forester

inspector

meter reader

arborist

restoration technician

ACRT, Inc.

This is simply the worst-run utility consulting company in the business. They barely pay their employees enough to make a living and anyone with any promise gets treated like a threat to the immediate supervisor's aspirations for advancement in the company. I got fired from the company after telling my manager/regional supervisor via text that I needed to be off for a couple of days due to a documented illness as it was interfering with my productivity because I was having to use to restroom so often. He responded to me, acknowledging that need and ok'd it. When I came back to work, he came rolling up to my work site with another employee with the intent to fire me and collect my vehicle. It was if I had not said anything to him whatsoever and that was how he played it off to the contracting company as well. He also had a list of gps coordinates for my vehicle. He brought up a time about a month prior when I spent over an hour at a restaurant for lunch, which would've been a legitimate issue had I not been working through the lunch, updating the large paper maps on the table rather than in the confines of my little mini work truck. Also, the data collection device I was given had poor battery life and a charger with a short in it. I requested replacements for over a month via texts, emails and phone calls to get it corrected, but I could not get anyone to take it seriously. My choices were to drive to the home office 45 minutes away and hope there was a coworker available with a functional charger and cord available long enough to get enough of a charge to get me through the work day or babysit the unit for 2 hours every morning at home, plugged into the wall outlet and wiggling the cord every couple of minutes when it would lose contact and quit charging. After going to the home office several times and not finding a coworker available to help, I found it more consistent to wake up super early and wiggle the cord, paying attention to the total charge until it increased enough to get me through most of the day. When it didn't last, I'd write everything through the end of the day on paper and spend my evening or first part of the following work morning inputting the data. There were several days that dealing with the charging issues constituted a 'late' start based upon when I started my work vehicle, but since I had communicated the issue to my regional manager on multiple occasions, I didn't believe it was a problem. Fast-forwarding to the day of my dismissal, the regional manager, after lying to the contracting company about me informing him of my absence beforehand, used this against me, saying that I falsified my time sheet in order to justify my firing. At this point, I trusted no one in ACRT and felt like no one in upper management would be approachable. I considered taking it to the contracting company, but began thinking about all of my coworkers with families they were trying to support and one employee in particular had cancer. She was counting on the insurance the company provided to get her through. Being single and having no dependants, I decided it was better to take the punch on the chin than to jeopardize the contract for all those good people. Eventually though, ACRT did lose that contract to their ineptitude and those jobs were saved by another utility consulting company that kept on anyone that wanted to stay, thank God.

ACRT is a fantastic place to work, but as with any business, there is room for improvement. 

A typical work day for a Consulting Utility Forester consists of driving around in your company vehicle making contact with customers about tree trimming prescriptions or tree removals. As well as mapping out your lines, driving to your assigned work area, patrolling your power lines, identifying different tree species and signing them up for trims or removals. There's also some paperwork that needs to filed once you finish your work packet but most the time you are out of the office and in the field

I learned quite a bit, I do not come from a forestry background like most of my peers, but I was eager to learn. After some practice, I am now able to identify many local tree species and predict their growth rates. I was taught about safety procedures against extreme cold/heat, wild animals such as snakes, bears, etc and domestic animals such as dogs and livestock. I was able to become fluent with many different software programs, such as Microsoft office, word, excel etc, and GIS mapping system.

The experience I had with this management team was quite odd. It's clear that the management is very knowledgeable, but the problem I had was lack of communication. The whole team communicates through texts, group text and phone calls. New comers like me were always encouraged to text or call our supervisors if we had any questions. Unfortunately, when the time came and I actually needed some questions answered, or clarification on a certain aspect of my work, I could not get a response, or if I did it would be hours too late. 

On top of that, after the 3 month mark of working there, the supervisor is supposed to give a performance review, advancing me to CUF II (which comes with a dollar raise), so long as my online assessments were completed. I tried many times to make an appointment with my supervisor to get this review done and I ended up waiting for 3 more months, and still nothing. Eventually I had to e-mail the Operations Manager because my supervisor had become unresponsive, which seemed to help because I got my review the next day.

The workplace culture is great. It's very relaxed and you spend a lot of time on your own for the most part but when you go to the office to do research or file paperwork, everyone is in pretty good spirits. Our office was very cohesive and everybody got along real well which was great. Some people would bring in donuts or cupcakes for the whole team. The people working there are some of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I think some people would say the hiking around in rough terrain  would be the hardest but if you like to hike, like I do, its not so bad. I think the hardest thing for me was that you spend a lot of time on your own. Working by yourself is great at times, but I'm a people person and love to connect with others so that part was really had to get used to.

What I enjoyed most about my job was being outside all the time and the learning! I learned so much about my local community, trees, wildlife and the environment in general. It was really cool and a lot of fun. I'm definitely gonna miss it.

To wrap this up, the job was really great and I would recommend it to anyone, just remember to assert yourself.

It depends on what area you work in and when because when I started I had a fabulous Supervisor.  Then that Supervisor left and was replaced with an abusive one.  The Operations Manager I had was FANTASTIC but I did not work with that person day to day like I did the Supervisor and both needed to be good.  

The pay is very low but the stock options are kinda good as other companies in this field do not offer that.  I earned 1600 after being there less than 2 years for free.  Don't have to pay anything to get that.  

401k was normal.  

You get 2 weeks paid vacation per year but not right at first.  There is a 3 month probation with no insurance no sick days no nothing but that is typical most everywhere.  

After the 3 months you start earning your vacation hours bit by bit until eventually after about a year you will have your two weeks.  

They don't pay you for the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes of drive time which was not fair as the job is all about driving here and there.  They do give you company vehicle and pay gas and all repairs, etc.  You take the car home so no cost in commute other than your time (30 minutes each way is on your free time).  Also they count the vehicle as pay on your timesheet so you get taxed at a slightly higher rate due to that.  

They use Principal for the stock options and 401k.  I hate Principal.  When you leave (which most likely you will. LOL) you will have to pay 50 dollars to roll it over to anywhere.  Plus they separate your 401k into 2 accounts so if you stay too long you will have to pay 50 dollars per account to roll each one over if there is more than 50 dollars in each one.  I never had to pay a fee for a roll over in my life except with ACRT at Principle.   

The health insurance has an out of pocket of about 4,500 and you pay about 100-200 a month for one person for that insurance.  It is not free just discounted.  They do have FSA though which can help.  

You don't need experience to work at ACRT just be able to walk and hike sometimes depending on what area you will be in.  Be ready to talk to lots of people you never met and go in their back yards to look at trees under powerlines.  

The worst part is it is production based and they push you hard on that.  Your company vehicle is GPS'd and there is time stamps on your computer so they are watching you very close and if they see gaps in time they will ask you about it so keep a notebook daily of when you went to find a restroom (what time you left field and what time you came back for this restroom use).  Also if you have to get gas notate that.  Notate everything to avoid write up.  Also if you get high maintenance customers that and have a lot of involved questions and need a lot of care then you should document that as they will ask about that time gap as well.  Also if you need to orientate yourself with the maps they give you notate that time gap.  If you are not entering trees to be trimmed in that clunky tablet they give you then you better write down what you were doing at what time and date and keep those notes.  

HR assistance is not good there and I don't blame them, the HR  staff are underpaid and overworked.  They have a very high turnover rate.  

Good note:  If for some reason you needed to get back on your career path after taking time off for any reason then this is a good way to get you back up and running.  Good temporary place to jump off from.

What is the best part of working at the company?
If you want a place to work with other disposable employees with chameleon like ethics being common place then this may be a good fit for you.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Absolutely no standards as a company. They jump when the client says jump. Very often this company overreacts to concerns from their client and takes this out on employees lower on the totem pole in the form of loosely formatted non resume building "re-traininings". What they call "training" is actually a misnomer and a waste of time as all it consists of is them plugging in another marginally senior employee to ride along with you so they can bill the client for additional hours.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
non existent. weekly meetings may or may not happen seemingly on the whim of the manager. when they do happen they can often be cut in half or more to an abbreviated 5 minute reading of a "new" but somehow numbingly familiar pre scripted company propaganda message.
these meetings are on video conference but everyone almost without fail only uses audio. this is consistent in keeping with the company lack of 'culture' by leaving employees out of touch with one another and disconnected. in this environment no one questions or minds the constanly shifting employee base. 
someone is chered on briefly when hired but people leaving is given no process or recognition. you hear about it after the fact that someone has left. very poor environment ethically, socially, and communally. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
pretty boring. write out the same inventory form over and over. repeat the next day. any kind of opportunities for variety are discouraged. interacting with other team members, tree crews, and client foresters is not given time for. 
it is expected that customers would be given minimal attention and avoided whenever possible to keep production of inventory forms up. the company will both encourage this and deny doing so later. when the client complains of customers not receiving prompt call backs this company will discipline employees for the mishap even though their culture of rushing and avoiding customers while maximizing inventory form production embraces such results to occur on a regular basis.

I was well respected at this job immediately when I started working. I was given all the respect no other employer gave me for how I did the work that I did. It was as if I walked into a whole different universe with the way management treated employees. It was the exact type of environment I demanded to have for myself.

I took on a lot of workload for other co-workers. I did it because I was able to. I was happy to do it. I think I did more work then most of anyone who did the same job as me and I was okay with it because I still thought I had an easy job. I was well compensated for the wage I was given, and it was given to me unlike how getting a raise at any other job I have had was like pulling teeth. The benefits were insane. I wish I still was in on the employee stock program because the money that would have by now for me after working for a year was a lot.

I ended up dealing with life problems. I allowed myself to get taken down by all the things in my life that were not going so good. I had started suffering side effects from medications which turned me into somebody I am not. I turned into a pretty nasty person and was very irritated at the time. I wish I didn't go thru this and still worked here, as I probably would be doing very well by now.

I haven't returned to work since I lost this job when I went on a medical leave. My insurance wouldn't get me to see a doctor in time for evaluation to get the paperwork clearing me as being fit for duty. This is the only reason I am not working here anymore, that and the fact my actions turned for the worse in the end. 

I just do Gig work for income now. I got my mind right again. I have no issues preventing me from working. I have applied for other jobs. I have interviewed at many places of employment. I even tried some jobs out for a little while. I ultimately resigned from them. The work atmosphere was just better at Bermex. People were treated right. Respect was given if earned. It was unlike any other experience I ever had working for anyone else. 

Typical day starts at 7am, if there’s a staff meeting you stay, but otherwise it’s grab your handheld, keys, take a look at your route assignments and coordinate with the other reader(s) you are partnered with and off you go. 

Reading meters is the easy part, learning how to read routes and delegate people to get the route done as efficiently as possible is the hard part (which really isn’t that bad once you get the hang of some basic techniques). You will walk easily 10+ miles/day.

Hardest part of the job is getting the job done regardless of whatever conditions Mother Nature throws at you. That means pumping and bailing meters out, digging, dealing with frozen lids (and fingers). Some days are a slog, but there are also a lot of days that are fantastic. 

You will also encounter all sorts of wildlife such as: snakes, roaches, mice, and a sorts of other creepy crawlers. Get ready to get dirty! This isn’t all strolling through neighborhoods. You will have to bushwhack to get to some meters which means thorns, poison ivy, bees, etc. We also work in active construction areas which can be especially messy. 

Love love love this job, just wish there was something else we could do to change the culture around here. Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die.

Pros: Great job if you love being outside and working hard regardless of weather conditions (this is a labor position), you get to meet some great customers, get to see different areas of the county, you work independently, company car is provided

Cons: Management is just trying to cover for themselves, are inconsistent, everyone is expendable (even their best readers), lack of communication among supervisors, employees written up for policies that are not in writing, any new policies not put in writing, which is confusing, quit times are not given until late afternoon the day of or not at all, impossible to plan anything, expect to work 55-60+ hour weeks for months, revolving door issues/high turnover rate, I could go on

This is a company that relies on the bare minimum in the area of pay, benefits, and resources. There are no annual raises nor have there been for quite a few years. You are expected to go well above your position in order to perform your duties. There is a high sense of always being on guard and needing to protect your job and position. In a sense, it feels like you are there to be a scapegoat for the system while having to watch your back at every turn.  Payed holidays do not reflect that of the contract company so you are forced to either accept the loss of pay or work extra hours over four days to make up for lost time. There is also a sense of your job and future advancement being held in front of your face by the SUAs. You will be expected to go well above and beyond your duties to ensure their job is easier. 
Nepotism is alive and well within the company as well but specially within the contract. It's more about who you know and who is on your side specially with the SUAs and tree crews. Overall it is a less than preferable environment specially for women and minorities. There is also a condescending tone with the same demographics. 
There is a huge employee turnaround which creates a lot more work and personnel hours going towards training new employees on a constant basis. there is no stock placed in retaining knowledgeable personnel that can accurately perform work. It's more of a springboard job than a career. You definitely will not get much out of this job other than experience to add to your resumé.
 

As far as pros for the job: once you're trained, you work on your own, and generally bosses don't micromanage you. You have your own company vehicle, so there's that. The pay isn't that great, but not having to drive your own car around does make up for poverty level pay to some extent. Working outside, and talking with customers, seeing lots of new places, I do like that aspect of the job.  Understanding how the utility companies operate is interesting. You could pick up useful skills/knowledge with that experience.

If you are hired as "seasonal" , you are still there after 3-6 months and can fog up a mirror if they put it close to your face, they will give you a perm job. The benefits are ok, better than nothing. They throw gifts out from time to time, like jackets or whatever. I've made a few friends in the company. They provide a decent phone and safety equipment.

Company culture: Frankly, a little nerdy for my taste. Some cool people, a fair number of dorks. People are nice enough, pleasant mostly.

Cons: The training is utterly terrible. There are no professional training  personnel or programs. You sit through a ridiculously boring and poorly developed intake sort of program. Then  they stick you with some Joe who does not know how to train people, and may not really fully know how to do his /her own job. Also, what you are trained to do will vary wildly between trainers, with conflicting direction from one trainer to another!
This is a job that will pay the bills, and provide some decent experience. I won't stay, but  I will do my job as conscientiously as I can,  until I find something else.to do. If you put in a decent effort, they will treat you ok. But, overall, not that rewarding of an experience for me.

Team Bay Area is where it's at. Laid back environment, great coworkers, and generally easy work locations. We like our managers, even on the PG&E side. Alternative workweek schedules  (AWS) allow flexibility and a good work-life balance. Even without it, work-life balance is good since you're not expected to take your work home. AWS also gives you plenty of room to work overtime (up to 18 hours a week usually), which has been available for over half of the time I've worked here ($$$).

That being said, pay and benefits could use a lot of work. They bumped the starting rate from $14 to $17/hr in 2016/beginning of 2017, but I think only for the Bay Area. You accrue vacation hours (40 hours max your first year, 80 after your second), only get 3 sick days for an entire year, and get 8 paid holidays. No employer match for 401k. 

The classroom trainings during your first few days are useless, so I can see why some people complain about lack of training. But in all honesty, this is not a difficult job. You learn the most in the field anyway, and I was always made to feel comfortable asking for more help. You're given all the freedom you want as long as you get your work done. 

In all, I've really enjoyed my time at ACRT. I hope other regions can figure out what's making their employees so unhappy, because reading their reviews before I accepted this job almost turned me away from working here. I'm really glad I didn't.

Worked for this company a few months short of a year. It would have been the ideal job if it wasn't for management. The walking was great even learned parts of Va I've never seen. The co-workers were awesome and also hard working. The hardest part of the job was dealing with management. Before i go any further I wasn't fired i walked away before the ship sank. Management needs a ton of training. Management wasn't personable, often tried subliminal intimidation to get points across. Management didn't spend time in the field to even know the job duties. They would often complain about workers being out past 3:30pm and would not send help or come help themselves if it was needed to certain employees. With in 3 weeks of me being there i was training new employees on routes i found to be difficult for myself. Veteran employees thought that new employees training new employees was crazy also. Veteran employees don't respect management or the ideas they come up with. They often even skip weekly meetings for this reason. You work skipped or misread meters on your own time after doing any were between 300-500 meters a day. The only possible way to make up that time you worked for free is on milage but a lot of the time it still doesn't add up. The best apart of this job is knowing you'll be paid something at the end of the week.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Forester 293 salaries reported	$26.64 per hour
Inspector 174 salaries reported	$42.70 per hour
Meter reader 87 salaries reported	$17.72 per hour
Arborist 70 salaries reported	$36.93 per hour
Restoration technician 58 salaries reported	$19.76 per hour

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