cleaner

custodian

aircraft cleaner

janitor

floor technician

ABM Industries Inc.

I would like everyone to know that I was abruptly terminated at 5pm July 24th at my job with ABM. I pressed for a reason, and the only concrete reason that I was given was that I incorrectly Fed Exed a package on Friday, July 18th. The package was retrieved on July 20th and mailed. I have no disciplinary records in my file since I started on June 12. 

 I was lied to in my interview. I was told that I would be an Administrative Assistant and my primary responsibility would be doing payroll for the cleaning staff that were hired to clean the Principal buildings in downtown Des Moines. I was assured that this was a stable, full-time job. I rearranged my life based on what I was promised in the interview. 

 The problems started right away, and I was placed in a downtown office alone after only three days of training and was told to hire janitors that would start June 30th. Most of these people spoke no English and I have no experience or education in hiring. 

 I constantly called the home office and asked for help and more direction. I was told that I was doing a great job. The first week of July, I transitioned into my permanent office on Principal's campus. 

 I received only a Powerpoint presentation on how to start work orders, which would be another of my responsibilities. I was unable to close work orders properly because there were not enough cleaners to do the work, and they had not been told to report to me to tell me they were finished.

 On July 8th, I was told that I was being reassigned because "I wasn't a good fit for the position." But I was tasked with training my replacement. I did my best to teach her what little I did know, and on July 11, I went to work at ABM's main office on 1509 Michigan Street in Des Moines. 

 I pressed for answers as to why I had been reassigned, I was assured that I had done nothing wrong by the Human Resources manager, and that I should not be concerned about my job. 

 I was finally given a meeting with a Regional Human Resources manager from Chicago on July 22. He told me a few specific issues that he had observed while watching me earlier that day. I told someone who had called me three times earlier about their paycheck that I could not help them right now, but that I would know more on July 25th. Which was what I had been told to say. I also read a book briefly while I was sitting at the front desk, because I had only been told to answer phones and greet people who came into the office. I read the book when the office was empty and there were no calls. I was given no other tasks to perform. 

 These were the only specific issues that were brought up to me during that meeting. I promised to work on them and was told that I was not being formally disciplined, and nothing further would happen to me as long as I did not make those mistakes again. 

 On July 24th, I was terminated. I was told that the Vice President of Human Resources from Chicago was responsible for making the decision. And that the incorrectly mailed package was the "tipping point" for my termination. 

I was not the only employee that lost their job there.  People were being fired left and right for things that are minor.  And there was also no formal system to keep track of their employee's hours.  

As a result, on the first paycheck for the Principal account it was estimated that nearly all of the 130 employees' checks were messed up in some fashion.  Mine was, too.  

This is highly illegal.  This company should not be allowed to stay in business.  They have no idea what they're doing.

Pros: Some sites are not very demanding.
If something goes wrong you won't necessarily get fired, they will just move you somewhere else with less pay.
Cons: Mangagement does not care about you.
The contractor's word will ALWAYS overshadow your own.
Pay is minimal compared to other security companies.
No solid hierachal structure.

My time at ABM has come to an end, so here's a word of advice to anyone looking for a security job in the Atlanta area, do NOT come to ABM. Allied Barton or Security Services of America might be better choices than coming here. ABM may be great in other states, but not here in Atlanta.

First off, you are working under contract. Which basically means you are a slave to ABM and they are just renting you out to another company. That being said, no matter what you do, the contractor can always get rid of you and replace you with someone else since GA is an at-will employment state. Don't expect any 15-min breaks or lunch breaks either. Remember, ABM owns you and even if you work a 12-hr shift, you won't get a single break.

Second, no matter how well you do your job, the contractor can tell management whatever they want and send you packing. How would you like to have your employment fate in the hands of some incompetent fool who can't even figure out how to work his own office phone? ...Yeah, no one does.

Third, for normal positions they pay ranges from abt $8.50 to $11.00 an hr... Which is decent. But when you find out that other security companies (that arm you with more than a flashlight) make almost double, then you'll start to wonder why you even bothered signing up for ABM. To make matters worse, ABM will situate you in an environment of people making double or triple what you make for the same amount of time per week... You can do the math, but I can promise the result won't be in ABM's favor. And btw, overtime? Pssshhht, forget it. ABM will bend over backwards to do everything they can from allowing you to get overtime. You also don't get any worthwhile benefits.

Finally, there is no solid hierachal structure whatsoever. Each site has guards assigned to a site supervisor, that answers to the contractor, the field supervisor (who answers to the district manager and contractor), and district manager (who answers to the regional manager and contractor). Now lets say you have a problem with the contractor, who do you go to if your entire company answers to the contractor?? The contractor can basically walk up, call you a derogatory name (which happens), and there's pretty much nothing you can do about it since ABM will label it as something you must've done and suck-up to the contractor to protect their precious assets.

All in all, ABM sucks. There's too many rules in place that they don't tell you, and don't really pay you enough to follow (IE: No beard/goatee/stubble, must have tie on in the middle of friggin summer, must listen to everything the contractor says even if you know they are wrong... Etc.) You can stop a mass murderer cold in his tracks, but God forbid you show up to work without a tie and peach fuzz growing. If you value any respect that you have for yourself now, please keep it and move on to another place. Working for ABM is only for if you are desperately in need of money and don't want to turn to prostitution (which is basically the same as working for ABM.) Good luck and God Bless.

Working  at ABM Industries has been a challenging experience, largely due to the company's disorganized structure and unprofessional working environment. As a company with a significant presence, you'd expect a level of efficiency and cohesion in operations, but unfortunately, this has not been the case.

Lack of Resources & Disorganization

One of the most glaring issues at ABM is the overwhelming lack of resources. 
The department is severely understaffed, with employees stretched thin and struggling to manage day-to-day responsibilities. This often leaves critical tasks either delayed or neglected. The workload is exhausting, and without sufficient manpower, it's difficult to prioritize tasks effectively or meet deadlines.

Unclear Direction & Management Instability

Management, from my experience, lacks clarity and consistency in their directives. They often give instructions that contradict previous guidance or fail to align with the actual goals of the team. This type of inconsistency leads to confusion and a sense of directionlessness. Moreover, the senior leadership, including the CISO, seems more concerned with playing favorites than focusing on developing strategies that benefit the team as a whole. This not only lowers morale but also makes it challenging to push forward any meaningful initiatives or improvements.

Unprofessional Atmosphere

The culture at ABM can be described as unprofessional at best. Many employees, including those in management, display a lack of motivation and are visibly disengaged from their work. It becomes evident that several team members are simply going through the motions, which affects the overall team dynamics and productivity. Some of the more troubling aspects of the working environment include employees ignoring messages on Microsoft Teams and the constant complaints from management, who seem to have little interest in resolving issues or supporting the team.

High Turnover & Job Insecurity

The high turnover rate at ABM Industries is also concerning. A lack of job stability creates an environment of uncertainty, as employees are constantly coming and going. Those who remain in their roles often do so out of necessity rather than passion, which only further contributes to the disarray. It’s also clear that management tends to favor certain employees, creating a toxic culture where the most capable individuals are often overlooked or pushed out.

Conclusion: A Struggle to Thrive

Overall, working at ABM Industries as a SecOps Engineer has been a deeply frustrating experience. The lack of direction, poor communication, and unprofessional culture make it difficult to thrive and contribute meaningfully. If you're looking for a company with clear goals, motivated leadership, and an environment that fosters growth, ABM Industries will likely fall short of your expectations. The internal dysfunction and constant turnover make it challenging to succeed in the role, and it's clear that changes need to be made to turn things around.

Of you enjoy being over worked, under paid, then working for ABM is just for you. Before I began working for ABM, I was already employed under a different company. That company lost the account and therefore ABM (Chicago region) took over the account. I came to find out it was because they offered to provide security at a cheaper rate. Hence I became employed by AMB. My intention is not to bash anyone, but I will however tell the truth just the way it is. My experience with ABM, they give you the impression that they are well organized and on top of everything. FAR from the truth. The building I worked in was a understaffed. It was always required that 2 officers be on duty at a time. 1 to monitor the dock area, and 1 to monitor the lobby area. Typical duties would be to sign in/out vendors, tenants, contractors, and guests. Also to answer phones, give directions, perform rover rounds, and watch the CCTV system. These duties would be fine if you didn't have to perform Rover rounds of the building, which was more than 40 floors, including the basement area, and floors with no lights at all. Each officer was only equipped with a walkie-talkie. ABM does not allow officers to carry any type of weapons, let alone a flashlight. At night the staff was not sufficient for the the size of the building. (They found a homeless person sleeping in what use to be a bank vault within the building). Imagine you being a woman, alone in a dark bank vault where there is no signal for you to use your walkie-talkie. You have no mace, or anything to contact your colleague if you need assistance. Pretty scary. However those were my duties, and I performed them. I enjoyed my job before ABM took over. I was never late when working for either company. I got along with everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE in the building. I always performed overtime when asked to do so, as well as overnight duties. The problem came when ABM called my post phone at the last minute, and requested that I stay until 3am, until they found another officer to fill the post for the dock area "hopefully by 3am" is what I was told. (THE DOCK CLOSES ANYWAY AT 6 PM!!!!!!) I respectfully declined, yet was informed that if I declined and left the building unattended, I could be terminated. My options were to stay until 3am, and risk getting on the bus at 330 or whatever time the bus arrived, in the morning and travel from Chicago loop area to the south side of Chicago in the dead of winter, and risk my own safety. Or, stay until the next officer came to monitor the lobby area and then leave. I thought logically. Since the dock was locked and closed for the day.... security would definitely be here to monitor the lobby area...... I could leave at the regular time my shift is complete, and the building would not be left unattended. Right??? WROOOOONG!!!! ABM called me approximately 3 days later to come to the downtown Chicago office, only to notify me that I was terminated. All the over time I gave in the past, never late, came in on off days, none of that mattered. I was angry, but simply took it as a grain of salt. Working for ABM, or any company like it is not for me.

I am a PRM agent, been working there for about 1 year and 6 months. 

I have done the job as 
Guests experience Ambassador 
Porter/baggage handler 
Oversized agent
And now Prm 

A regular day 

I do all the duties of a Prm lead
I don't learn anything new unless I cooperate with the airlines

(Management is a 5/10 not the best but not the worst)

My manager keeps telling me to get the prm uniform (since I switched to PRM) and it's been like 6 or 7 months but they don't have uniform and so I get complained 

The work environment is nasty or fifty, we starting with toxic or jealous coworkers 😒.

I had problems with people who I don't even know (guys be talking behind my back)

Coworkers always behind those tips, which i don't care really but it does affect the way we're supposed to work, and allow me to add that (coworkers will put first tips than Costumers) If they see a person who looks that is goin to tip there are like 5 wheelchair agent running behind them, but it doesn't looks like the person is going to tip, the person is going to wait for over 5 or 10 mnts 

I haven't get a raise since I started working there.

Even though I made 1 year working with them
Have learn and done and still done ✔️ 

Guest experience Costumer 
Porter/baggage handler 
Oversized agent 

I haven got a raise neither for my time or experience not a single penny, they refuse when other people be getting 3 or 4 more dollars

At this point every day I go to work i expect to be a general worker in the company that will be all arround the airport like a lead or manager 

What i have liked is 

I got experience on Hospitality 
I do a lot of exercise at work 💪 😅 
I am very friendly (all love and peace)
I do my best at the best 👌  so I make friends all over the company helping Costumers and coworkers (who can't handle the smoke/work)


PERSONALLY 

I am a very positive/happy person full of energy 😌 ✨️ 

Every day my goal is to do better than yesterday 🙌 
(Because I like the running the rush the bussy and the physical work daily) 

I have to remark that if someone is applying for 

*PORTER/BAGGAGE HANDLER 
*OVERSIZED AGENT
*PRM AGENT 

you have to be on shape or at least be a energetic person because this jobs require a lot of energy 

It requires Physical and mental work 
In a busy day 
(Like you're going to sweat like a construction worker) 

And just for the record the one who has a bad idea of me is my general manager 

Because not even my lead or managers or dispatch can't say that I Work 

They all know me because they have been with me in the work at work at the job site (in the trenches) and they are all happy when they see me 
Because they know me 

I'm not mad at the General manager because I know he's in the office 9-5, and I really haven't seen him, unless is to inspect or when there's a *walk through* that's when all the investors inspection the Airport 

Again I haven't seen him i didn't say he doesn't 


-There are barely any benefits, you work so much for so little pay. I've worked here for almost a year, never been offered a raise for all of the hard work. There is no enjoyable part about the job, you're on your feet all day, short breaks, terrible management and you're not appreciated. Working at ABM as a janitor is great job experience but are paid minimum wage maybe slightly higher, you are asked to do a lot of work in a short period of time, if you're hard working, they will take advantage of you and get you to do other's peoples work, you will cover for your manager's shifts on the weekends and do more work. 
-You're not appreciated, you're constantly yelled at for much more work that is needed to get done, one minute it's the whole floor you're cleaning that's a problem and then the next minute it's the bathrooms in which management will force you to do a lot of detailing in. 
- Management doesn't care about you, coworkers don't care, nobody cares. Special services do a half fast job and you're responsible to pick up their work, especially if you're a assisting as a supervisor. 
- No matter how much work you do, you will be supervised and yelled at for little things that nobody would even care about. 
- Have fun dealing with a messed up paycheck every week as well, as I know one new worker, who's been there for 2 months and doesn't even have an employee number and complained that his check was wrong. 
-  This company needs to go, they treat their employees badly, management gets all the raises and promotions. Most of the management are drug dealers and sex offenders by the way, so that shows you how unprofessional this company really is. Many people working there are either low-class or have just walked out of jail, so be very careful who you're dealing with as well, as this job can be life risking and dangerous too. 
- Good, hard working, dedicating employees are overlooked and underpaid, stay away from this job, don't ever work here or you will be mistreated and very unhappy. I'm glad I quit and I hope they enjoy years from now, not getting anybody to work for this underpaid, mistreated job anymore. You will also be misguided and treated badly by district managers and corporate as well, no matter how much work you do on a floor. 
- There's so much bad you can say about this company, stay away from any of their jobs and avoid getting involved with them. Special services who come in to do detail, carpeting work also may have a little something special about them, as you will commonly see a security guard walking next to these criminals who are being watched by security all day, it's a scary thing. They only promote these with a high criminal record and I guess criminals get the option of being valued and appreciated by this very messed up company.

They dont always pay you for the hrs you worked, they will pay you for less. They seem to favor women more but if somebody else has been there longer than you its everybody against you, they can do no wrong even if they not even working. Complain about a coworker not doing their job and nothing gets done about it just a simple "I'll talk to them". Ask for more supplies or ask for specific supplies needed & u will get the wrong type or too much of one unneeded object & less required, or it would take months for you to get the supplies period. One time all I asked for was toilet seat covers, that's it just seat covers!! It took over 3 months & constant calls to the building supervisor before I went to a higher up Nicor worker (that's who contracted us) did I finally get the seat covers & they ended up being completely different from what was used before. Before getting transferred to Nicor building I was @ the DeKalb Oasis on 88. I was given a vacation after the first yr like anyplace else, but then I transferred to the Nicor building. I was told I could have a vacation & during that time it would be around my 3 yr mark. I took one week off instead of the two I was told I was allowed.  The first check came after getting back but no vacation hrs, I called the building supervisor asking if my paid vacation would be on the next check or if it would come seperatley and guess what? Apparently I wasn't allowed a vacation!! He said because I transferred from the oasis to Nicor I lost any seniority I previously had so I couldn't take a paid vacation even tho I was with the same company. Nobody even told me till after I took the time off, if I had known that would happen I never would've taken the time off! I couldn't afford it with the bills @ home I was expecting the paid vacation to help pay rent that month, but instead I ended up being short!! Complete bull! I was working for ABM almost 4 yrs & just got fired on complete bull. Every morn I needed to take my boyfriend to work since we couldn't afford another car yet. I told my building supervisor I would be coming in alittle late & since his hrs changed there was no set time I knew I would get to work. No matter what I stayed the amount of hrs I was getting paid for & finished my duties & more before leaving & none of the people in the contracted building I was in cared as long as the work got done. Anyways recently I got accused of a no call no show when my building supervisor got to the building I was in & couldn't find me for an hr even tho I was helping a few secretaries clean out a big back storage room around that time so wasn't in the main areas I normally work, got fired later that day. Complete bs right? I think so too. But I really don't care I'm free, FREE! Don't bother with ABM I'm sure there are other cleaning companies out there that will treat you waaay better.

● Work-life balance
When I was working for this company. I was only working part time hours, which was four hours a night. Being that this was some people only job( including me). They should’ve paid a little more. So we could’ve at least brought home four hundred after taxes. These housekeeping jobs in Richmond, VA under pay their housekeepers  anyway, for all we do. Unless, you are cleaning residential homes, or working in a hospital. Still, the hospital pay isn’t enough. Anyway, when I was working at this company. The building leader acted as if he was the supervisor. Kept texting to see if I was going to show, this was everyday. Getting smart with me, and all. To the point I asked to be removed from that building. But that didn’t stop him from texting, trying to run things at the building I was at, like he was that building leader. Last, the building I got switched to. The bathrooms looked like no one have touched it in a while. But the manager had the nerve to come to me about a urine stain that was behind the toilet. After a few days of me being there. Because that stain was there for a while, a mop didn’t do. I had to get on my hands and knees to scrub the tile floor, to remove the stain. Instead of him getting on the supervisor who clean areas that’s not assign to no one. Because it’s not enough employees. He used me as the escape goat. And guess who was right there running his mouth too. The building leader of the building I switched from. Did say that building leader lied when I first got there saying “he was the supervisor, also.” I asked the manager and supervisor, they both denied he was one. Come to find out, he was just obsessed with that title, to the point he was willing to lie about his position, because he wanted that spot, since he been there for years.

● Pay & benefits
I was part time, so I didn’t have any benefits. The pay was ridiculous.

● Job security and advancement
They do promote from within. I know from housekeeper to building leader. Anything else like supervisor or manager they will hire from outside. The site I was at anyway.

● Management
The manager was full of it. Because I was working part time, only four hours. I wanted a full time position. Which I started the job knowing it was only going to be temporary. I have kids and bills. I just took that, so I could have some money coming in. I talked to the manager about open full time positions. He kept giving me the run around. So I found one for him. He didn’t do nothing with it. It couldn’t been an easy transfer. Still working for the same company, but he didn’t do nothing with the information, like he wanted me stuck there. So he left, and another manger came in. I said “forget it. I’m going to start putting in applications other places.” I did, until I got a full time job, that paid more at the hospital.

● Overall
Something temporary, until you get better. Little pay, the manager was full of bull, the building leader act as if he was the supervisor. Just bad....

I worked at an Amazon Fulfilment Center as an ABM employee. I was excited to be there at first, but over time, the management started to treat all of us poorly for the bad behavior of a few people. The Area Managers, Process Assistants, and dock workers at the site all appreciated my work, and told me so rather frequently, while my own ABM managers never really seemed to care that I actually came to work while my teammates spent most of the summer calling in and visiting family. The actual “rules” or policies regarding breaks, time/scheduling, etc seemed to be explained differently every time there was a new Site Manager.

Management would rather punish everyone instead of focusing on the employees who actually did things wrong. Unacceptable. Certain individuals who have “excuses” got preferential treatment (namely with regards to attendance and earbuds). The Lyft pass that was given to all of us was taken away and never given back, making it harder to get to work. Shortly after this happened, management moved the time clock to a place where we had to then spend almost eight to ten minutes getting to lunch before we can start eating, and then spend another four or five to get back - effectively making a third or more of our lunch break wasted on movement. We only had ONE time clock in the entire facility. When some of us tried getting around this by eating lunch at the tables in our "office" instead, management told us to stop doing that "because Amazon asked us to" which was made-up, Safety never cared.

Health insurance, Worker's Comp and PTO were explained rather poorly if at all. We were told to request PTO when we needed, it; the only time I ever did so was for ten hours of Thanksgiving, and I wasn't given it. Another employee requested it for a Saturday, but he was never told by the manager that it was approved, leading to a confusing texting exchange with the manager that morning. No sick time. We did not get a pay raise; the last raise happened before I began and I was at the same rate of pay the entire time. I got suspended for work longer than the intended time by a manager who quit shortly after, and the other manager made an excuse that he couldn't un-suspend me because he wasn't the one who suspended me. I was told "HR would call," but the HR representative neither called nor emailed me.

It was all "pretend" incompetence by the management, because they knew it wasn't working, they just wanted an excuse to eliminate all of the team. You can't treat your employees at one site this way and expect others not to find out! We heard from the employees at the other Amazon sites too that they were being treated much better than we were.


Its best to come at this job by finding a reasonable Dallas or Fort Worth location. There are many areas to the company and I was hired by the valet area of the company.

I started in Fall of 2016 and worked until Spring of 2017. I often had a decent pay rate but it stunk that it was every two weeks. Adding to that, once the tips started slacking (which is often during the summer), the job becomes virtually worthless. And unlike other Dallas companies, the tips are NOT the only source of income (where you get cut after a few hours and divide up the tips, management is run by thug types)- instead they are given in addition to your $8.50/hour pay (you take turns deciding who will valet who).

Adding to the problems, the management kept changing and the policies would keep requiring an annual test but it was worthless because they would ask questions for other fields of ABM which didn't apply to the company & would give us the answers/demand we not do poorly when the company could've performed so many other areas of conducting research on what was or wasn't working. In addition to that, I would have supervisors arguing with one another, everyone asking for different working styles and some co-workers who wouldn't be on the same page. Jackets provided were pretty lame and they kept changing the policy on wether or not you could read books (boring or inactive moments are inevitable, why is this a distraction?).

Adding to the stress level was the fact that the Dallas hospital which housed our ABM Valet company wasn't on the same page as ABM so we would get so many complaints that weren't our fault or because front desk staff were calling in problems to police when they could've asked us for help outside. And once the management changed, they would always play the blame game if they heard any (I meant ANYTHING) complaint (that makes ZERO sense especially if the customer is dumb or it was a civil critique versus a negative review) as opposed to problem solve as a team.

Overall, this job could literally be considered a retail job or temp agency gig given how its got hardly any room for advancement unless you pull the right levers.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cleaner 118 salaries reported	$15.96 per hour
Custodian 102 salaries reported	$17.54 per hour
Aircraft cleaner 7 salaries reported	$15.09 per hour
Janitor 84 salaries reported	$18.32 per hour
Floor technician 20 salaries reported	$17.04 per hour

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