vendor manager

category analyst

vendor

category manager

intern

Clark Associates

This has been one of the most discouraging and unprofessional workplaces I’ve ever experienced. While the job itself is custodial, the work isn’t the issue, it’s the environment that makes it far more stressful than it needs to be, due to poor management and a complete lack of support for employees.

Micromanagement here is overwhelming. The expectations for cleaning are unrealistic like we’re supposed to maintain buildings as if they were brand new and untouched. We get complaints about dust (which naturally comes back right after cleaning) and about a 24-hour gym being dirty when people are constantly using it. It becomes clear that leadership doesn’t have a grounded understanding of what custodial work actually is. What’s worse is that most of the feedback and criticism comes from people who don’t even work our shift.

The only person who’s truly supportive is our supervisor, who does a lot to shield us from unnecessary complaints and pressure. I can only imagine how many more complaints we’d get if he didn’t.

There’s also no real investment in employee development. I expressed interest in growing within the company and was immediately dismissed no guidance, no encouragement. I left that conversation feeling belittled and completely overlooked. At other companies, I’ve seen workers be lifted up and guided toward better opportunities. That is not the case here.

On top of that, I was promised a raise that I never received. Management later claimed it had been prorated, without ever informing me or at least giving me a chance to agree to that. So I did not get my 90-day raise, and I got 25¢ at my annual evaluation. Meanwhile, I found out that new hires are starting $2 more than I was, and I was disappointed since at the interview I expressed to them that was why I left my other job.

The most difficult moment for me was when I was forced to come into work the same day my family went through a traumatic accident.
Multiple loved ones were hospitalized, and one was in a coma. Despite the emotional toll, I was still expected to show up. That lack of basic empathy was extremely hard to process.

Lastly, they’ve also taken issue with me using PTO  even when it’s been doctor-approved. The lack of professionalism is another serious issue. Conversations with management are not kept confidential. Anything you share often turns into workplace gossip. And in higher managements own words "they are disposable we can get new staff"


The Pack room manager Is a joke and a racist and unapproachable and My Supervisor was a liar unapproachable and she didn't know how to do her job or mine.  They practice the DISC profile and do not use it. Most of their managers are High D example the Pack room manager is a High D which means they only see things their way.The Production managers  and employees are the ones who take all the slack  and there is so much favoritism and fake people until its ridiculous  and the company has so many errors which is their own fault. What is the point of hiring QA when they do not listen or use experience of qualified QA's because surely the QA manager doesn't know how to supervise if you ask her a question she doesn't know if you ask her boss a question he doesn't know then who is suppose to know. Packer's run the pack room but are under paid and the  Supervisor's and Team Leads on 2nd Shift get blamed for everything. I worked all shifts and I clearly noticed who has favor Certain Packers can curse you out nothing happens. Certain QA's can be on their phone and nothing happens.  Certain Team Leads can disrespect you and nothing happens. I have been in management for 20 plus years and have never seen such bad management. I spoke my mind and sent emails to corporate and the plant manager on my supervisor and her supervisor and had a target on my back. I advised them that they were over looking all their good employees and that they need to have hands on experience. Any one can Lead but it takes a person who has work their way from the bottom to the top to appreciate the value of leading. I was trying to help people and they would tell me to do my job. They really wanted me to be an inefficient  QA and I did my job better than any of the QA's because I was trained by the QA on 1st Shift and not by the 3rd shift QA which made me the best QA there and frankly it was a slap in my face. How do you expect people to work when you are constantly changing the rules without telling them.If you want to succeed please do not go here. Fire the Pack room manager and the  QA manager you may see a difference in your turn over rate.Shout out to the 2nd shift packers and a few 1st shift packers who fight everyday to keep your job and never talked bad about me for doing my job. My prayers are with you and wish you nothing but the best. 2nd shift Truck loaders continue to hold it down and to the rest of 2nd shift may the force be with you. QA Out.......

While the pay and benefits are good and the offices are new and shiny, Clark leaves a lot to be desired. I was very mislead on the job description. The position I was given, was not at all what I had applied to, interviewed for, or what was offered and accepted. When I expressed this to my manager and suggested shifting my role to use more of my talents and skills, I was basically told "too bad" and that I could do those things in addition to my current workload if I really wanted to. The job itself is very boring and most of the projects are a waste of time. The atmosphere is library like, there is little team interaction which makes for a boring and lonely day. Due to lack of communication and structure, there is almost no SOPs to streamline functions that everyone uses, so it's up to you to figure it out of your own which is a huge time waster. "Teams" are very defined and competitive, almost like they don't want to let anyone know their 'secrets'. There are clear 'favorites' of each director/manager and those are the ones who get promoted. Be prepared to be stuck in your role no matter your performance or experience, while others completely skip levels either based on what director they are under or because someone left the company. Certain positions are automatically given a team under them even though the individual could completely lack the skills to work with or manage people. One positive of working under a manager like this, was growing very thick skin. Clark wants the culture to be relaxed, and for the most part it is. There are happy hours, great snacks provided, you can dress casual, and you can bring your dog to work. But behind those perks, there is a fear of being 'dehired' at any time. It seemed like there is always suddenly an empty desk because someone was let go. It makes for an environment of 'walking on eggshells' because everyone is replaceable. While I loved the hours and the work life balance, I was very bored and very frustrated. The work seemed meaningless and repetitive. I saw no future or growth under my manager and no way out from under that person, and above them, more of the same. If you are just looking for an 8-4:30 job that you take no interest in, doing the same things day after day, and you can deal with difficult people, then you might be fine. But if you need more, look elsewhere.

"If you're unhappy here, then leave."
"As an at-will employee, you can be terminated at any time for any reason."
"No, we do not have an HR Department."

I worked at the Cumberland, MD The WebstaurantStore photo studio as a photographer. A typical day included photographing restaurant equipment, food, and other miscellaneous items.
I initially signed onto the position with promises of managerial training, which never came to fruition. I was unhappy with my salary and raises, and felt given my experience and education, I should have been paid more fairly.

I also did not receive any formal training for a lot of the work I was required to do including food styling, icing/ baking cakes, building shelving units, and lifting heavy objects. I received no professional development for my job duties while employed here. My opinion is that management is undertrained in both the field and in working with a variety of different personality traits. The work environment fostered by studio management was one of lack of morale, trust, hope, and creativity. Every image taken needed to reviewed by multiple levels of management which led to wasted time, trouble with products melting or going bad under studio lights, and frequent reshoots. There is no HR Department, and as an at-will employee you can be fired at any time for any reason, and management reminds you of this regularly.  

The workplace culture was one of solidarity amongst the editors and photographers. The mood would negatively shift around management. The environment is heavily controlled by management including studio temperature, noise level, and also mood levels. You may be questioned if you are not smiling if you, "even want to work here."

The hardest part of the job was, again, management and work-load. The overworking of employees in the photo studio is common, with limited support from headquarters. There was no more sense of creativity or joy in my work while working for this employer. Also, having to build heavy equipment and photograph it was also demanding.
The most enjoyable part of the job was working with my hardworking coworkers.

Before you accept an offer within the development group at WebstaurantStore in Lititz, you should consider a few things.  This is one of those places that is always hiring and firing.  So everyone is on edge all the time wondering when they will be walked out the door.   Also, when you are "hired" you aren't really a full time employee.  You are essentially on a 60 day trial.  The corporate philosophy on new hires is that they have to be "in love with you" after 60 days or else they are encouraged to fire you.  The company will try to say that statistically, a low percentage of employees are terminated after 60 days, but it is so well known that it is a running joke around the company.  They have their building packed to capacity in Lititz, so when someone new comes on board, there is a good chance someone else is going to get walked out the door.  It is very difficult to establish yourself at this place since there is no real documentation on their processes that you can study, and to get help you have to rely on all of these various message boards that the employees stay on all day posting inside joke memes and other non-professional nonsense.  You have no HR department to go to with complaints.  They only have some benefits guy available to answer questions.  You are at the mercy of your manager and the other miserable employees that are typically underpaid for help to get established.  Good luck.  I was terminated after 60 days not for any cause but because they just "didn't like my style".  I took a pay cut to come work  at this place because I ignored all the warning signs and got suckered into the sales pitch that this was some laid back silicon valley type environment.  It wasn't.  For me it was a toxic sweatshop where I was exposed to some of the most miserable nasty people I've ever met.  I totally regret working for this place.  Last - I think you have to wait a year to get profit sharing and the 401k is on the maximum 6 year vesting plan.  And they are in the process of moving their operations to Tampa.  Just more reasons to avoid this hellhole especially in this job market where so many better opportunities are available.

If you need money and can ignore your body getting worn down then this jobs perfect. It’s just like the post office but without the benefits or holidays off, and double the work load. During busy season(March-October) there is mandatory overtime. You will be fired for not working extra shifts. Like the idea of overtime? Oh you better come in on your day off but we might just tell you no OT today because the time you came in wasn’t convenient enough, try overnights. The hours for day shifts have been known to change frequently. You have kids, school, or any kind of socially life? To bad, they want you to work. Get sick? No sick leave but you get points taken away until your fired! Want to try getting promoted/transferred to something better? There is no better. Either the labor is hard (not kidding), the equipment is broken and slows you down which messes up your metrics, or the management sets double standards. Everyone is pitted against each other. Meetings are held often to talk about the dangers you put people in when using warehouse equipment and drama in the workplace but no moves to correct the issues (disgruntled employee cat fights(seriously)) or remove the dangers (your new coworker that got an hour of training on equipment that can permanently disable you) it will all just have to work itself out. It’s about your bad ‘culture’ when you don’t get a raise after jumping through all their silly hoops to keep your job. You cannot make mistakes they will weed you out. They are constantly hiring 4-10 new people for the same 400 or so jobs each week. If you make it to six months you’re considered a veteran. Play the game right and you might make it to a year but it’s rare.

I’d like to know how Clark Associates management goes about deciding which employees should be afforded the opportunity to find their perfect place within the company while others are simply terminated before being given the same opportunities as others within the same positions. When being terminated I was compared to another associate in the same position as myself who’d been with the company for a much longer time then me. I was told she was the same size as me but doing many more orders then me on a daily basis so the reasoning was why couldn’t I simply do the same? I was singled out and told that I required too much help at my station. When I filled out my application and when I was interviewed I was asked if I could lift up to 75lbs and the answer is yes, so why then was I being scolded and terminated for asking for assistance with packages that are ranging in weights of 86 to 120lbs and are larger then I can spread my arms wide? It’s simply humiliating that they will afford a youngster who lives with their parents all the opportunities in the world to find their perfect position within the company but will terminate a mother of four with two special needs children who relies on her money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies and much needed medical care, instead of simply providing her with the same opportunities. I was told I was doing well, keeping up with the orders that were coming into my station. Why then was I not afforded the same opportunity as the person before me and moved to another area of the warehouse when I couldn’t make my numbers to see if I was a good fit elsewhere?

To get hired in corporate, from what I've noticed, they look for people with these things:
- attend regular social groups/activities outside of school/work
- have an ambitious/competitive work style
- show that they are active or care for their health and well-being 
-are honest and aren’t afraid to admit when they are wrong

Now into the job itself…. I have been at the company for about 6 months and I love my job. Most of the new hires and managers are very young (20’s and 30’s) but even as a new hire everyone is humble and don't act like they are better than you. The company is very flexible with your schedule and let you switch the days you WFH to accommodate your schedule, and you can work as early as 6am and leave at 2 if you want. There also is no micromanaging as long as you get your work done. I would say if my college work load was a 10 the workload here is about a 5 or a 6. And the pay is very generous, i feel like i get paid more than what I am worth, Ive never heard anyone complain about their salary.  If you are just starting out your career or looking to switch to a business field this is the place to apply! So many growth opportunities and there is no competition for job titles, they promote you whenever you feel ready/ have enough experience! My manager has already mentioned that I will have the opportunity to move into a manager role at the end of the year if I wish, or i can wait until next year.

Here are some of the great benefits they offer: 
compensation for good health habits, a large selection of free snacks and drinks (along with some paid options), 401K match, 20 days of PTO (given on day 1), 4 months maternity leave (with FULL pay).

I would not recommend unless you cant find nothing else. Most coworkers feel there is no job security. The Managment are constantly changing rules and SOP also they change your shifts start time by 2 hours with little warning and dont try to work with single parent families or families where both parents work that can't abide by new shift start time. Their pointing system is uwful you get 12 points when u start but they take 4 points if u miss a Monday or Thursday and 2 points if u miss a Tuesday or Wensday. A lot of people promoted to Team Lead or other Managment are the Managers buddies with only 6 months with company.Morale is a constant low the more u do the more they want ans your alway depressed and worried when arriving at work you might be fired over new rule that was put in place with no warning. Managment always pit their employees against each other through gossip also Managment never answer for wrong doings or not doing job. You will be wrote up if u talk bad about managment or company like it a communist country their is like 3 good people in managment without a agenda. Overall a very stressful,  no morale place of employeement. They will take a good, loyal hard worker and turn them into the opposite becuse of Managment and work enviroment. You are constintly being threatend with a write up or termination.

Work/life balance was pretty good before COVID, start and end times are flexible. Mistakes on management's behalf when approving multiple people for vacation/PTO left departments severely short staffed, and mandatory 8 hours OT all but wiped out any work/life balance that still remained while working at home.

Bi-weekly meetings were more like monthly, not consistent. Management says they encourage open and honest communication, but that is only if you agree with what they have to say. Any innovation or ideas for streamlining processes are not accepted, and if there is a problem management does not communicate in "bi-weekly" meetings, instead leave issues go for months.

The culture at first appears laid back and involved, but that was not the case. Insurance benefits cover next to nothing. There is room for advancement, but it's "strongly encouraged" you advance, you likely will not be permitted to maintain entry level positions if that is what you are looking for. 

Pay for entry level seemed fair at first, many additional responsibilities added within the first 6 months with no pay raise along with extra responsibilities. Annual raises not very sufficient. 

Overall, coworkers were friendly and inclusive. Management team needs a lot of work and retraining for them to be effective at maintaining team morale, and preventing the high turnover rate I witnessed.

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