truck driver

blaster

mechanic

yard worker

site supervisor

Orica

Orica looks like a great company from the outside. But once inside the problems become apparent. 

Employees at Orica are good and teamwork is encouraged. The CEO is visible and committed to communicating with employees at the various locations. He did a good job managing the COVID crisis. Time has been spent developing and explaining the company's new operating system. All positive.

A meaningful strategy at corporate or location level is non-existent. It's all about making the monthly financial targets. So work is hard and the hours long due to lack of resources and support. The organization faces constant cash-flow problems which means that promised investment in capex and equipment upgrades just don't happen. The business is slowly running itself into the ground. This is evident by the number of serious accidents that have happened across the company in recent years. 

The hardest part of the job is trying to understand what my manager expects me to do in an environment where objectives and priorities constantly change. I don't trust him and constantly feel my job is at risk. It wears you down.

The best part of my job is working with people from across the world and from different cultures. 

Base salary is not bad. Benefits are significantly worse than working for a mining company. Perks like travel, training, and employee recognition is thin on the ground. Again due to financial constraints. 

Would I recommend a career at Orica to a family member? No! Fundamentally senior management don't care about employee careers. Just look at the number of good employees that leave Orica each year for better jobs elsewhere.

A typical day at work would be with long working hours and heavy process but also in a good, challenge and friendly work environment with very good teamwork that would reduce the stress of the day.
You may learn a lot every day and the involvement with other areas would allow you increase your knowledge, skills and, opportunities to grow professionally.
The overall local management was satisfactory but the main decisions would come from outside HQ Upper Management, which would confuse the communication and even weaken the trust and autonomy in the local team.
The workplace culture is permanently reinforced across internal programs mainly related to safety and environmental issues.
The hardest part of the job was to keep up with the constant new projects and constant changes without really exhausting the current ones. Those had been really too many.
The most enjoyable part of the job was regarding the multicultural environment, which would allow the employee to experience a different culture, even know different cities, states, countries, and even, apply for an international assignment.

Long hours every day not knowing if equipment will run to complete job which causes a very unsave workplace for employees and customers. Sub-Par training in any position in this company, Management is useless they never support you and make's terrible decisions for the company which effects the employees. A very high turnover rate mainly from constant traveling outside of your territory and management decisions. There is no work / home balance ever. They do not train their employee's outside of watch me and do what I do with no explanation of why we are doing the task this way. Orica is a very woke and liberal company out of Australia and looks down on any employee that doesn't align with their Agenda's also they don't hire very many women or people of color for in the field jobs which is unacceptable. When they do it's mostly corporate hires. Pay and raises are not where they should be in the industry for what they expect from their employees. The one Pro is the Vacation time which allows you time with your family.

Was hired for a temp to perm position that after 9 months went to another employee already working for the company due to their department being  closed down and many employees already employed with the company losing their jobs.
Order processor for explosives, which included shipping and inventory for each site assigned to me.
Learned about explosives and interesting work done by company.
Direct management was excellent, upper management was out of Canada and did not always follow thru with plans that were put in place.
Varied background for employees and the different types of jobs involved.
Learning the SAP system and support for training was not on site.
Enjoyable atmosphere at location I worked at.

Up to two or three years ago Orica was a great place to work. they provided a challenging place to grow and expand your knowledge in the business.  The work was hard; but was enjoyable and there was a good sense of camaraderie at the company, that you belonged and you were part of the overall team and your work was important to the team. 

During recent times Orica has become a very difficult place to work, there seems to be a constant shift in reorganizing the company which creates a feeling that the company lacks direction or focus.  Change is good; however a change has to be in place long enough to reap the rewards of that change or learn the mistake from that change; which doesn't appear to be taking place in the company at this time.  Moral in the company is very low due to this fact and there is a lack of communication from within; which adds more burden with all the uncertainty and jobs being made redundant.

I worked for 8 executives in the Sales and Marketing Group. I handled expense reports and coding expenses, phones, travel for each, organizing meetings and events. I learned how to deal with meeting and travel schedules internationally. Worked with a lot of wonderful people from all over the world. The company was located in 22 countries. Most difficult was many people coming to me for assistance at the same time. Had to stay very organized and fast. People would wait to meet with me for projects to be assigned and completed. The most enjoyable part of this job was the versatility of the job and working with all the great people.

Bad equipment, really bad management.  They allow a couple of guys to show up either drunk or hungover.  There is no management at the Garden city office.  They are at minimum two hours away. So you will do your job plus theirs with no added compensation.  The pay is below average for the company.  People who live in places with lower costs of living are paid better. The raises were a joke. Again the equipment is some of the worst I've ever seen. Their closest mechanic is five hours away. So you will be expected to fix and maintain everything.  I spent more time fixing trucks than operating them. Their equipment is a serious danger on the road. Their yard is almost forty miles away and you will drive it on your own dime. 

Orica has become truly global corporation in the last years with well defined values & strategic elements - all consolidated in a collaborative set of documents named "The Charter". 

The company has been narrowing down its scope to the core "Mining Services" business and has invested continuously in differentiation through technology and services.

Some of the pillars of Orica's culture are Safety, People and Business Ownership having the customers in the center of everything the company does.

The work environment is quick-paced and productive. It is somehow traditional and formal in the dressing code, working schedules/location, etc.

Solid benefits, above average pay.  I have three plant managers in two years, starting with a hands off, here to remove roadblocks type and ending with extreme opposite.   The site is closing in May '21.   I would rejoin the company under the right leadership.   This is an Aussie company at its core.  Challenging, rewarding, multinational mining services-- advancement available if your willing to globally relocate.  Like most companies, Orica is relocating its production to cheaper labor area.  Why pay $16-25/hour in the US, when you can pay %10-20 in China/Indonesia.

Like any company focused on natural resources, Orica definitely has cycles and is coming out of a tough time for the mining industry. But, the people I work with are fantastic, very supportive and really make it fun to be at the office.  I have met and worked with so many people from a variety of countries, it's a truly global company.  The pay at Orica is very competitive, and I often hear from former employees that once they leave Orica - they quickly realize that the grass isn't always greener.  I really like my job and love the people I work with!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 8 salaries reported	$29.06 per hour
Blaster 4 salaries reported	$74,546 per year
Mechanic 2 salaries reported	$30.25 per hour
Yard worker 15 salaries reported	$21.20 per hour
Site supervisor 3 salaries reported	$89,214 per year

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