equipment operator

field worker

customer service representative

recreation leader

truck driver

City of Denton

I worked here as a Customer Service Rep for Utilities. This job was VERY overwhelming at first. It was basically information overload. You go through 6 weeks of training before you start on the phones. I would say this is definitely one of the most difficult jobs I've had. As a CSR you are required to know and do so much. I only worked Part Time and I absolutely could not imagine working Full Time in this position. I had several opportunities to move up to Full Time but I don't think emotionally and mentally I could have handled it. The pay seems really good at first but, after a while, I realized the pay was not worth the amount of stress and responsibility. Because the City of Denton is regulated, EVERY ONE in the city has to go through YOU for utilities at some point. They have to call in to set up/cancel services, which means as a CSR, our job is crucial and I think the pay needed to be higher for all that we were required to know/do. That being said, once a year they do evaluate you and give you a raise if they feel you deserve it. I appreciated this but I still feel like it wasn't worth it. 

Here I will break it down as best as I can:

A Typical Day At Work - 
First off, every day is different because you are dealing with ALL utilities and you are considered the Operator for the city. Everyone goes through you for the most part when they need an answer. This means you have to have a certain amount of knowledge for every utility the city provides and know who to contact if you need to redirect the customer to another department. The majority of your calls, however, are in regards to the customer's bills. You get a lot of complaints about high bills and a lot of people calling about when the last day is they can pay before their services get cut. During certain days they do "cuts" which means they shut off the customer's water/electric if they didn't pay their bill. This means you have customers calling very angry and taking it out on YOU. I completely understand where they are coming from and I tried my best to be considerate and help them out to the best of my ability, but I was still cussed out numerous times. It's really upsetting and sometimes takes a toll on you, especially if you're genuinely trying to help them out as much as you can. This was one of the hardest parts about the job. In addition to this, you get calls to make payments, help people navigate the online customer portal, break down bills, pick up items from the curb (solid waste), set up/cancel utilities, and so much more. There is a process for everything and it's very easy to make a mistake so you have to be extremely detail-oriented. 

What I Learned - 
This job taught me a lot! In addition to learning how to pay closer attention to detail, I learned a lot about utilities in general and how the City of Denton operates. I was able to shadow Solid Waste for a day as well as Electric and Water Techs! There were also opportunities to take training courses for free through the City. These are some of the things that I really enjoyed about the job! The more I was able to learn about other departments and how they operate, the better I was at my job. 

Management - 
Management is overall really great! Most of my Leads and Supervisors were amazing. They really helped me and enabled me to do a great job. They have a TON of patience and will answer any and all questions. They encouraged me and always told me when I was doing a good job. 

Workplace Culture - 
Everyone at work, for the most part, was really friendly and always willing to help if you needed it! I would say it was a fairly healthy work environment. The downside to this job, however, is that you're in your own cubicle and aside from the breaks, you're basically chained to your desk and the only human interaction you get is through the phones. A big portion of why I've stayed at other jobs in the past is because of my fellow employees and the social interactions we had, but with this job you pretty much just show up and do your job and then go home. I knew the other employees but didn't form any relationships. 

The Hardest Part of the Job - 
The phone calls you receive are definitely the hardest part, on top of having to know an overwhelming amount of information. After a while you get the hang of it, but I would say not a day goes by that you get a question you won't be able to answer or a call you wouldn't need help with. Most employees that worked there before me (when I started) said it took them 6 months-1 year to feel fully comfortable with the job and confident in what they were doing. As for me, I would say it took me about 3-6 months. Another contributing factor is the amount of calls you receive. During the months from May-October you will receive nonstop, back-to-back calls and I'm not exaggerating. It was not uncommon for Full Time employees to receive around 75-100 calls a day. You are also monitored on your phone calls and have to worry about this on top of everything else you have to think about. 

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job - 
I really liked how supportive management was. They would do special things for us, like let us wear jeans for a week, or give us small gifts for our birthday. I received a card when I left that was signed by everyone in the office and I thought that was really sweet. The little things they did for us helped keep me sane at times haha! They tried to boost office morale by doing things for holidays and getting us off the phones occasionally. The benefits are also very good! It was really nice getting PTO and Sick Leave. Getting time off was fairly easy. I was only told once that I couldn't take off but for the most part it wasn't an issue. The only reason they would say no is if too many people asked off during that same time and there wasn't enough phone coverage. Another thing I appreciated is the fact that the City of Denton loves to promote from within. Even if you don't have the experience for another position, if you're already working for the City you are a step ahead of most people. They offer jobs within the company first before it's posted to the general public. I saw numerous people in my department get promoted to other positions and that was really encouraging!

So the TLDR version of this review would be that the City of Denton was a great place to work, but I disliked the position I had. I felt like I could easily work somewhere else and make close to the same amount of money without the added stress (especially for Part Time). 

Sorry if this was super detailed but there was a lot going on at this job! Even with all that I said, I'm sure there is still a ton I'm leaving out. I hope this helps someone though!

Being out in the sun all day was honestly the worst part of the job, but that was only a 7/10. I loved going to work every day and being with my coworkers. The training was immense, don’t get me wrong, but compared to other lifeguarding jobs that I have had, the training here made me feel extremely confident in what I was doing. I mainly worked at the Water Works park, and there was always something going on. Work was never boring, and I was always happy. The atmosphere was great, managers and other higher ups truly cared about their employees. Work/life balance was a little bit weird, but it is a lot better compared to most high school type jobs. You change your position every twenty min or so, that really helps with staying engaged. Time and a half is also offered if you work the Fourth of July. My advice, only take a double shift if you KNOW you can handle it, because it is extremely exhausting.

The position requires the individual to be going constantly.  There is little time to catch up on all the duties assigned.  Between helping individuals with many types of issues and answering the phone it is a full day's work.  I personally feel you have to be able to discuss animals and their issues to do the job.  You also can not be too soft hearted or some of the happenings will be so upsetting you will be unable to return.  Life and death is an everyday issue at a shelter.  

I learned about the reasons for euthanasia, how to talk to people who are having a crisis with their animal, what kinds of medical issues animals get, and trying to match up people with a dog or cat to make a forever relationship.

There is little black and white issues at a shelter.  You are always trying to be the voice that the pets do not have.  It can cause a lot of stress and it is not easy to discuss what you go through with others.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Open schedule. Friendly environment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Occasionally another volunteer may try to take charge. There is enough work for everyone.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Self-motivation to make changes. It feels like you are building your own company.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Sign up for hours. Sign in when you arrive. Look at work completed and work needing to be completed. Choose one area and complete steps to end. Communicate with staff present. Leave when you need to.

I worked first as a lifeguard, then later as a lifeguard instructor and waterpark manager. 

Despite stress surrounding emergencies, the culture in Denton parks and recreation is fantastic. Everything is documented well, everything is tidy and orderly, and I felt very supported by upper management during my tenure there.

Pay needs to be changed, and hopefully it has since my departure. For the amount of hats managers wear for the city of Denton, $10/hr just does not cut it. Many times I handled breathing emergencies, physical fights between patrons, and bleeding incidents, and I believe because of this that the position needs better wages. 

Streets department is an interesting dept as we were often told we don't make any money, we just spend it. While that is true, we were provided with every piece of equipment or gear we needed. If a piece of equipment broke down on the jobsite, we had a mobile mechanic on call. When its raining or too cold to lay down asphalt, we usually fill in potholes with cold mix or clean our trucks. Overall a very good place to work, with the only exceptions being management, during my time there, we were constantly kept in the dark about what was the game plan, especially in the COVID era. 

In facilities management the atmosphere is very welcoming 9 times out of 10. Bosses are great and it's very easy on your personal life. They only thing is the pay. Unless you bust out a ton of overtime you're struggling money wise if you have a family to provide for. If you're looking for a place to retire or you only have yourself to take care of its a 5 star place to work.  If I could manage to get 100 hrs every 2 weeks I'd be in better shape but it's just not there. Pay needs to be increased on all levels and this place would be 100% awesome.

City of Denton understands that their greatest asset are their employees. City of Denton is a very proactive in their approach to their future. They take a stand on what is best for their community even when the State legislature goes against the voters wishes. 
The city is growing so rapidly that it can be difficult working through the growing pains. My staff is the best ever and I enjoy working with them.

Uppermanagement, Directors and Assstant City Managers, has a large disconnect from anyone beneath them. Blind eye and deaf ear is their best management skill. The HR office knows this information and ignores the constant reminder of how aweful the actual work environmnet is at each level. Managed by intimidation

I worked here for almost two years in college. There can be a lot of turnover in this environment, so that might lead to having to pick up some of the slack. The center that I worked had friendly coordinators and supervisors. You are expected to retain a lot of knowledge and are given a lot of responsibility. I enjoyed my time even though sometimes I felt like I did a significant amount of work for what my job title was.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Equipment operator 42 salaries reported	$27.49 per hour
Field worker 15 salaries reported	$21.86 per hour
Customer service representative 10 salaries reported	$23.24 per hour
Recreation leader 15 salaries reported	$18.48 per hour
Truck driver 13 salaries reported	$29.17 per hour

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