packer

packager

production lead

office assistant

associate

Danone North America

I started from the waste train (glorified garbage man), then to the warehouse, and finished off my time as a line operator. Honestly, this was the easiest job I've ever had for the money that I was making. Pay was great, the amount of time off was really good, and there were some good people that worked there as well.
But even with good pay and time off, I HATED going to work. Danone has great values as a company, but you'll never feel those values on the production floor...you will hear about them in meetings though. It will always be production over everything. (I get it, it's a business.
So as a little background, the West Jordan location has a union. You do not have to join it, but no matter what, the Union lifestyle will affect you. Learn the word SENORITY. All Time off requests are done in order of who has been on your shift the longest. Any bidding for new positions or openings also goes by senority and not by qualifications. I have no gripe with being in a Union, but I have realized that being in one, protects lazy and horrible workers. You can be the worst worker there, but as long as you show up everyday, you're fine.
Scheduling is horrible. If you're new then Danone has become your new home! Once again because of senority, new guys are always the ones forced to work the most overtime. You can be forced in 4 hrs early, forced to stay 4 hrs longer, or be forced to work a 12 hr shift on Sun or Sat. And the company doesn't have to give you any kind of notice since scheduling can be changed according to "Business needs." So make sure you always check the schedule a few times a shift. If you have no life and no family and are just looking to get as much money as possible, then this may just be the job for you. But if you are looking for a good work/life balance, starting here may be an issue. I've seen too many people join with such a great attitude, get crushed and burned out within their first 6 months. Yes, the people with higher senority can volunteer to help the new people, but honestly, why would they? Unfortunately this leads to a lot of bickering between employees, and it has created a really toxic culture within.
I know this is an eye sore to read, so I'll end by blaming management. If management would actually give more trust and authority to the floor leads, things may actually run smoother. Floor leads are pretty much just babysitters. They're given a plan to follow but can't really make any real time decisions. Management creates more paperwork for production workers to fill out than they do solutions to actual problems.

I recently had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the Human Resources (HR) department at Danone North America, and I must say that my overall impression was far from positive. The supposed backbone of any organization, the HR management at Danone fell short of expectations, leaving me with a sense of frustration and disappointment.

One of the most glaring issues was the lack of communication and transparency within the HR department. I found it incredibly challenging to get timely and accurate information regarding company policies, benefits, and even basic procedural matters. It felt like pulling teeth just to get a straight answer, and the constant runaround only added to my frustration.

Moreover, the HR team seemed disorganized and unresponsive. Emails and phone calls often went unanswered, and when I did manage to get in touch with someone, they seemed ill-prepared and uninformed. It was disheartening to realize that the very department tasked with supporting employees lacked the efficiency and professionalism one would expect from a reputable company like Danone.

The handling of employee concerns and grievances was another major letdown. It became evident that the HR management prioritized the company's interests over the well-being of its employees. Issues were brushed aside, and it felt like my concerns were not taken seriously. This lack of empathy and understanding from the HR team created a toxic work environment that ultimately impacted my job satisfaction.

If there's one positive aspect of my time at Danone North America, it's the financial compensation. The paycheck was the only redeeming factor in an otherwise frustrating and demoralizing work experience. Unfortunately, the allure of a hefty salary is not enough to compensate for the significant shortcomings in HR management.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend Danone North America as an employer based on my interactions with the HR department. The lack of communication, disorganization, and a seeming disregard for employee well-being overshadow any financial benefits the job may offer. It's disheartening to see a company that prides itself on its values and mission fall short in such a critical aspect of the employee experience.   

When I first started working at Danone, I was very optimistic and excited to start something new, it was my first manufacturing job. I can’t say the same now that I’m almost a year into the position as a machine operator. Working here changed me into a person I did not like at first, the stress and management always pushing you to meet goal at the end of the day every single day was draining to say the least. The job is HARD at first because there’s so much to learn. Training is almost non existent, you basically come to work and learn the job as you go because nobody wants to train anyone because of the work load that’s already put on everyone there, it sucks. I didn’t get the job down till 9 months in, yes 9 whole months! I’ve seen people come and go once they’ve seen how it is the first WEEK! They were just like me, optimistic and ready to go. But once they’ve seen the amount of stress, running around and being forced to work on your days off as well as toxic management, they never last. Co workers will backstab you and throw you under the bus with no hesitation. Some of the managers will find any excuse to write you up. The only thing that’s keeping me here is the pay and that’s it. If you’re single and have a lot of time on your hands and want to make a lot of money then this job is for you, if not, you will not have a good time here. 

I honestly love the work I do. Overall, the corporate culture here is excellent. The local culture a little less so. There is advancement, but on the hourly side it is mostly related to seniority due to the union. Salary positions seem to have preselected candidates, even though they do post the openings for everyone. But it is primarily all in-house hiring to higher positions with some exceptions.

Work culture is about average. Like any company, you have the slackers and the high performers. And while there is some benefit to working hard, it seems it just gets you saddled woth more responsibility for the same pay as the slackers. 

There is a clear case of preferential treatment based on whom is related to whom and whether you are charismatic. If you're a quiet hard worker, you will get noticed but thats about it. The ones that are liked get preferential treatment over the hard workers. 

Pay and benefits make up for any negative aspects though. The insurance isnt great and is expensive compared to my last job, but is still better than most local jobs.

People tend to get along in the same level of employment. Salary generally dont associate with lowly hourly, but the hourly tend to stick together and get along.

When the company was Whitewave Foods, it was a good company to work for at that time. Several years ago, it was bought out by Danone. With some of the policy changes and new members in management, the Jacksonville plant has went downhill. The moral on the floor (non management) is absolutely horrible. Management is more worried about what they are ordering in for lunch or going to lunch than what we need on the floor to do the job properly. The equipment is ran to failure then fixed just enough to make it fun, then full speed ahead. If you don't suck up to the right ones in management, you will get a target on your back. Your work life will be horrendous... You will want to quit. The ability to have a family/personal life is expected to be put secondary to your work life. Your family life or family emergencies do not matter unless you are management. The only reason people stay there is because they do pay well and benefits are good, slightly expensive but good. The non management employees do try and work together and make the best of things. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Some of the other employees were fun to work with but, when I was there they were super disorganized and understaffed.  They allowed an employee that got injured basically run the place after she got back.  The pay was OK for a QA analyst but, definitely not a long term place to work for.  You can deal with less stress for the same money, if not more money working in retail these days.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There's a lot of the normal gossip and drama that goes along with food production.  Management didn't really do a lot to discourage it.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Undefined and chaotic.  There were a few people that seemed to know what they were doing but, unfortunately,  didn't end up staying very long because of immature behavior.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
They have a 12 hour shift that rotates 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off with every other weekend off.  I worked in quality so we did temperature, pH, nutrition content and microbiological testing on organic milk every 30 minutes on the lines being run.

The hours were a bit longer than I wanted at the time but Danone is a strong company and I loved the people at Mt Crawford. Solid mainteance department. Giveaways every week, free meal days and chances to win cool prizes for participating in safety and recognition contests. No place is ever perfect but I felt Danone HR and management were willing to listen (actually encouraged) employees to communicate issues and ideas. Safety is a daily discussion point and efforts were made to improve safety.  Company matched 401k. My job was salary and  health benefits were good. The union hourly employees received excellent health benefits (probably the best in the valley). I also liked that the budget was well thought out each year as that helps to realistically drive meeting monthly and annual goals.  The company is always looking at healthy products for consumers and carbon impact for our environment. You will be expected to work your normal hours and maybe more as situations require to help the company meet goals so be prepared to work.  I felt it is a great company to work for and would apply again if I was looking for a job.

Left a full time job to start something better with Dannon, little did i know that it was filled with cut throat co workers and a very spiteful warehouse supervisor. Dry warehouse position was a lie as they start you off in garbage disposal with little to no training all. They expect you to learn and keep up with the endless amounts of garbage while providing broken down equipment all with putting up with harass full line operators.

If you wanted the job you applied for you'll have to "earn it" as the supervisor wants you to and how he wants you too. If you have problem or concern dont bother bringing it up as it will only make you a target. You will have to put up with school yard bully type co workers that have little care for others. Expect to be treated like garbage as thats all they see you as.

Management was none existent except for forced monthly meetings, HR had little care for concerns being brought forth as well as ignoring when needed to be talked with.

Avoid working here if possible, absolute horrible work environment period.

Of the 10 years I've been working here, I've never had an opportunity to advance, nor am I motivated to improve any of my skills or encouraged by management to be better at my job.  Management is very disorganized and my supervision has no clue about my position or how to do any part of my job.  Essentially I have no one that I can ask for advice or look to for motivation.  The hardest part of my job is that since I have no supervisor that is familiar with my position, when I encounter an issue that I'm unsure about I am required to do all the research on my own and find my own answers, it would be helpful to have someone that could potentially guide me.  This process is sometimes very time consuming and because of that I encounter negative feedback and backlash for taking to long with a particular issue. I am very disappointed with how the company has changed so much since I first started, I am treated as just a body to do a job, not as a person with a certain set of specialized skills.

1-This place went from an excellent place to work, to a place I dreaded working at. 2- There's a vicious cycle in all departments of back stabbing, bad training, people trying to get away with things by screwing over the next guy, lazy people who just do the bare minimum, then blame and complain about others to get them in trouble. 3-Your peers don't appreciate you, AND your managers don't appreciate or support you. You don't feel valued at this place. 3-Before you know it you notice you're driving aggressively, and displaying road rage, your temper becomes short around your peers, managers, and worst of all, family. Then you realize this place has turned you into the bad guy. Solution??? Just Quit, but don't burn this bridge, give notice and go in peace. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Packer 8 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Packager 1 salary reported	$20.91 per hour
Production lead 10 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Office assistant 10 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Associate 10 salaries reported	$1,900 per week

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