the country, the calls were routed to us, which ticked them off something fierce. We, of course, took the brunt of the customer's anger when we couldn't do anything for them but offer to sell them new phones and service plans. Sometimes, I think the calls were routed to us just to see what would happen. So, I can see where Sprint was actually at the bottom of the heap on Customer service.

Gibson may or may not be any of things I've said or anyone else here has said about them. I'm not an employee there, I don't know anyting but what I read and have heard, and of course, what dipwaddery I have seen in their product offerings.

But the people who work there DO know what's going on, and if they said it's an un pleasant place to be an employee, maybe they know something none of us here, including you, Bill, know. Malcontents don't last long on a job. Their stats suck, they can't get along with their fellow workers or management, they generally get railroaded out by their own bad attitude and lousy work. The odds that a survey spanning the entire company would only hit the company malcontents, or even a majority of them, are pretty long, I'd think.

Management makes company culture from the top down. And the morale & attitude of the employees reflects the effectiveness of that culture from the bottom up. Gibson needs take a look at their company culture, or at least they do if Henry wants to keep on keeping jobs in the US.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

.... the people who work there DO know what's going on, and if they said it's an un pleasant place to be an employee, maybe they know something none of us here, including you, Bill, know. Malcontents ...

 

First, I never mentioned malcontents.

 

And it is surely possible for employees to know what is going on, and I've also said that.

 

What makes Gibson the worst company in the US for which to work? Any of you guys ever been in a coal mine or slaughterhouse? But I did not even take that approach. I said that the workers complaints need to be filtered though what are common practices in their industry. If a guy in Nashville who has only ever worked in Nashville hates his job in Nashville, it is probable that he hates his job, not just his job in Nashville.

 

It is funny to be put into this position given that I'm usually fighting on the side of the worker.

 

In any case, I would have no trouble finding many many worse places to work than in a guitar manufacturing facility; and so would you if you stop for a moment and think about it. The chances of this being an accurate accusation aren't very good. And the fear of replacement is country wide at this point.

 

(And having been a former Sprint customer, I feel your pain.)

[myles_rose]

Somebody above says Sprint is last is customer satisfaction? I thought that spot has been held by AT&T for years whether it is telecomm, TV, cell, home phone or whatever. Truly the worst customer service in ANY industry. You are put on hold forever, the call drops, you get transferred over and over and over, nothing gets resolved.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Somebody above says Sprint is last is customer satisfaction? I thought that spot has been held by AT&T for years whether it is telecomm, TV, cell, home phone or whatever. Truly the worst customer service in ANY industry. You are put on hold forever, the call drops, you get transferred over and over and over, nothing gets resolved.

 

and I've been trying to buy a house for cash from Bank of America for seven months, and in the last two weeks they have had a second independent brokers opinion of the property done (their first BO, contracted by them from their group of brokers, wasn't good enough???). And today they're now asking me to prove, again, that I have the cash to buy the home. The simple answer, set the closing date and watch me roll in with or without the cash, seems too simple, I guess.

 

Lots of bad companies out there. Worse to work for? I'd be voting for someplace like a slaughterhouse, where the workers have to wear chain mail suits and still manage to whack off limbs with the butchering chainsaws, and spend their days covered in blood and offal.

[myles_rose]

Bill - I have a few freiends in real estate and they say buying bank owned properties can take months, even as long as a year and the process is a nightmare. Most of them will not even show clients bank owned properties.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Bill - I have a few freiends in real estate and they say buying bank owned properties can take months, even as long as a year and the process is a nightmare. Most of them will not even show clients bank owned properties.

 

I -can- say 'never again'.

 

Problem is that we love the location and the view. I'm a 'pile of bricks' kinda guy, usually not so easily roped in. There is always another house... but the site of the house has got to us.

[picker]

Actually, I work for the worst company in the US. The owner is a stench in the nostrils of honest business owners, there are no benefits, the pay is less than half what it should be, and if I could have found another job that would take me, I would have already quit and run like a raped ape over the hill and far away.

[Gifthorse]

Somebody above says Sprint is last is customer satisfaction? I thought that spot has been held by AT&T for years whether it is telecomm, TV, cell, home phone or whatever. Truly the worst customer service in ANY industry. You are put on hold forever, the call drops, you get transferred over and over and over, nothing gets resolved.

 

I would agree 100%. At&T are complete classless farfaces. I have 2 examples. 1, in 2000 I signed up for DSL for a year with a company called IBS. I payed the full amount for the year, as I got a discount as a result.

 

Then At&T waltzes in, hostile takeover. Doesn't honor any of IBS's contracts, shuts down everything in 2 days.

 

Then because my cell phone service wouldn't work where I lived I got out of my contract (you know when the year ended). I switched to Cingular. 2 months go by, and AT&T buys Cingular. I was so pissed.

 

Then my bills started to get all gigantic. There were other things like charging me for incoming text messages. But curiously I was getting spammed daily by unknown businesses. So at the end of the month I would owe them an extra $3. I would complain, and they woudl take it off. But think about how many customers probably DON'T!

 

Sounds like a scheme to me.

 

Then I moved here. I had to spend at least 2 hours on the phone JUST to cancel my service. They fought until the bitter end. Transferring me around to different people who would try to convince me to stay.

 

I am like, "I am moving to Taiwan!!!" They are like, "we have this international phone plan, it is $5 extra per month and it can do this and this."

 

RIDICULOUS!! Like I could afford that here. To spend $.12 a minute in another country to make calls?

 

So far it has been about 15 months. They owe me like $100. So far it hasn't come. I called them when I was home, and said that I was leaving to come back to Taiwan in mid Nov and I would appreciate if they would send me my money.

 

They said they would, and that they already HAD sent me the money.. BUt guess what? It STILL isn't there.

 

I have spent so much time on the phone with them it is silly.

[Guitarzan]

sorry to hear some of you are in situations less than desirable.

i am very happy with my job.

 

I have been there through 3 downturns in the economy and i still have my position. going on 23 years. good benefits and pay.

this year was rough but it never affected me financially or otherwise. there has been efforts to improve some things that we now have time for while trying to reduce tire stocks in the warehouses.

 

I have no problem doing more than i am required, in fact i consider it a challenge.

a fellow coworker is never happy and has nothing good to say about work....he is lazy and a selfish twat. i know..i work with him.

i don't claim that all of Gibson's employees are like him but i do know that some people are not happy unless they can make money by sitting on their ass.

 

personally i don't care if our manager is an ass or a cool guy, i perform the same. i work for the company not the person.

our last Plant manager sucked big time but we now have a real nice guy at the helm.

I can't relate to the Gibson thing because it sounds so different than Michelin.

[myles_rose]

Well hang in there and hopefully things will be over soon and you will have your new place.

[myles_rose]

Actually, I work for the worst company in the US. The owner is a stench in the nostrils of honest business owners, there are no benefits, the pay is less than half what it should be, and if I could have found another job that would take me, I would have already quit and run like a raped ape over the hill and far away.

 

Did you and I work together? Nah. You say you still work there yet the company that came to mind from your description went out of business in 2008.

 

 

[Larryz]

I'm happily retired...and yes, bosses/management can make the workplace a great place to work or they can provide you with misery...never left a job I didn't like (even the 1st one work'en at the car wash blues back in 64)...it's the people you work with that make the difference so find a better place if you don't like it where you're at...don't spend your life in misery, unless you have no choice...

[Bejeeber]

AT&T... Truly the worst customer service in ANY industry. You are put on hold forever, the call drops, you get transferred over and over and over, nothing gets resolved.

 

You're preachin' to zee choir there! I have been astounded at how screwed up they are, and have had your exact experience way too many times.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

From a guy who has tried all the phone companies at one time or another and who travels a lot...

 

of the national companies, Sprint is the worst, followed by T-Mobile. AT&T doesn't give a rats ass about you, it is true. But among the choices, I might end up back there when my current subscription to T-Mobile ("...whats that..., I can't hear you!..." bzzzzzzzzzzzzz.) expires. Verizon is good but costly and also unfriendly, but really, none of them are very friendly or care about you. Probably the best deal for a guy who doesn't travel and has access to it is Cricket. You don't get any help there either, but the cost is low and all the services are free.

 

T-Mobile was a gift from my wife, when I was laid up after surgery. When I was again mobile, I found that there are places in my house, in the places that I work, and on the street downtown where I have no service. I asked about it and they blew me off. (It was after the grace period, when i could have returned the phone, but I didn't know, I was laid up.) And their service is abysmal when I am moving, the phone is dark everywhere. Yet they claim similar coverage maps to everyone else.

 

My wife still has AT&T, and we can be side by side, shes got signal and I don't.

[russclan]

Hey James, thanks for the warm welcome! I've lurked around the forum for a very long time, but only recently decided to take the plunge and register. I'm always getting ready to procrastinate, it seems Now that I'm "officially" a part of the forum, I'll try and be an active poster. I do generally try and avoid the "me too" posts, but I'll help out when/where I can.

[Caevan O’Shite]

I do generally try and avoid the "me too" posts..."

 

That never stopped the rest of us. Post away!

 

(FWIW, it's "Caevan" aka and pronounced as "Kevin", the former being an old Irish spelling.)

[Larryz]

and all this time I thought "Caevan" was from Norway...an old Irish ditty eh? yes, yes, Russclan, post away...

 

and, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

and all this time I thought "Caevan" was from Norway...an old Irish ditty eh? yes, yes, Russclan, post away...

 

 

might be, by way of Viking raiders...

[Larryz]

now that you mention it, them Vikings did get around a bit...