maintenance technician

truck driver

deboner

forklift operator

shift manager

Koch Foods

  As soon as you step out of the car and make you're way through the doors to the plant. You notice that, "these people are more than just acquaintances." All employees at koch foods share a fellowship. From the highest title, to the new hire in orientation. At not many companies will you find that a supervisor, superintendent or operations manager would speak to you and inquire with genuine concern as to; how are you, what do you think of you're job, what can we do to make working here better for you? etc. 
  Out on the production floor the culture, as you will see, got it's very roots right here. Being productive and emerged in your work there is still no shortage of the hospitality and fellowship you where first greeted with. Leads and supervisors are with you right in the middle of it all. Working at koch foods we stay busy, ordinarily but being busy, with people who support, encourage and make you smile,  makes for a fast day.
  The hardest part of working at Koch Foods, is your first few days on the floor. Same can be said for any job. Not just learning what to do and how to do you're  job but understanding the purpose of what you're job does for the company as well as for the  clients and customers of Koch Foods. 
  The most enjoyable part of any job to me,  is finding time to address other issues, move around and help other people and watching all the hard work pay off and completed. In the end having the chance to receive more responsibility so that I may spend my crucial profession, being of service and seeing things done through, the right way. 

A typical day of work starts out with a cold blast of chicken fat stimulating your nasal region as soon as you walk in to swipe your worker's ID card. After that, you wash your hands thoroughly, as you should, and suit up (hairnet, plastic smock, work gloves, plastic gloves, earplugs, and goggles, unless you have prescription glasses). You go into the job site and wait for some manager to give you a random errand to run (this includes picking fat off of chicken, filleting chicken, making boxes, or working on the assembly line). The catch is, you don't know who your manger is until a week later. All of my co-workers spoke Spanish (only 4 people I knew of spoke English, broken English at that). This wouldn't be a problem had I known how to speak Spanish. Great thing is, you don't have to learn through spoken language, I was taught through a series of pointing and watching. I learned a lot about people there. The hardest part of the job was the temperature, it's 40-45 degrees at all times. Now I, being the Chicagoan that I am, am quite used to this type of weather, but when you're putting your hands into a pile of chicken meat they do have a tendency to get frozen up and numb. By the end of the day I would have to put my hands over a candle to melt them. I'd say the most enjoyable part of the job was making boxes and lunchtime. This job will be good for you if you are fluent in Spanish, don't mind cold hands, and don't mind the smell.

● Work-life balance
This place is very unfair and demanding. I have a few medical problems they were made extremely aware of seeing as how I have lung issues as well and they still hired me. However that dont matter they still expect you to do things that's clearly stated even in doctor orders that is not in your capabilities. There is absolutely no lead way for being sick. The pay starts out at 12.65 which is not bad at all and you get paid weekly but if your looking for a descent respectable job where you can actually breathe without getting a write up or suspension just keep scrolling its not the job for you. But if you like bs and drama and extremely unfair treatment, than by all means proceed with applying

● Pay & benefits
The pay is great you get paid every Friday however the benefits aren't so good that's why I gave it 3 stars. They charge unreasonable amounts to receive benefits

● Job security and advancement
They do promote within the company however its done by bids and there is lots of favoritism so it's very hard to move up or forward and training is very brief

● Management
Most of the supervisors and line leads are hard to even deal with or talk to and than some dont even speak a lick of English

● Overall
In my opinion they are not worth working for at all. Even with good pay this job just is not worth the trouble or hassle and it certainly is not worth the disrespect and drama that go with it as well as the favoritism

I go in at 7:20am every morning and I don't know when I'll be getting off, and that is every day, I wish I had more of a schedule.. They depend on me, in my opinion way too much by tossing me here to there, etc, they won't give me a SET job, even though I have a set title. They barely taught me how to operate my job equipment, so I basically taught myself. The management is not the best, they do not allow cellphones on the "work floor", yet supervisors are always walking across the plant using their personal phones. The SUPERVISORS see employees SPIT tobacco on the work floor and do absolutely nothing about it, and that's not only disgusting, but that plant deals with CHICKEN that WE eat. They do not care how you're treated by other co-workers, either. They have a "point system" and if you reach 7 points, no matter the situation, you get fired. Some people HAVE to miss work, because we work Monday-Friday (sometimes Saturdays) 7am-Dark. How're we supposed to take care of our sick children and ourselves if they do not offer sick days, and they point you, even if its an absolute emergency. The pay isn't too bad, but it is not the best for all the work employees put in. The insurance is pretty good, though, but I can't use it, because I can't miss work or else I MIGHT GET FIRED FOR REACHING 7 POINTS.

Koch Foods COULD be a great place to work, but the management make sure to instill that you are never good enough, and that you can and will lose your job at anytime, and even tells people they don't have to give breaks.  The supervisors and shift leaders will sabotage anyone they don't like and force them out the door.  They have a "Lighthouse" employee reporting hotline, which is a JOKE because it just goes to HR, and if you are reporting any wrongdoing by management, they just excuse it because they all clique together.  If you are Hispanic, you have JOB security, but the drama, and turnover among the whites/blacks is astounding!  The "Long Time" employees will sabotage new hires to keep the turnover rate flowing, out of fear of being replaced, and eventually get promoted.  Profanity and harassment is rampant throughout the plant, and they tell you, it's a chicken house, get used to it.  Management and Shift leaders have a Slave-Driver mentality and thrive on authoritarianism because they get a power thrill, being most of them are felons, so at Kock Foods, they get to "be somebody"

Work-life balance
You can not plan anything working here. You might have planned something important but they might put the sign up on Friday that you have to work Saturday. You are there Monday thru Saturday mostly guarentee. The company does not care that most of us are single parents, so when it's your child you have to be there. The company do not realize that sometimes you might have to see a doctor instead of going to an ER but that's the ONLY way not to get a point or if you wait a year you can get on FMLA. They do not care that its ALOT the ER can not do.

Pay & benefits
There is no retirement savings plan(401k)

Management
They talk smart to you but expect nothing but respect from you. If you want to know anything about your points you have to put your name on a book and wait a whole week. Like why when it's a computer right in front of them and it's a few buttons and there you go... but noooo not Koch Foods.

Overall
Each Koch Foods have their own rules and their own ways of doing things but it's going to all fall under company rules. The company do not care and that makes management not care about the employees. They do not sit back and realize why they can not keep workers.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I honestly can't say nothing good about that place it's cold wet and nasty I guess the best thing about it is they paid pretty good and weekly

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
We are also on a point system there so if you clock in even a minute late that's a half a point it's cold very very cold and wet that's the worst part about it

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's fast pace depending on where you're at and it's very it's freezing cold and it's wet and it's nasty

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Nothing I already answered they want you to work 12 hour shifts in 30° or under conditions so it's freezing cold you have to bundle up like you're out in the snow, and it's what and nasty and I don't mean nasty like a nasty place it's just you're working with chicken Morris or chicken nuggets so it can be nasty that part didn't bother me the cold and wet part bothered me the freezing cold bothered me I hated working there but I work there great 6 months because it paid pretty decent and it gives you a pretty decent bonus and anybody you get hired on after a 90-day trial.

Koch foods is a horrible place to work pay is great and they do have health benefits but management is horrible they do not  train well co workers are more concerned with you than the production of their own job the hardest part of the job is working in a cold climate and not properly knowing your job because of your trainer the most enjoyable part of the job is the pay it advances rather quickly but a typical day at work you will put on your gear clock in go to the back and work well past the time you are supposed to get off the line will stop periodically due to things being backed up its just awful you get harassed by supervisor monitoring you just looking for a reason to write you up because they have nothing else to do i would not recommend this job unless you like the uncertainty of not having a job but all that given i did learn quite a few skills for the chicken plant industry given i was not properly trained i learned how to roll wing's saw wing's cut shoulders hang birds make boxes grade the wings split breast and package them.

Typical day at work: when you first start you'll be at bottom of Driver crew inconsistent start time you'll drive to chicken farm get loaded and haul then to the processing plant may have to wait for empty trailer just repeat till your loads are done. Typically 3 -4 loads per night. 

What i believe to learn: I've learn the experience and dangers of hauling live chickens. Take your time be safe. 

Management: Honesty our boss is great will give you time off if available on schedule can be flexible however I strongly believe Management can be more better and listen to and fix any issues with in the company or mechanical issues ect.

Workplace culture: it's a great place to get experience and make good pay not much time to do on your off time but decent place. 

Hardest part of the job: the inconsistent start time and literally getting crapped on and wet when it rains and sinks but you'll get used to it. 

Most enjoyable part of my job: driving solo the pay and one your up on the driver crew you get a more consistent start time. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Very dangerous  job.  They was forcing divers to haul  way over weight  86000 & 90000    night driving in very rural  areas.. they gave  very bad directions  to farms .   Very bad management 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Driving in very rural areas  switch bk country roads  very over weight 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very dangerous  job ..little to no direction  when you first start & half the direction  address  was wrong .. and once I got mad.. Because of the danger they was putting in on a nightly  ...I then  become a target  as a trouble maker..   there job was THIS IS CHICKEN  HAULIN,,  like because I was. Asking for proper  direction  made me a lesser  driver ??   Idiot's  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Not knowing what time you was to really start your night .. they made a schedule  ....then it changes when your  sleeping 😴   and they called it a revised  schedule .

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Maintenance technician 12 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Truck driver 10 salaries reported	$1,848 per week
Deboner 11 salaries reported	$20.88 per hour
Forklift operator 7 salaries reported	$19.21 per hour
Shift manager 4 salaries reported	$20.69 per hour

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