sanitation worker

quality assurance technician

forklift operator

machine operator

laborer

Knouse Foods

I worked weekend night shift at Knouse Foods for 4 years. A typical day at this position involves constant attention towards plastic bottles that are on a conveyor. Your machine is on a solitary platform and there is lots of factory noise. Expect frequent stair climbing and occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs. As an operator I was expected to keep the machine fully functional and preform minor adjustments to the machinery. I learned a lot about what it's like being on a production crew. Management cycles through several supervisors after several months. Co-worker also tend to cycle through as well. The hardest part of this particular job for me was staying up until 3 in the morning every weekend, then adjusting my sleep schedule for the weekdays. Maintaining the companies required 1700 hours to have health insurance is very difficult for a student that goes to school throughout the week  and depends his work schedule to be consistent on weekends. There is a lot of "bumping". This occurs on special occasions such as maintenance week and inventory.Also you are left alone for extended periods of time.  The most enjoyable part of this job is the amount of movement and active style of work.

You don't have a life at this plant, it is Monday through Friday theoretically, but instead you end up work practically all week for the company. Third shift tends to work Monday through Sunday. Production always seems to run out of something so we never seem to have what we need to run production properly. The parts room for maintenance, is there, but we never have the parts that are needed. If we do they tend to be hidden away In someone's locker, because this place has a lot, and I mean a lot of kingdom builders.Lots of the machinery around seems to be jerry rigged to keep it running. There is no chance for promotion because no one teaches anybody anything , everybody is afraid for someone else to take their job.
The top of the company doesn't seem to care what happens in the plant, let alone what is going on in the plant, mainly because it is one of those companies where everybody's cousin works there, so if you're part of the family, you got the job  even if you have no clue what is going on.
If you want to have a life, not be constantly stressed out, and get promoted this is most certainly not the place for you.

Knouse Foods is a turbulent place that has its ups and downs. During my time, I saw several CEOs come and go along with shifts in culture. The good people in the IT department is the constant that kept me there as long as it did. As a beginner, you have a great runway to learn and develop your skills. Your coworkers will be kind and understanding, as long as you're willing to learn. You have a voice there to introduce new software or technology to help improve the business. 

 However, you will eventually see that plateau as you get bogged down by the decisions made by upper management. Projects remain in purgatory as auxiliary staff push Kaizen, Gemba, PD 4 Me, or whatever corporate buzzword is in favor at the time. As new managers and executives come in with new visons, a myriad of reports and dashboards get dumped on IT to produce and maintain. Then, before any value can be ascertained by any of that, they leave.

As the Human Resource officer it was my responsibility to watch the entire production line. Made determinations of who required training and to what length the training should take. I managed the health and safety course in both Spanish and English. I was always ready to attend classes that updated my knowledge of human rights and handling claims of mistreatment. The facility was not pleasant, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I made the areas of discomfort as comfortable as possible with my budget. The management had a click of people that were allowed to venture in and out of the premises without consideration to production. Of course when the issue became something I needed to address I was transferred to another local which lead to my dismissal.

A typical night lacked communication on night shift since there were communication barriers. I learned not to rely on the warehouse and mainline to keep me informed when the labels and apple sauces changed over. Everyone once in awhile a manager would come around to make sure everything was going fine. I worked alone in the lab and I had no help from others. The hardest part was the lack of communication, because there were communication barriers. I had to work at a fast past to make sure I did not fall behind and since I worked alone staying ahead determined if I had a dinner break. The most enjoyable part of the job was testing the apple sauce and making sure the apple sauce meet the requirements.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There was no best part.  There were no trainers to train me in the position I was hired for.  And when put in an alternate position there was no one willing to train me the “proper” way.  No one followed OSHA standards whatsoever.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to find someone who knew would train me according to OSHA rules and regulations.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Diverse it’s hardly an American company when 90% of the workers are Hispanic 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
All day sitting in a chair, trimming apples.

Times have changed... and that is not necessarily a good thing. While the administration tries to put a positive spin on the outlook of the company, and the reason behind many of the recent changes, the overall moral of the normal employee is sinking fast.  Locations are closing, departments are downsizing, staff members are taking early retirement, (and many are not willingly). Whereas, the history of this company was one in which employees felt secure they would have a job until they were ready to retire, and most enjoyed coming to work, nowadays, most people are fearful because no-one feels their position is safe.

A women was forced to quit her job after finding out her husband a foreman and the Human Resource was having an affair on company time. There is even evidence of favoritism going on because of the foreman's nephew was able to cause thousands of dollars of damage but corporate doesn't give a fig.

Sad because she was a great employee. But knouse foods rather uphold their image with two people in management with loose morals and essiently stealing from the company

If you work here, keep to yourself. It is much safer

Worst management I’ve ever had around. 
They treat you like a dirt. Policies and management make this place even more horrible. They will start you working there on 1st shift 5:30am-4pm even thought they are hiring everyone for second shift. Expect to know every position in the first weeks time because of you don’t…. There will be a 15 day report about it bashing you. I swear I’m a good and hard worker!!! I show up on time everyday do my work to the best of my ability and go home. Well that’s not good enough for Knouse. They want your arms and legs. Very very shady people and organization. The real knouse family has passed and that’s the only good that was left of knouse sadly. 

Working at Knouse as a supervisor is stressful. It's a union company, so helping employees is frowned upon by union stewards. Maintenance runs the show here. They fix things when they want and how they want. Mechanics are hide to find. Usually drinking coffee or smoking. Once they finally do arrive to assess breakdowns, they have to leave the floor again to get tools. A 5 minute fix usually takes 30 mins to resolve. 

Pay is low for supervisors. Definitely below industry standards. 

Upper management will smile and tell you how well you're doing while planning to replace you. 

Do not recommend working here. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sanitation worker 2 salaries reported	$20.75 per hour
Quality assurance technician 3 salaries reported	$19.64 per hour
Forklift operator 3 salaries reported	$20.42 per hour
Machine operator 2 salaries reported	$19.87 per hour
Laborer 6 salaries reported	$20.03 per hour

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