laborer

production operator

material handler

millwright

maintenance person

Ahlstrom

12 hour swing shift is brutal and despite the periods of time off that are either 3, 4 or 7 days off, the schedule is tough for someone who wants to spend time with family or friends. If you work nights you'll spend most of your day sleeping and be expected to switch back to mornings after your time off. My sleep schedule has been horrible at Ahlstrom. I suffer from depression and had it under control until a couple months into my employment at Ahlstrom. Several factors have kept me from seeing the job as a career. What really pushed me over the edge here and has has me seeking new employment is actually some of the other employees at the mill. Most people are very friendly and will help you however they can, then there are the bad ones. The bad employees that you will inevitably be forced to work with for weeks or longer. Some people here will truly hate you for existing in "their" station. On multiple occasions i have felt extremely uncomfortable with who im paired with and while you can go to HR or the Union and get moved, it will affect your progression there. For example there is one machine I would never want to be on because of the person who operates it and there are other postitions like it that people will avoid like the plague because of the machine operators who will go out of their way to make you feel like S#!% for not knowing everything right away. Some people here really hate their lives and their jobs and will put that negativity onto you, the new guy/gal, because its convenient for them to blame you. The culture here is extremely conservative and i would not recommend openly affiliating yourself with a specific set of political beliefs here because it will put a target on your back.

For a production company, they place heavy emphasis on safety training and strictly enforce safety procedures. Many policies are in place to ensure this, and extensive supervised safety training is required before throwing you into a new task. Working on the production line, it's hot (as to be expected) but they have AC fans lining the entire room (and usually have some popsicles in a freezer which is a small perk but makes a world of a difference. Very clean workspaces, and good starting wages. Advancement and raises are easily attainable and are commensurate with increased job knowledge. Management is approachable and understand that life happens and they'll help how they can. HR is outstanding and will bend over backward to solve any issues brought to their attention, and they're extremely knowledgeable about their benefits programs and are pros at helping you set your accounts up, as well as assisting with work hour entry. My crew was very laid back but also very safety-oriented and made sure I knew how to perform every aspect of my job before letting me work alone. During down-time they were fun to talk to and were willing to answer any questions I had. The on-site medical staff takes their job seriously and, in the event of an injury, they know how to treat you (including the crew members trained in first aid). 

The hardest part of working here was the hours. Depending on your job, it's a 12 on/12 off rotating schedule. However, the most enjoyable aspects of the job are the culture and the friendly, laid back personalities of your coworkers. I highly recommend applying for this company.

Honestly the job itself isn’t hard even when I was utility picking up paper and making sure things were clean was easy. 3rd and 4th hand were generally very good at helping out with big messes or cleaning up messes they made. Back Tender and Machine tender were cool and if you were having a bad day they’d cheer you up or at least try. HR is great always taking that extra step to help out and solve problems. My biggest problem here was the union. Ran by a bunch of lunatics that don’t care about your opinion or problems unless you are one of there “boys” or “buddies”. Luckily joining the union is optional and I would highly recommend never give them your money as you’re basically donating for there cross country trips for “union business” while they get hotels, food, gas, and travel expenses paid on your union dues. This place would be amazing but problem is 90% of the people here are union and all the union Stewarts treat you a certain way if they know you’re not a part of the union. It’s an absolute joke. Supervisors were great and machine managers were great. Got nothing but respect for those guys are they made down days into great days with there energy. If you genuinely ever have questions you can ask just about anyone as everyone tries to step in and help out when needed. The swing shift wasn’t horrible working 2-2-3 2 weeks days then 2 weeks nights. Vacation time was given at a standard rate and if you wanted to move up you just had to be willing to learn and you would be given the opportunity. 

Work life balance is non existent. Good pay but that’s mainly because of all the hours you work. A lot of 84 hour weeks and up to 96 hours a week, lots of 4 hour and 8 hour turn arounds. If we’re lucky we get a weekend off every 2 to 3 weeks but it’s not unusual to work 21 to 28 days straight. We’ve been forced to work 44 days straight before too and in the past they’ve worked over 50 days straight and then get 2 days off and back to it for another 2 weeks minimum. The weekends they do give you off, you won’t even know until the week of if your lucky, so by then there’s no time to plan anything. If you have a family or significant other be prepared to never see them. Management is always switching things around last minute causing you to rush around like crazy or undo every That they just told you to do. Also watch out for some of the supervisors. There just out to get you and give you menial tasks just to make sure you never stop working. Very short staffed for obvious reasons and very little respect give to employees. Management will degrade you and treat you like an idiot and search for reasons to write you up. They over load all there workers, union and certain management roles. Causing high turnover on both union and management side. This place is all about numbers and that it, they lectured you about saftey then turn around and tell you to do very unsafe things just to save production time. 

As Vice President, Human Resources, USA and Global HR Business Partner for a publicly traded European company, I am responsible for the creation and successful execution of my company’s executive compensation and performance strategy much must be in line with the company’s business objectives and goals. This includes responsibility for the design, execution and administration of US and Global (Americas, Europe and Asia) compensation programs which include the following: compensation governance; compensation cycle management; short-term and long-term incentive plans, including equity and sales incentive plans; competitive market analysis; growth initiatives, and other compensation programs and responsibilities. 

I travel extensively and consistently communicate these Plans to the CEO, CFO, Executive Management Team and Public Relations Executives.    My written and oral communication and collaborative skills are top-notch, as I need to report my findings to the stakeholders of my company.
I enjoy collaborating with our employees, stakeholders and all who are a part of a successful company!

Back in the day this was the place to work.  Today mgmt doesn't give employees the respect and care they used to in the past.  For the office workers it's a great place to be for work/life balance.  For blue collar workers it's a nightmare.  The swing shifts just don't work like they used to in the past.  They need to work with the employees to find a better solution but they don't want to hear it.  The plant manager needs to retire soon.  The new Bain company is taking too much direction from consultants instead of talking to their working and understanding the deep rooted issues that could help to fix the company.  You can't grow your business if you can't keep the workers running the machine and producing good product.  I hope we are still here in 5-10 years.

Took this job as a way to move over to the area and almost immediately regretted it. 

The days are long and hot. And on your off days you’ll still get called at odd hours to come in and work. 

You’ll have shifts more often than not where you don’t have an opportunity to sit down all day. 

The progression system is archaic, you’ll get passed up on opportunities to move into a new role if you haven’t been there at least a year. And if there are multiple people interested in a role, you’ll have to interview for that role, which you can be passed up on if some of your peers don’t like you. Or worse yet, they decide to bring in someone from medical leave as it’s their legal obligation to offer roles to people who haven’t worked in the mill for sometimes years. 

The amount of vacation you start off with is a joke, 46 hours that you have to use in 12 hour increments. 

Toxic management and Hr. No one is willing to help. When you do bring up issues to management instead of trying to help they take it as an insult. This then creates a target on your back until you are forced to leave. It is also beyond clicky and rumors spread unnecessarily. Instead of management stopping them or addressing it they feed into it and make matters worse. HR is run by a dictator that stays in his office and will not interact with the people on the floor. He stays in his office and allows rampant bad behavior to take over the mill. Safety is abysmal with no plans to make it better or any willingness to improve. Training is absolute garbage, and they once again stay in the office like ostriches with their heads in the dirt instead of trying to make it better. I wouldn't doubt this mill closes in the next 5 years with how it is being run. It is really disappointing when they make good paper, but management and HR are running it to the ground.

Working at the mill on a southern swing schedule—7 days on, 2 days off—has been both rewarding and challenging. When fully staffed, the job offered a balanced, engaging environment

However, the recent wave of staffing shortages has put a strain on those of us who are sticking it out. Morale in the recovery department has taken a hit due to extended hours and increased workloads.

The frequent forced overtime, with shifts often stretching 12 to 16 hours over consecutive days, is especially challenging. Bringing in new hires who lack proper qualifications compounds the stress and leaves those of us with experience carrying a heavier burden. These conditions have made the job more about endurance than the quality of work we take pride in.

I believe a commitment to better staffing solutions and focused training for new hires could significantly improve the work environment. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Nothing they don't care about there employees that are traveling or do they accommodate that traveling distance. Funny thing is I showed up more than a majority of the people for a year traveling that far. Many people who lived close barely made it in to work but yeah f the guys traveling far to get to work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No progress or help in the career you want. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stressful and no cares if u get wet and stayed wet for 16hours straight. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Go in and do what I can and keep a look out for those looking to catch you doing the same thing they were doing so that they can call you out for it but when you call them out it don't matter.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Laborer 12 salaries reported	$26.87 per hour
Production operator 12 salaries reported	$27.15 per hour
Material handler 6 salaries reported	$29.19 per hour
Millwright 2 salaries reported	$40.44 per hour
Maintenance person 4 salaries reported	$26.00 per hour

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