warehouse associate

order picker

shipping and receiving clerk

department manager

forklift operator

Essendant

Management and leads have no respect for the workers. This company is run by people who micro manage to the fullest and if they could legally make you work for 12 hours plus, with no lunch or breaks, they would. Managers and leads make sure they sit with you on your half hour lunch and 10 minute breaks just to make sure you are not taking a minute extra. They say the company is a fortune 500 company that made 1 billon dollars in sales in 2012, and told us that we were a major part of their accomplishment. We were awarded with a $27.00 (Twenty seven) bonus. The general manager give us stolen digital cameras that was delivered to our company in error. He removed the serial numbers and gave it to us. There is no end to your shift, they claim the schedule is 2pm-10:30, big lie. If you leave there at 12:30 consider that a good night. 
The most senior employee  on 2nd shift has been with the company for 11months (2nd shift) , turn over ratio is the highest I've seen at any company. They run on a point system that is basically there to set you up for failure.  After 9 points, you are terminated. The catch is you get a point for everything, if you get hurt on the job, point. Got to leave work because your mom, wife, kids got sick and you really need to leave, point. I would not recommend this job to no one. If you needed job like I did, go for it but start applying for other jobs immediately like I did. Thanks heaven I was bless with finding a more rewarding job and no longer works for this terrible company! (Stay away from 2nd shift, 
Operations manager, 2nd shift manger and leads have no respect, understanding, care for no one but their self).

Despite the low review, working for Essendant as a distribution associate is a decent job if you're a college student or in high school. They tend to be flexible with your school schedule and the employees are some of the most down-to-earth, nice people you can find. However, the job is just packing things into boxes, taping them, and assorting them on pallets. It's very physically demanding and there is not air conditioning. Naturally, this place is a convection oven during the summer. I worked there for five whole summers and I honestly don't know how I didn't double over due to heat stroke once. To make matters worse, during one of these summers management cut the standard two thirty-minute breaks (5:00 to 5:30 and 8:00 to 8:30) to two twenty-minute breaks (5:00 to 5:20 and 8:00 to 8:20). An ordinary night shift will start at 1:30, but there is no definitive end time. You could end as early as 8 pm (this typically only happens the day before a work holiday) or as late as 1:30 am. This is a little problematic if you are a college student that has work or studying to do.

I don't know who is working there now, but the only thing I found that was redeeming about this job was the people that I worked with (I'm still friends with my old supervisor to this day). You might sooner break your back lifting pallets then find actual enjoyment here. However, if a part-time position is available and you're currently in school then I wouldn't turn my nose up to it. Just remember to drink plenty of water during the summer (more than usual) if you work here.

Low morale is an understatement for this company. You start your day off with being told all the wrong you have done in a degrading start up meetings. Management and leads need to be put in a communication class so they can learn how to talk to their employees. Management micro manager to a extreme of ridiculousness. ZERO room for growth!  The GM love bragging that he have never laid off anyone for the 17 years he had been with the company,  um, that's true because everybody do you the favor and resign or quit. The turn around ratio with this company extremely high. They take forever to rehire anyone and expect 9 people to do the work 20 people was doing. The Operation manager, 2nd shift manager and the 2nd shift lead, need a complete over haul on life, management and people skills! I won't recommend this job to no one.  There is no such thing as work life balance with this company.  12 plus hour days with 30 mins lunch. Extreme fast pace, continuous, backbreaking work. And if you slow down it's call "downtime" which you would be written up for (they track your every move through your scan gun so they know when you are slowing down).  This place is run like a sweat shop. Beware of United Stationers or (Lagasse in Lithia Springs). I have never been so miserable at a job until I worked here. Hope this review help management realize until they correct themselves the turn over ratio and losing great harding work people will continue. 

Going to work is not supposed to be stressful and someone should really inform management of that. The job could honestly be simple and easy if management would just hold everyone accountable. Instead they'd rather over work certain people (hard workers) while letting others do what they want. Favoritism isn't even hidden, literally everyone knows who's a management favorite but there's nothing we can do about it. Depending on what department/time you work will dictate how much you work, the shipping and bulk department are heavily under staff because no one wants to work here. New trainees never last more then a month and sadly that's something that's expected. Their poorly trained and just thrown into action and immediately expected to perform and most of the time the stress gets to them before they even pass their 90 day probation period (which only counts working days so around 4-5 months). The union seems like it does more harm then good. The so called reps don't fight for us, they let management walk all over them as well. Management bends the rules in thier favorite 98% of the time. Human resources are a joke, might as well not even have one. Their answer to everything is an "investigation" which never leads to anything. Please take my word for it and just avoid this place. If not keep reading down and you'll find the problem with this place has been a long time problem to this place.

The company is in transition at this time.  They are laying off employees (or already have) in all departments.  Job security cannot be guaranteed as they move through the current changes.  They have extremely strict attendance policies.  This includes if you have children and need to leave for their illness you will be docked attendance points.  The only thing they waived for attendance was if you were admitted to the hospital.  If you have a child, spouse, partner or family member admitted it does not matter; you are still docked on the attendance record.  The management inside is completely hands off so if you want to learn new skills and better yourself professionally this is not the company to work for.  The only positive is that you will find many outside sales representatives and a few (very few) upper management people that are genuinely concerned about you and the company.  The atmosphere inside is that of a high school: gossip, gossip, childlike reporting to managers.  It is far from an adult, professional work place.  The most enjoyable part is that they do include benefits once you are hired on as a permanent employee and they start you with a very fair amount of accrued paid time off.

Work environment definitely favoritism there only certain people can get overtime on an regular basis and if you want overtime, you can only get it when it’s offered to you , sign up for it on the board and is not guaranteed when you got a lot of other people that wants to sign up for overtime then there’s an issue in training. People don’t want to train  properly because they feel they are not getting enough money to train you so they pick and choose who they train properly, You got people that clocks on then leaves and go mess around in their cars or disappears their whole shifts and still have their jobs. And the top supervisors are well aware of it ,,There’s always an issue with the voice activation equipment you gotta keep constantly repeating yourself, and when you report the problem to them, you think they give you a proper working equipment ?  No , You got so-called employees that has been there for over 3 to 4 years and have a desk and know absolutely nothing. so if you want a job just to get Some quick cash just to get on your feet then this is for you, but if you the type that wants  a long career and get a starting pay like you a teenager and don’t never elevate then this job is for you. And if your numbers are low picking they will give you eventually

if you like a fast-paced environment with good pay, then this company is for you. Occasionally you might be pushed and pulled in different directions either on the shift you're working on at the moment, or the next time you work. Corporate comes in every so often, so of coarse, there will be SOMETHING that they've change because they check numbers and haven't worked in the warehouse a day in their lives. On "Corporate" days, expect your Leads and manager to be intolerable. One thing about having a boss here, they cannot take things out on you, nor do things out of spite because of the strict rules at play within this company. It protects your right as an employee as well as their right to fire You! 


Benefits are really whats up! 

vending machines arent bad but of course they have the junk foods for snacks or lunch.

Managers in the building carrying around what they called reward coins that they passed out to whom they felt was doing a good job.
You can use them in the vending machines for snacks and soda.

This company actually gives out free bottled water all day because they need you to stay hydrated.

No bag checks upon leaving the building and no metal detectors

At first the job seemed like a dream come true; with a high starting pay, layback environment straight 8 hour days (paid lunch) and at will breaks (can be taken when desired). Essendant quickly became a nightmare do to incompetent management, lack of communication, and lack of empathy for under staffed departments. The job itself is simple enough sorting and scanning products to the correct route and customer and then stacking and wrapping the skids adequately for shipping. Unfortunately the simplicity of the job breeds an unsympathetic management team; never requiring other departments to help out on hi-volume days and always experimenting with how few people the job can with. when deadlines are missed the dock is first to blame even when the required product is brought down from picking and packing departments an hour late. For a company that employs both direct hires and temps its strange to see not only a lack of bodies but also a lack of new faces. With  limited promotion and (once per year) 2% raises make this company completely unworthy of anyone seeking something longer than a summer job.

A typical day would consist of unloading te returns truck, detailing products in the return area, detailing the ups boxes that come in after lunch, moving the skids that are finished so the bulk and shelf stockers can put them away. I learned to work very well in a team environment and speaking up when the company was in need of help. I came up with some ideas and brought them to my managers attention because they were talking about permanetly laying off a few people. One of the ideas I had the company went ahead and did it. I said they shouldn't give raises to anyone this year to any of the 36 warehouses which would allow them t have more revenue to wor with. It worked out great even though I'm sure some people didn't care for the idea of not getting a raise, at least nobody lost their job. I loved all my co-workers and miss working there because of them too. The hardest part of the job was haing to lif the really heavy furniture that weighed around 2-300lbs maybe more sometimes. I enjoyed the people te most.

This place is poorly managed. The turnover rate is insane. You are just a cog in the machine. Management is clueless. They sit in their office, play games, play on their phones, and watch the cameras all day, while associates work themselves to death in a hot/cold warehouse. Pay is low. Raises are small. No incentive structure. Hours can be cut at a moments notice, sometimes daily. There seems to be a good ole boys club that basically does nothing all day, so more work gets pushed on anyone with any semblance of a work ethic. Many people disappear all day, sit in their cars, hide, sleep, etc. and nothing is said or done about it. Raises are based on bizarre and unclear metrics, that management doesn't fully understand, and so there is no way to actually improve many of these metrics. For example, attendance is one metric, but even perfect attendance will not earn a perfect score, so how does one improve their attendance score? Upper management watches the cameras all day waiting for someone to make a mistake or take a 5 minute breather. Promotions are basically impossible unless you have friends in high places. Honestly, this place is managed more poorly than almost anywhere I've ever worked.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Warehouse associate 5 salaries reported	$18.56 per hour
Order picker 6 salaries reported	$19.41 per hour
Shipping and receiving clerk 4 salaries reported	$19.51 per hour
Department manager 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year
Forklift operator 4 salaries reported	$17.90 per hour

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