arborist

crew leader

administrative assistant

sales trainee

office clerk

Bartlett Tree Experts

In 2018 I was excited to join Bartlett and I was proud to represent a corporation that did not feel so corporate. It was ran more individualized and gave the mom & pop feel on the local level-providing genuine customer service and each office handled their daily processes in a way that suited that area. 

With a company being around for over 115 years, there are obviously going to be changes to modernize and grow with the times but those changes are rolled out too fast and by quantity over quality. This creates a lot of unnecessary stress and strain on office staff. The moment one process has changed and you are working on having it down, another change in it or a different one is being implemented. The technology support team is slow to respond due to prioritizing the previously mentioned changes which can cause you to not be able to work at all. Every task you do is done using computers and some form of software, even phone calls and printing. So the least issue will cause you to not be able to work, then you get behind & stressed, and when the technology team hasn't helped you and then you are treated like you have done wrong because you are now behind. I have been working on a computer that doesn't function properly for a few years now. Yes, a few years. And that is not an exaggeration. This has made my already challenging job even more challenging. And then that has been made worse by new division management.

The company is broken into divisions, which are also somewhat individualized and the leadership team of each division contributes to even more changes and that can make or break your love of the company and of your job as well.  A change in division management happened after I had been there for approx 6 years which made the job I loved and felt very lucky to have turn into me being very overworked and they have taken away the individuality of local offices-and not in a good way. I also became the target of the new division leadership team although I am unsure why. It has been 2 years since that change happened and I am currently planning to leave the company due to it. I do not want to be part of the new leadership turning this beautiful company into a cookie cutter version of others. They are removing what made me and many others say, " I love my job" and "I love working here". Prior to that change, I absolutely loved my job and fully planned to retire there. Even knowing it is not a job where you get advancement opportunities. I have had 2 different local managers-I loved both and 1 division manager prior to this new one. Previously, I would see so many people retiring from Bartlett because it was a place that people loved and were proud to be part of. But in the last couple years, people are leaving the company often, from local offices and in the corporate office. I can't keep up with who to reach out to for what anymore due to the frequent changes. It is notable that every person employed at Bartlett "wears multiple hats".

You must be a problem solver and great at multi tasking to manage this position. You must also be adaptable and ready to roll with things constantly changing. And know that some office's do not treat administrative staff well or with respect. But others give great respect. This position varies greatly depending on the location and the current management of the local office and that division. This job requires you work with little to no supervision and interaction so it will also partly be what you make it. If you create a good relationship with reps and with the production crew, you will feel more involved. But if you do not then it could feel lonely and isolating.

The workload: You will have some daily responsibilities but there are variables to every aspect of this job.  You must be able to keep up with the huge variety of tasks and circumstances to be able to address things, a ton of the responsibilities are monthly, quarterly, annually or just at random. You will have a "to do stack" that you shuffle through until each item is complete which could be a month. I had a hard time accepting the to do stack that I couldn't get to go away. But it is just part of it and all admins here have one. 

You will get a huge variety of experience under your belt-customer service, accounts receivable & payable, HR, marketing, networking, managing social accounts, financial reports , event planning and much more. 

All in all Bartlett is not a bad place to work as long as you know what you are signing up for and the pay is decent. If you go into it blind.... you will not like it. The leadership team of the Nashville Bartlett is a group of great people. But they too are subject to division and corporate changes and guidelines. 

Organized Chaos is the best short description. If you can create and manage organized chaos then you will be perfect for this position.

Your first day could be a giant removal that will leave your body aching the next day or it could be a simple day where you are making multiple quick in and out stops. 
It’s a gamble, but one things for sure, you'll end the day with a good experience. 

I had a good time working production. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sights, worked on a lot of trees, met a lot of really cool people and learned a lot about the people I worked with. In return they taught me a lot, whether it was about life or tree work they helped me grow as a person and as a tree worker. 

You will sweat, you will bleed, and you’ll definitely stress together, but you’ll also learn together.
When I joined Bartlett I barely had any experience in tree work in an urban environment. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the work, but every time the crew I was on saw me struggle they took the time to teach me ways to be efficient and fast. Now because of them I can say with ease that I’m a pretty good Groundsman and Climber. 

Wish I could have stayed a bit longer, but life had other plans.

P.S. Be cautious if you’re planning on using your vacation or sick time. That pretty much means you have to work a Saturday. 


I certainly enjoyed the work aspect of my job. There’s nothing more I could want in the world than to climb trees and act a fool while doing it. It’s a very fun work environment and most coworkers have a great sense of humor. That being said we all do well when things get serious and know how to keep it professional. The issues begin with management. It starts with the local office culture and way of operation. Certainly a distrustful and paranoid place to work. Gear theft is a major issue as well as obtaining it in the first place. They are reluctant to distribute necessary gear even if it’s a safety issue. As gear wears or gets damaged by daily use you will face accusations of sabotage while having to make due with broken gear and equipment. When you have an incident because of this situation you will receive full blame for not maintaining and replacing your gear. Often sales reps or safety officers will push you to do unsafe things. Again you are 100% liable. Recently this have been trying to change and is getting better. However it depends on the office you work at. You will likely be underpaid and struggle to increase your wage. Meanwhile new hires come in at higher and higher wages. Perhaps you could be paid fairly if you quit and reapply. Expect a high turnover rate.

Great place to work if you are one of the favorite sons in the old boys network. BTE likes ALL their arborist reps to walk lock step and NOT question anything. They want their A/R's to act like a marionette and say how high when they say jump. 

Existing management was thrown into a role that they are not equipped to handle, and even cried during a meeting with his colleagues. If you do anything that existing mgmt doesn't like, or more importantly doesn't understand, you are labeled as 'shady' and if you complain too much you're a malcontent. Management constantly talks behind the arborist reps backs and stirs the speculation pot. I have never wworked for a company that leaves management in place after they tried to quit 2x within a 6 month period, made one employee so miserable (CT) that he asked for a transfer, made another employee (BR) so unhappy he left, and made his colleagues so miserable that they had to have an impromptu meeting with the division VP to try and resolve their issues, and continues to state that they hate sales. 

They don't want to hear any new ideas and when you bring any up they get swept under the rug because mgmt feels threatened. Senior mgmt always holds over your head how much they're paying you as a way to motivate you. They micromanage you to death and always have you fill out tracking spreadsheets so they can track where you are every second of the day. If you like being lead around by the nose and have no backbone this may be the place for you!

Great place to get your tree education.
I can’t speak for all of their operations as the local tree culture and management will dictate your particular experience. They will help you with your certifications and get you a formal education if you’re interested. Here, you will touch on all points of arboriculture (with the exception of line clearance). Their equipment is great and their safety culture is probably the best.
Highly production oriented, however the wealth is not shared. Pay is mediocre. If you have real skills in a tree you can make a real living wage elsewhere. 
When I put in my 2 week notice I was basically terminated immediately. I left because I wanted to work as a plant health care technician, those roles were always being filled with college grads. Those college grads then became the sales reps.
The “reps” were mostly disconnected from the physical production work as they lacked the practical field experience to generate accurate/profitable bids, they hustle and then get hustled ultimately. 
I must say I learned a lot here from the veteran arborists who’s skills were simply amazing, But Bartlett needs to get with the times and pay a fair wage while people dangle their lives on a rope. 
Management: Get to know your staff, don’t treat people as production numbers and try to enable them to explore where their true interests lie. 

There is a reason that people with experience leave. Through the whole company there is a mass exodus of experienced climbers, groundsmen, crew leaders, and plant health care people. For such a large company the pay is meager. This is not only a nationwide company, but an international one. They pay for your education and advancements though. My recommendation is to use the company for experience and education before moving on. After all they do the same to you. 
Beware of management. There is a toxic culture of reps, managers, and higher ups acting as though they do all the work. Often times the lowly climbers or crew leaders will have to remind the reps of proper industry practices and safety regulations. They may tell you to do things against Bartlett's strict safety regulations, but don't ever do it. Always defer to your safety guy. The blame will fall on you if you get hurt so be cautious.  
Reps are often unqualified because they tend to promote PHC specialists after just a few years. They may do well selling PHC work, but often fail at selling tree work. Usually underbidding, improper pruning, or lack of proper equipment. Usually they don't understand what getting the job done actually entails.
The work itself is what gets you through. If you love the outdoors and are an adrenaline junky then this is for you. There is a sense of calm and peace you reach when you stand, looking out from the treetop. You will chase that feeling the rest of your life.

Solid company that has been a pioneer in tree care for over 100 years. Traveling with Bartlett for storm work really gave me an appreciation for the connections one can make with a big company. Getting to know employees from different offices/divisions as well as the various managers really made a huge company feel a lot smaller. 

A major downside I saw was not all offices are created equal. Some offices have outstanding management that actually care about how the work is performed and the morale of the crews. Other offices have clueless management that want the work done at whatever cost with no regard to crew morale. I was lucky enough to start at an office that was legit with great management and crew members that wound up feeling more like brothers. 

This company is very rule heavy. It makes sense though when you think how many people they employ. They need to make rules for newest employee who has no idea how to do tree work. As of recently they have a new rule that states absolutely no wood chipping with workers aloft which is a huge drag on efficiency. 

Overall I think it’s a great company that’s heavy on rules, but at the right office employees should feel respected, valued, and taken care of. I worked for Bartlett for just shy of 5 years and am really happy I started out in the tree care industry working for them. 

Daily activities:

Researched and resolved billing issues.
Managed appointment calendar for all.
Developed proposal packages and coordinated appropriate follow-up.
Prepared and processed customer invoices.
Researched demographics in high profile areas for potential clients.
Assisted with the creation of various marketing campaigns.
Balanced work order hours against employee hours and generated weekly payroll. 

Skills acquired:

Managing schedules for four arborists.

Management:

Management actively involved all group members in working toward a common goal, providing a means for each group member to participate in that endeavor. 

Co-worker

One particular individual was very territorial and controlling while the rest of the office personnel was cordial.

Cons of job:

Managing to build a good relationship with the other administrative assistant that was not very agreeable initially.  

Rewards of the job:

The resolution of the billing discrepancies and invoicing.







Big Company, Safety Oriented (unless it interferes with profit), lots of work to be had. This company literally sets the standard for the Industry.

Culture is highly dependent on which office you work at. Many different locations make flexibility in where you live possible.

No typical day... Every day is different. Sometimes that's good, other times is due to poor schedule, equipment, and personnel management. Typical week is 40+hrs, with Saturdays as "optional" (outcast/overlooked if you decide not to give up your weekend once and a while). 

NO REGULAR PERFORMANCE REVIEWS. If you do get one, its not usually reflective of big picture successes, only short term failures.

No upward mobility if you aren't a brown-noser/politically motivated person. Time in, licencing, experience: None play a real role in mobility.

Pay is pretty high for new guys, below what it should be for experienced guys, and was significantly lower for a certain population of workers at my office...

A plant health care specialist begins their work from 7am to 3:30pm. They drive from property to property spraying plants or tree canopies. There is no time for lunch or bathroom breaks. Management does not know how to management nor do they treat employees like humans they only want to cut costs and exploit their employees. There is no time for a work place culture because everyone arrives tiered and wants to go home at the end of the day. Hardest part of job is finding a parking for the giant truck you have to park and getting no help from management. Another hard part of this job is root invigoration because it involves using an air compressor to blow apart hard soil. It takes 8 hours and you will be caked in dirt. Not to mention the heavy sacks of manure you have to haul. Avoid working here at all costs

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Arborist 2 salaries reported	$24.25 per hour
Crew leader 1 salary reported	$26.50 per hour
Administrative assistant 2 salaries reported	$20.98 per hour
Sales trainee 1 salary reported	$34.00 per hour
Office clerk 1 salary reported	$26.33 per hour

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