cleaner

associate

hospitality team member

grounds crew

ambassador

Block-By-Block

Long review but worth the read

Just before Covid really started to take shape and prior to my arrival to Block By Block there were policies in place allowing us to use the booth for our shift and as long as you stood for your shift, assist when needed, and were not using your mobile device you were safe and in a safe environment to work. Once I arrived at the company in February, that policy was removed and that was strike number 1, the change to prevent a safe space for the employee to work in.  The Team Leads and other Ambassadors were very down to earth people that would buy you lunch if you needed and we would repay it back the same. Upper management is a completely laughing stock in Boston. They blame you for errors at the station that are out of our control including but not limited to, fare evasion, non-working terminals, fare gates open. These are MBTA issues that we report on our ipads but we get treated as if it's us who should be fixing it. If you want to have a life, DO NOT work here. You will be forced into working 6 days or more (which is not legal and had to have it fixed with HR within my first weeks within the company) in a row OR they would schedule you six days in a row, one day off and then another six days in a row, with no way of fighting it or having a good enough solution for those who can't work that much. I spoke to management many times with solutions to issues they are having and even ways to provide better care for their employees. Every time being shut down immediately and never brought to a second opinion. I had discussed with HR having my hours CUT because with an 8 hour evening shift, ending at 12:15, I would not get home until 2, sometimes 3AM. My final straw was when I was moved to a new line, closer to home. The move with well wanted and exactly what I wanted when I started. However, I met one of the most distasteful Team Leads EVER. Nwo, I wasn't one to call out often however with the constant attention to supporting the community, you get pretty close and even some customers who have disabilities and need support. I found I was getting sick more often on my new line. With that, I was having to contact this Team Lead(in training) , and ask for support. The first time I asked was around 5PM, you'd expect a response within around 30 minutes in case of an emergency at another station. I heard back around 8PM that he was contacting the Manager on Duty to see what to do. Great right!?! I hear back around 10PM saying that I would have a replacement coming after our last fifteen. What really happened was she showed up at 11:57PM. 3 MINUTES before we leave. Second time I get sick, I'm drinking water like a horse on a 100 degree day with 3 gallons of water. I start vomiting and I call to see what they can do for me. Same TL AND MOD, they just leave me there. Now I'm passing out in my little corner of the station, I can barely stand and end of finally passing out on the staircase leading into that part of the station. A customer comes up and helps me stand and notices the vomit. He helps me upstairs to get some fresh air. I leave that night and my mind was made that I would be quitting once I discuss it with my significant other. Those there that know me know I did my job well and never complained about the work. I wanted to see growth but they kept hiring from outside the company because and I quote "have a different way of thinking", never given the chance to express my opinions that was it. I quit that night and had my MOD come down and take my badge and keys.

The tasks they set before you are too extreme for the equipment that you are given. Should be given shoes and all kinds of sanitation equipment for the fecal and vomit and dead animals one will encounter on this job. It is misleading in the name and within the interviews, yes multiple interviews for this no skill required and a background check, despite this job being street sweeping. Literally, broom and dust pan, all day pushing a garbage can and all they give you are some scraps of cardboard to clean up vomit, fecal matter (human and animal) and road kill, among other hazards like needles and glass. This is an under paid maintenance job for the unskilled and desperate. They ask a lot of you and your reward is weekly pay but I don't think its worth it when the wages are unequal depending on what city or part of the city you are working in. You are not encouraged to have a life, or take any days off, or change your schedule, you will be replaced quickly, also if you take regular family vacations or just don't feel like working and cleaning up feces that day for barely above minimum wage. Was told by my manager that if you don't come in to work, you can't expect to have a job.
Now, not all of it was bad, if you want unsupervised work this is the place for you. Because you work outside on the public street, you can pretty much get away with doing nothing for months before someone who is working complains to the boss and you're fired. Most of your team mates are part of the older crowd semi-retired or what not and can just not sit still. They are very sweet and kind and welcoming and will typically do their work expecting you to do yours. Not saying that any of the above is morally correct but its the bare truth, I personally witnessed many of my coworkers get paid for doing quite literally not a thing and they were very happy there. I enjoyed my time with my team, meeting new people and learning about my city, but the work was everything I said above and I wished I kept my movie theater usher position, because the worst thing I had to deal with there was smelling like all the popcorn I swept up and being scolded for not moving faster. Hope this helps you make an informed decision on where to work and I hope this also reaches the company, so they can improve their employees livelihood as well as their own. Cause right now all your employees would take something, anything, that paid the same or better to replace that horrible job.

I started as an ambassador, and really enjoyed my position. Working in the stations was nice being able to interact with the public, and I felt like my job was valuable and important because a portion of my job was similar to lite security/maintenance reporting. Passenger safety and comfort was a priority as an ambassador. I became familiar with my regular passengers, and learned a lot about the city and it's people you can't get to know without being out here all day. The workplace culture is nice, you get to connect with your managers, supervisors, and peers on a daily basis despite the solitary nature of the job. Supervisors provided us with incentives and praise, and good feedback when improvement was needed. I was promotedly relatively quickly, and I enjoy my current role as a supervisor at BBB. I get to move around and learn even more about the city and it's people, and I get to help my team grow and become better as well as still getting to know the customers I see daily. The most difficult part of the job is handling emergency situations when they occur, you have to keep a level head and respond quickly- and be preemptive if you see something that doesn't look right. Your quick actions could mean life or death for someone. These situations don't happen all of the time,  but they are easily the most difficult part when they do happen because it's human nature to react to a stressful situation. But in my opinion my team and the importance of my role in the my city outweighs any diffulties. I love having this job where I feel essential, and knowing I'm able to help people and make a positive impact on the locals as well as the tourists.

A typical day at work will start with briefing the team and letting them know what the day has in store for us. Remind them of all and any safety protocols to make work a safer and better place to work at. I have learned to be a better leader through the guidance and training from my Operations Manager that I didn't have at the beginning of my employment. My Management team at this point and time is amazing and great at conflict resolution. Management is great on improving workers skills and work life also are very great to accommodate to personal life and needs at the job site. Work place culture is amazing everyone likes to help each other they look out for one another and its not only with employees but management. Management truly cares about their employees and their well being. I have even seen on occasion management grabbing water for the employee telling them to rest and management picking a broom and dust pan to help. The hardest part of this job is fulling some of our clients request which often times are unreasonable and border line legal. I would also say dealing with some of the employees and refusing to follow safety protocols that are repeated time and time again at briefings and all during shift. The most enjoyable part of this job is seeing the growth and self development of employees that see this as more than a job. It is even better when you see management helping employees to better themselves because it shows managers care about the people they hire.

What really stand out to me is the belief in peoples ability to change, learn and grow.  Like any job/career, there may he some cons, but from the beginning of my employment as a Transit Ambassador, becoming a Supervisor, and now Operations Manager, I have received nothing but support from all departments involved. From the Director, recruiting, HR, and Management, I have seen a group effort. As a Transit Ambassador, I received a lot of support when dealing with a family issue that came up suddenly. Communication is everything!!! This is not a company that gives one or two chances to correct policy violations. They truly believe and understand that we all come from different walks of life and they go above and beyond to get employees to not only stay employed, but to grow within the company.  Whether you are looking for a job for the time or a career this looks great on a resume. The amount of customer service in one day here can equate to a week at most jobs. Everything that was explained in training is exactly what the job entails. Punctually, a smile, and greeting is an essential aspect of the job, and if you have those three qualities, this is a good start. Also, the beginning pay and overtime available is much more than most entry level jobs. The hardest part of the job is being able to deal with angry people, but if you know how to not engage and rise to their level, it’s much easier to deal with. Also, we all assist in learning ways to deal with these situations. Come join the Team!!!

For someone who is a college student this job pays very well. It’s hard to find a job that pays $17 an hour. It’s also hard to find a job that has such terrible management & supervisors. Upon hiring there was so many things that they did that was unethical that I’m having be looked into as of now. I probably wouldn’t recommend anyone to work here unless you love being babysat at work by management & constantly belittled. I have people who work above me with no college degree, or extensive work experience but just because they worked everyday for a few months at the company they were offered a supervisor position. That to me is crazy. I have the qualifications for a role like that and yet it gets handed to someone who doesn’t know how to work in that position and sits in a office all day doing almost nothing. This job is temporary for me and I’ve learned a lot being in this role. Especially about this company. I’ve learned that this company probably won’t last more than 3 or 4 years due to how unorganize it is & the people they hire. 


For the amount of standing that we do for 9 hours you think we would be paid more. The amount of verbal abuse we have to withstand ontop of that is also something they don’t talk a lot about.  Another thing if you’re someone who loves to work like I do, this job isn’t for you. It’s almost impossible to get overtime here. 


If you think the benefits are good you would have to be an idiot. Because you’re paying $200 a week to keep them. If you’re part time then those benefits are worthless to you.  I can’t think of s single pro about this job.  I’m only staying here because I’m a student and I need a check.

If you want to worry about losing your life, as well as, still being threatened to be fired on a daily. Block by block is the place for you. Not only do ambassadors suffer from extreamlly high anxiety with the covid 19 pandemic that is currently taking place But have to also be reminded that you  can also still be fired for things as small as wearing a “out of season” company jacket in temperatures as low as 30 degrees. Temps are still low and ambassadors are told they are not allowed to wear winter gear or items to keep them warm or preventing them from becoming sick. Can you imagine the anxiety that comes over you when you are made to feel you can get sick and die AND lose your job all in the same week because you are wearing a “out of season” company coat due to being nothing more then chilly.  Even during hard stressful times this company finds a way to make you feel as if the risk you are putting you and your family in is NOT worth it. The trains are filled with nothing but the homeless and is Boston large number of cases are made up by the homeless. All these employee are just sitting patiently their turn to get the virus.Not one higher up  (President/VP/managers) have reached out and offered any type of assistance for the people risking their lives or may have been affected by these current events nor have they sent condolences to those who have lost love ones. This company thrives on modern day slavery and I hope they stop getting contracts and it’s made aware how badly these people treat employees and not care about them. This pandemic have opened my eyes to how much this company sucks and cancare less about the people who work for them.

Management does NOT care about you. You are a machine to them and only a machine. 
It was like working at high school. Everyone hates everyone. Points the finger at everyone. Management pretends to do something by saying "I'll handle it" and nothing ever gets done. Whilst employees are arguing, fighting, trying to get one another fired for absolutely no reason at all. 
Employers don't work, they click up on others, and it's allowed and encouraged in some cases. Management does NOT know what they're doing when it come to people and employees. But making money yes, but even though they are doesn't mean the actually ambassadors are. So don't be fooled. They promise raises and you never get them. Management is great at finessing you, saying one thing and make you really believe something getting done but, never does. 
This job was the worst job I have ever had. Do not! Go into this job and actually do a great job because they will not care, pay or even remotely give you a raise. But they'll tell you all day in your ear how great of a job you're doing.... But that doesn't pay bills, but they love to talk about how generous and humanitarian like their company is. But that's just smoke to get you to work hard so they can cash out. SO MANY PEOPLE QUIT THIS JOB. I WAS TEAM LEAD!! And I quit too, it's that bad. Save yourself the heart break and time! 

To describe a typical day here as the GM in Detroit is not possible.  I come in generally at the same time, but each day is different.  I always start out with meetings, reports, follow up on areas of opportunity, and meeting with leadership.  Beyond that, I could be in the field, walking with team leaders or ambassadors, preparing for events, meeting people in the community, supporting Outreach with the less fortunate, planning for large scale events, etc.  I find out we are the last line of defense for the great city of Detroit for hospitality, cleaning, and safety.  There's something to say about that as we make sure the job gets done which is classic Detroit mentality.
There is a lot of pride in this Detroit program being voted the #1 Riverfront and the #3 city center in the US by USA Toady.  That combined with the positive feedback we constantly receive from visiting guests in Detroit as well as business owners makes Detroit Block by Block a company to work for.  This here is my most enjoyable aspect with Block by Block as I can see and share this with the team that made it all happen.  

I have learned so much and I am extremely thankful for being given the opportunity to work this position.  As a Homeless Outreach Specialist in Old Pasadena, you will be given many opportunities to help people.  The position at this account is relatively new but with the assistance of great leadership- guidelines, policies and trainings are available to assist with development.  Experience obtained from working in this environment will secure chances of career growth in the field of homeless social work with outside agencies.  As a Block by Block Homeless Outreach Specialist, you will engage with the homeless population on a regular basis to establish trust and a working confidential relationship.  You will also perform entry level tasks with each client to assist in the system responsible for getting homeless people off the streets known as, Coordinated Entry System.  You will work alongside the well-established Guide program and assist in all efforts related to the homeless population.  This position gives you the initial experience of working with homeless people and the field of social work.  The most rewarding part of the job is helping people and witnessing their growth.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cleaner 168 salaries reported	$18.58 per hour
Associate 75 salaries reported	$20.71 per hour
Hospitality team member 69 salaries reported	$20.14 per hour
Grounds crew 45 salaries reported	$18.23 per hour
Ambassador 47 salaries reported	$20.18 per hour

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