territory representative

finance manager

maintenance mechanic

production technician

senior financial analyst

Ecolab

There was no set schedule, would work 12-15 hours daily some less, so no overtime would be paid for the week.  Manager would call me 1 to10 mins before leaving home to come into work, too see if I would work later time, to cover for someone else.  Covered for others all the time.  The contracted mopping crew would mop in the lab daily with people working and place no sign out on ocasion, therefore I fell and was fired a week and a half later, after pulling my shift and the other lab tech shift due to the fact one was out for family reasons. I constantly worked for others when they wanted off and was only given a day or several hours notice.  Also, I had accured vacation time & personal time in which, they now will not pay for accured vacation time or personal time, HR told me there was a policy change which I told him I had never seen or given a copy. From the first day of work which I sign and agreement given 2 weeks paid vacation, this changed immediately. Is this a way to get people hired and in the door and then change all policies at HR desgression.   Also for the first year I worked every weekend, only getting Monday off , but when people were move around with no dicussion, no one else worked every weekend, it was rotated.  It's weird that they paid for unused personal time at the end of 2013 and one could carry over their vaction time up to 80 hours. I saw everyone that got hurt on the job GOT TERMINATED, and I did not even mention worker's compensation, since I thought keeping a job was more important because I was my family's only support and way to have insurance.  They did not even ask me what happened and they had a witness write up what they saw which was a blatened lie!  The manager claimed I was late two different days, but I had switched with another lab tech to come in later which the manager did not even know about, he just assumed I was late.  The lab tech's worked the schedule out between ourselves since the lab had to be coved 24/7.  I hardly ever got a lunch or a 15 min break, and if I did take one, the coaches in the plant would claim I had left my job to get me in trouble, this happened often.  Excessive and unrealistic work load to finish in one day.  I also made management decisions due to the manager was hardly obtainable. Also when I wanted to contact manager by phone he would never answer. I was initally on the night shift 10:00pm to 6:30am, which I loved, but when an employee moved to different department, I told them I would help out for awhile.  They hired a temporay person for night shift, never consultling full-time employees on the changes.  There schedule was unrealistic due to the fact that they would have an employee work late into the night past 12:00am midnight, then expected to come in at 6:00am that morning and one did not even have 8 hours off.  I have also worked over 15 hours, which violates NC labor laws.  The only positive aspect is that I learned how to adjust bad batches on my own and know that I fixed the batch myself.  This was also one of the dirtest and unorganized lab I have ever worked in to be a soap manufacturer.  I was told over the phone that they did not need me anymore, therfore I could not even defend myself.  Also, I cannot even obtain paystubs and the ADP site where we put our time in. This page also gave our vacation, sick, and personal time that I had accured.

this job has benefits, and security. they’re currently looking to bolster number because of the new Territory Rep position. 

I am relatively new, and there are a lot of relatively new people who I work with. the job is stressful and high energy. the work never stops, and if you get an emergency call late at night, depending on the customer, you might have to go out there and fix the issue. you’ll be working with your hands, crawling around on dirty restaurant kitchen floors trying to fix the commercial dish machines ecolab rents to customers. you’ll be exposed to concentrated chemicals, and while they do give you PPE, my trainers and coworkers don’t really use it from what i’ve seen. 

the training I received was abysmal, at least for me. it’s all online due to covid, but it’s very difficult to learn how to repair a complex commercial dishwashing machine through a zoom call. and don’t get me started on the laundry systems….

there’s an overwhelming amount of information to learn. territory reps are now expected to maintain warewashing (dishwashing machines) and laundry accounts, which makes the workload very intense. if you want to actually get the work done you have to work 10+ hour days every day of the week. 

also, you will be required to work weekends every once in a while (it depends on how large your team is). on a team of 8 people you’d be on call once every 8 weeks. weekend coverage is difficult as you get the emergency calls for everyone in the district, and districts can be really big geographically. 

the benefits are okay. health insurance coverage has a standard deductible, and the premiums are deducted from your paycheck. 

the bonus structure is weak. i’m not motivated to make sales because the sliding scale is so disproportionate to the amount of revenue I generate. it’s silly to offer a $500 bonus for making 100% of a budget goal when that means you e generate a couple thousand dollars in new revenue for the company. some areas are making sales revenues of $100,000+. how is the bonus structure not based on the amount of revenue? it’s the same for an area worth that much and an area worth half that in another part of the country. I make most of my money through hourly work, so why should I care about my sales figures?

it’s demanding, physically draining work with compensation just barely high enough to make me stay. I never have time to do what I want on my personal life after work. i’m always so drained that I come home and eat dinner, and then start getting ready for bed/winding down. you will have very little work life balance if you take the job seriously.

some of my coworkers are helpful. it depends on the team you’re on. most of the vets of the company are very generous and will help you out of a bind. other team members, not so much. it just depends. 

in summary; do not work this job if you value your personal life. do not work this job if you don’t know how to fix things. do not work this job if you have trouble setting a schedule for yourself. do not work this job if you value getting enough sleep.

My experience was nothing like what I was told in orientation. 
I was told after 90 days, they usually hire in. Most company employees and temps will tell you that doesn't happen. It may drag out 120, 365, maybe even indefinitely. Yet, there are others who have gotten hired in off the street. The process isn't just you made your probation period. No, you have to make rate every day, all day. You have to pass a test. You can't call in once. Bet they didn't tell you any of that. 
As for rate, this is why I was let go. The temp agency will tell you it's very laid back and there's a number to reach, but it's no big deal. 39 picks an hour in one area. 50 for another. Doesn't sound too bad until you factor in lots of people in the same aisle, having to wait for fork trucks, having to open up boxes and dispose of them thanks to your inconsiderate coworkers who are making rate.Then there's having to get a pallet jack to move an entire pallet for an order. Have you ever seen a place force you to move a pallet jack backwards for "safety"? This supposedly is factored in but I don't buy it. 
If you don't make rate, you are given special assignments to bring your rate up. Expect to do this at least2-3 times a day. And you will be moving. Forget consideration, or even small talk. 
Fall off once for whatever reason and the cycle repeats. 
 If you over pick, now they want you to go and take it back to make you THINK about how you are picking. This will also hurt your rate. Yes, they are friendly and very safety conscious. Too much I think. The last knives we used were so safe the blade only came out about 1/4" and you couldn't lock the blade. They also want you to cut away from yourself in such a way it's not ergonomic and I think does more harm to your wrists.
I found you really couldn't talk to co workers if you wanted to come close to rate. If you want to transfer out to another area, you must be hired in AND you must make rate there also. This place is so numbers oriented it's hurting morale. I've spoken to several people who left and came back or have been there for a while. They all say the same thing- it aint what it used to be. Total mismanagement, no one seems to know what they are doing. And they seem to want it that way.
Also, they don't tell you more than a day in advance you will be working overtime. You have to come in 2 hours earlier than usual. This plays havoc on your system. Saturdays are usually mandatory as well. So you pull 10's all week to get to Saturday and because they give you Sunday off, it's now mandatory too. I didn't find the atmosphere delightful at all nor was it what I was told.  The temp agency works for the company so don't expect straight answers, or for them to know much, or come to your aid. They don't work for you. 
My advice, think twice about working here. It does have it's pluses. But too many unfulfilled promises for me. You may enjoy it here, but buyer beware.

I've had >5 years in my current role and >10 years in the industry in general.

>65 hour weeks with some 12-18 hour days are VERY common. I am a local territory job, but I spend 1-3 nights a week out of the house in hotels to stay on the route. On call 24/7. It isnt too uncommon to have something pop up and ruin my weekend, I probably work Saturday and/or Sunday at least once a month. I make a good salary but when I look at my hourly or consider that I work across all shifts it gets disappointing.

In 5 years I haven't taken a vacation without things hitting the fan while I am out forcing me to take a day on vacation to make calls for at least a few hours. 

It is hard to find success as things outside of your control will impact you very harshly. Ecolab management agrees that the shipping systems in the company are essentially broken. We subcontract to carriers who directly compete with us, which boggles my mind. I go to bed often knowing that I have a high chance of getting a call in the middle of the night because something didn't show up successfully on time.

Compensation is high, but erratic and purposefully convoluted. I get a base rate plus commission, different for every single product. Commission rates are subject to drop with short notice. If you have a large market on a product with a rate drop you can easily lose $5,000-$10,000 of compensation in that year.

Its been a good job for exposure and growth, but it's been very rough on my family and personal life. I would be very hesitant to recommend it unless you want to relocate and dive into something challenging understanding the strain on your personal and family. Looking back on my time with this company I've found success but wonder if I could have found it elsewhere.

Ecolab attracted me and many others who had pride in the industry and wanted to work hard to find success. It might be driving out the hard workers by bogging them down with useless metrics and having constant battles with customers by falling short on promises. A lot of Ecolab 20+ year veterans are leaving and our image as the "long standing industry experts" is leaving with them.

When I started Ecolab had a core value of putting the customer first and doing everything we could to support our partnerships. Corporate culture is moving towards optimized quarters, better margins, more monitoring of everything each employee is doing at all times.

Everyday  provides a new learning experience, you never
know it all as the market changes rapidly as the needs of the customer changes.  Typical day included running a territory
to call on established customers and call on potential customers. I was able to become fluent in Word, Excel, power point and different sales techniques.  I was the first person to create
a excel program to do a side by side comparison of one company t another.   I also learned not to over sale close at the first opportunity to do so.  The most enjoyable part of the job was selling new business with both parties happy to have made a good decision and partnership.  The management   is about the same as any where some good some bad, but overall they have a hard job and do a great job.  The hardest part of the job work life balance but it is something that can be accomplished.  Given credit for all the good work you accomplished was high on list.  Everyone was a team player, if someone needed help it was there weather entry level or top management the sleeves were rolled up.  Given an opportunity to grow in education, mechanical skills, time management, sales techniques, understanding of how to install and repair chemical dispensing equipment and ware washing equipment, knowing when to close the sale and not over sale, opportunity identification (both current and potential customers, develop management skills, training skills, presentation skills and problem solving abilities.  The most enjoyable part of the job was opening new business (making the sale) or providing a new solution for the needs of the customer. Being recognized as an expert, adviser, trainer and consultant was one of the most enjoyable segments of the job rather than being identified as a sales person. I have written several excel programs on how to better serve current customer or future customers.  One must realize we are just as big as our smallest customer.  A typical day would include servicing current customers, install on new customers, calling on potential customers, perform training as needed and perform emergency calls.  We are only here because our customers are here.
While employed I played different roles over the last seventeen years.  I was in the role of Territory Manager, Route Sales Manager, District Manager and Trainer for new hires.

As a former Territory Manager in NYC, I can tell you that if you are the type of person that doesn't care if you have a personal life or not, then go right ahead and apply for this position.  I can only speak for the NYC district with this particular position, it may be very different in other cities Ecolab serves.  The goals and expectations for this position in NYC are totally unrealistic and unattainable, unless you are willing to work 24/7 to meet them...and even then...Additionally, I was mislead when applying for this position as were several other's before me.  The requirements for this position are really a seasoned, polished sales executive with the skills of an experienced plumber, electrician and carpenter. Upon my initial phone interview with HR, I clearly mentioned that I had several years of sales experience but no mechanical or technical experience.  I was told that this wouldn't be a problem as I would receive training.  During my several in person interviews, I reiterated this and was told the same thing, that I would receive classroom and "In field" training.  The classroom training is minimal at best and the "In field" training is practically non existent since the Territory Manager assigned to be your trainer is overwhelmed with unrealistic goals in his own territory while often having to cover another territory that is open due to the high turn over, which is due to the two extremely different skill sets required for this position.  They claim that this is a sales position and your salary and job security is totally dependent on making sales, however, many of the territories in NYC are overwhelmed with the need for service and repair and it is extremely difficult to meet the sales numbers they want you to hit because you ultimately spend more time servicing and repairing than you do selling.  The only positive is that they give you a company car which you can use for personal use.  The challenge is finding the time to use the vehicle for personal use. These are facts, Not "Sour Grapes", take from this what you will, but I strongly advise you to keep all of this in mind and be aware if you are thinking about applying for and taking this position.

As a Route Sales manager the typical day is spent driving to various restaurants / hotels servicing dish machines, checking inventory and recommending new products to businesses that range from very busy to just plain slow.  You need to understand the cleaning potential of chemicals you provide and the conditions the machine operators keep the equipment, if the dishwasher is rarely drained and cleaned it's very difficult to keep the glass ware crystal clear.

Often times the owners or managers of a restaurant are very busy and do not have time for a pitch of new products and it's tough to go a second round with them if your not sure they were giving you the cold shoulder because of business levels, or they are just the type of person who is not interested in better ideas for maintaining cleanliness. At any rate if you want to make more money, persistence is the word.

Ecolab provides a lot of training and beyond servicing dish machines there are opportunities to learn about pool and spa chemicals, chemicals for hard surface flooring, water filtration and more.  Management is amiable, but if your running behind in sales expect to hear from the boss in the last week of the month. Often times you get the opportunity to travel Minnesota of close to Chicago for training and I enjoyed the relationships and camaraderie that I developed with they guys in my group.  What becomes a little hard to swallow is the kind of group think/brainwashing (my opinion, of course) that is dolled out at the events featuring new products and sales.

Probably the hardest thing for me I found while working for Ecolab was attempting to collect money for back leasing the machines and worse that that is having to remove a machine from a business that is just not making it financially and unable to catch up on the billing.

I made good money while working for this company, really the reason I decided to quit was the amount of time that I spent actually trying to keep up, whether due to being behind on sales, paper work, or driving out to the boonies, bottom line was even if i was with my family there was always some project I had to get completed so that I could sell more, and I wasn't focusing or sharing my family duties as a father and husband.

Initially the training process, ramp-up and getting you ready to go out and do everything on your own is legit. They spent a lot of time, money and resources on my training so I cant discredit them for that. But once the training wheels came off, it was all downhill from there. They give you a company phone which you will come to absolutely loathe. The calls, texts, messages, emails etc are non-stop! Every call is an "emergency." The work load just steadily got out of control month to month. My manager would just lie and make stuff up to keep adding accounts to my list. Half your accounts you have keys to and half you don't. You cant go spray chemicals while they're busy and have a lot of customers/employees around so it leaves a small window of time when you can actually service those places. You find yourself working longer and longer hours as time goes on. I really did feel like I was on my own. Working overnight, there's no one to come and assist you and your manager isn't coming out at 2am to help you. You'll be lucky to get them to answer their phone after dark. The whole weekend duty thing is a joke and really makes you feel like you have no days off. The pay structure is very confusing and took me forever to figure out. What they don't tell you is if a place has bug problems or god forbid rodent problems and you have to go back multiple times for 'follow ups,' you don't get paid for those visits. And with that many accounts, you're gonna have places that have problems which just adds to your already heavy workload. Add in the fact that you don't get paid for those, it makes you hate the job even more. You do have some freedom in that you're not stuck in an office all day, you'll have some interesting stories and experiences, but as you improve they just keep piling work on you until it breaks you. Add to it the afternoon meetings, team phone calls/video chats, you're supposed to be "on duty" at 4pm to answer calls, emails, messages etc etc that it just starts to become your life. If you have any sort of social life, kids, significant other etc, be prepared for that part of your life to suffer immensely from this job and your sanity as well.

Nalco is a great company to work for as it's not super cuthroat, the vast majority of employees are nice and considerate people, your job is not overly micromanaged, I don't even know how to contact our HR department because it's never necessary for them to get involved. No one forcing you to work super long hours, flexible start and finish times, etc. Very laid back.

However, this can also be a drawback because incompetent individuals who really only waste time and materials while accomplishing little to nothing don't receive any sort of backlash. It's impossible to get fired for anything short of creating an incredibly dangerous situation or like being insanely rude and hostile to others. The managers are too afraid to criticize or fire anyone and the reward/recognition for good work is not linearly related to actual good work. Bad workers eventually get promoted still and the only real way to separate yourself above and beyond is to push products to market faster and get your name on patents. 

Also they're pinching pennies now and that's never good. Not willing to cop for a ChemDraw license as a multinational corporation is just unacceptable, especially when they just built a new auditorium, a bunch of conference rooms with floor to ceiling glass walls, fake perpetual waterfalls and massive interactable screens for teaching new hires and wooing customers in the Corporate building but won't spend a dime on R&D. I'm still using scales from the 1980's and they wouldn't give us the approval to hire another technician that was desperately needed and only replacing one that had left for an 8 month period *with a fresh budget*. 

I gave the company a good rating because it's not a miserable job to work, it's easy going, the work is not too complex or dangerous and the company is very focused on safety. But don't expect to rocket your way up the ladder or do groundbreaking work or see your terribly incompetent coworkers let go. It's a company for complacent people.

Through my time with eco lab i do not think the company followed up on any of the pre employment promises made. I was offered a Specific salary to leave my current position and join them. Find out after joining and quitting my other job that they will not honor the original salary quote.   Health insurance was completely unaffordable with this job as my only income. 3 years denied pto leave every year. they do not pay out at end of year for this nor does it roll over. The 401k match was the only benefit offered that performed exactly as advertised. 

There is no such thing as work life balance at this organization. you are on call 365/24/7. If you do not answer your work phone for any reason your manager will give customers your personal phone#. you are expected to entertain phones and emails while on vacation. Management will constantly push you to work hours off the clock. 

I would describe the company culture as a culture of fear. Management is spread extremely thin over large geographical areas and support from them is non existent. rather than support the employees the managers themselves are often overworked and over traveled at the benefit of large corp customers. This trickles down to the base and leads to a very "get it done....OR ELSE" atmosphere. You will rarely see your fellow employee but when you do they will be attempting to sign their names to work you've already done or outright steal commissions. 

the pay structure is the worst part about the job. bi weekly pay with commissions and overtime rolled into one bonus. your commissions weigh against your hours which weigh against your quotas. It takes thousands over quota in sales to bump the bonus up but literally one hour not making money will lose you 1$/hr for every other hour you've worked in that period. Despite selling my monthly quota every week for months of end i made more money selling nothing at all because of the way it is structured. 



Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Territory representative 22 salaries reported	$73,693 per year
Finance manager 13 salaries reported	$135,077 per year
Maintenance mechanic 24 salaries reported	$30.69 per hour
Production technician 39 salaries reported	$20.13 per hour
Senior financial analyst 1 salary reported	$107,400 per year

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