machine operator

equipment operator

material handler

laborer

sorter

Padnos

I worked there for 4 years. What a shot show. Hourly pay has always been terrible there, annnnnd that's how they get to work 50 to 60 hours per week. You can't survive on just 40. And if you only want to work 40? Pffft. Good luck with that. They'll find a reason to can you. The absolute worst part about that place? The monumental gap between sales, (who does not give two shots about what their accounts send nor the quality of the load being sent, because they work on commissions making 6 figures). The team leaders, or coaches.... lol! They are worthless! Completely terrible. They work 40 hours a week. Wait, no, they are at work 40 hours a week. Well, somewhere. They have absolutely no authority to do anything. They check your time cards, gripe about you taking time off, don't have any idea how to do your job, let alone help you. They are secretaries essentially. No offense to secretaries. And upper management? Anyone above the degree toting idiots that are you immediate supervisor, are worthless as well. There are so many people in charge of other people, that by the time it gets to someone who could actually do anything about it, they have no idea who you are, and why they have to deal it, so everything just gets swept under the rug and disappears. Here is something LP is great at. Smoke and mirrors. They love to tell you how much they care about you, and your family, ( but work 60 hours a week and every Saturday or your coach will be a duck to you). They love to dangle that carrot in front of their workers, and never give it it to them. All the programs and tuition benefits and shot? Be prepared to jump thru 1000 hoops, and then right thru a loophole. They promise the world, and deliver Uranus. You can see exactly how they work by reading their official LP replies. Barely address the concerns or criticisms of the company with one sentence, then proceed to ramble on about how great they think are in other areas or make statements that have nothing to do with the original complaint. Classic LP. They are smoke and mirrors, slight of hand, pros. Just beware.

Applicants beware!
Padnos is a great company with an outstanding reputation in West Michigan but this position will break your back, crush your spirit and make you wish you had never applied to this job! This is much more than hi-lo driving, which in itself would be simple and enjoyable. This position in Wyoming Plastics will require you to unload truck after truck of glorified "trash", or as they call it, recyclables. The trucks to unload are usually a horrible mess of junk packed so tight you can't get it unloaded without making a huge mess all over, and when its busy they expect you to unload 5 or 6 per shift which you will find is completely unreasonable. Your 10 hour shift will easily exceed 11 or 12 if you intend to get anywhere with management and although they did not mandate working Saturdays, you find pressure from management to do so anyway. Working 50+ hours a week just isn't "Gung Ho" enough for these people! Management tries to create a good environment, but at the end of the day, they are completely clueless and out of touch with what the hi-lo drivers are going through. Very physical job, you will be off the hi-lo more than you are on it, very disorganized and you will freeze in the winter. (NO HEAT IN THE BUILDING!)
That said, the people working there are for the most part good, hard working people stuck in a bad job. Benefits are great, pay is average, and there many free lunches if that's what your looking for in life.

Where to start, I worked for the company as a driver for more than a handful of years. If your new to truck driving this is an okay place to start. You can wreck equipment more than once and not get fired. If your looking to make a (decent) living expect to be working close to 60 hours per week. There are no issues here with working you into the ground and good luck with a family life.The company touts about being safety first, but that is not the case, profitability is their watchword. The companies bottom line first, production is a close second and employee safety and well being is a VERY DISTANT third. Thanks to E-logs we can finally take a lunch break. The dispatch process is the most incompetent, unknowing portion of the job. "IF" you plan on employment there make sure to drink from the PADNOS cup, any kind of criticism about the way business is ran will be met with consequences. On the plus side there are cookouts and the company is purchasing new equipment often(ish). The benefits are mediocre and first standard and DO NOT buy into the promises made during your interview. In closing work here if you have to, not if you want to. Be careful with what they say, do not take anything at face value. The people you work directly with are generally good people stuck in their jobs. This IS NOT A CAREER, use it at your own risk.

Buying and selling scrap metals. Daily operation of truck scale and smaller non-ferrous scale. Sorting metals. Assisting where needed. Operating heavy equipment as needed

Management is open to ideas that the employees have to better the workplace and operations. They show a true concern for their employees and work diligently to resolve any issues that they may have on the job site and, if need be, in the employees personel life.

Co-workers are a hard working bunch that really enjoy their work and seek to have fun as they work throughout the day.

The hardest part of the job is that it is very physically demanding and dirty,but if you keep a positive attitude and realize that you are making a difference, not only in your own life but the life of others through recycling metal waste, the job is most enjoyable.

For me the most enjoyable part of the job is the customer contact at the point of sale. I enjoy helping the customers sell their metals and seeing that they get the highest price possible for what they have. I never get tired of hearing that the customers feel that they have been treated fairly and will come back to see us again because we care.

You may hear through the greater Grand Rapids area that Padnos is a wonderful place to work. Unfortunately this rumor is untrue. I personally worked at the Wyoming plastics division as a machine operator. The year I worked there was a complete joke, but not a funny joke. A joke in which after 6 months on the job you have to drag yourself into work. The management team is completely clueless to what happens on the floor. They are the first to take credit for your ideas, so they can feel good about them selfs. The management team is belittling in every form possible. I've even heard personally a manager say "you are a better person if you have a bachelors degree".. That is how skewed these people's views are. The best thing that Padnos has going for it. is the people you get to work with on a day to day basis. "Besides management and sales team"  because of course they are better then you. You will also feel that no matter how hard you work, or how much you get done. It will never be enough. That in itself got tiring extremely quick. I am not a disgruntled worker, just someone who is looking out for people looking for a good work environment. With that said, I hope this helps. Just don't want people to be mislead.

In my role you started the day off with a routine schedule, after lunchtime it was up in the air. There was 3 attempts at changing roles/ process flow, and role responsibilities. If it wasn't for the constant changes being made by management it would have been fine, but one week we want you to do this task this way, then the following it changes to another way, no consistency. ( which is what they want out of you.) Other than that Padnos as a whole was great, my immediate supervisor had changed thrice since I was with the company and I feel it had the best impact on the second change. They can't keep people in to develop and that is their single largest downfall. With COVID-19 layoffs and disgruntled employees quitting they struggled keeping ahead of the game. Paper and Plastics needs a stronger and a more decisive leader in the VP role, there are great minds below, they just need someone to guide them in the correct direction rather than chase down 5 rabbit hole ideas. 

Dispatch is totally dysfunctional. They try to blame the driver for missed trips when it is them that have dropped the ball. Favoritism is the key word as far as drivers and equipment. I have learned in many years of driving here that it does not matter if you are a professional  and responsible driver the best and newest equipment goes to Western yards and favorite drivers. Even when you have been promised a certain piece of equipment take a I will believe it when I see it approach if your not In Holland or Grand Rapids!  
Pay is sub par for what they expect of you as a driver only way to make decent living is to work 60 hour week.
Benefits used to be good but have gone down hill and they have taken away from senior employees the average OT which were payed on vacations.
They regularly ask you to do extra because they are short drivers but are thankless!
Take what you hear from HR with a grain of salt at interview because they are not in touch with what is happening at ground level.

Salary was bad, but benefits made up for it. I was planning to be a 'lifer', but there were a series of terrible decisions made my last 2 years that told me I wasn't management material in their eyes. New management is busy growing company and I got lost in the shuffle. A 90-day temporary management program turned into a 2 year ordeal. I knew everything they could throw at me and am convinced I didn't get promoted because company is really pushing diversity/hiring women. I'm certain I was overlooked because of that. I know because I had to train them to do the jobs I wanted. I was mad at execs, but was kind a possible to new hires because they didn't know.  

I would have been fine with it if someone was honest with me. Just tell me, 'No, you're not management material.' rather than stringing me along for 2 years. 

If you get hired in, you're set. Can work here the rest of your life. Safe job. They don't fire people when I worked there unless you repeatedly damage stuff. Just don't be an idiot and you'll be fine.

They say safety and family all lies. They pay people off to keep quiet and out of papers and news. Management only care about there bonus and status screw the employee's to get what they want. They make deals and never hold true the only family that counts is padnos. They demand everything give nothing to vary little, have open bias between shifts firsts are golden seconds get dumped on never equal. Bonuses used to be good till the 2nd generation left the 3rd and current cut bonuses by almost 80% never to return. Benefits at best are mediocre premiums go up nd coverage goes down. They brag about all the extra programs they have to offer but don't explaine the hundreds of hoops you have to jump through to get it and the mony you have to pay to get it making it not really worth it. The wages are below average to cap it all off and in our department no chance for advancement they always hire outside.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Best part of the company is overtime. When the company is doing well you usually get 5-10ths of overtime. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Short staffed, disorganized, most people choose spend time worrying about what looks good to executive management instead of solving real problems. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is stressed and last minute. More emphasis is put on social engineering you to agree with management’s beliefs. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Get there and have priorities change as people scramble to meet deadlines only to be interrupted to finish some online class or dot an i on some paperwork because upper management wants to make sure some percentage of completion looks good on paper. All the while the real work isn’t getting done and the deadline is looming.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 6 salaries reported	$20.83 per hour
Equipment operator 4 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour
Material handler 20 salaries reported	$19.20 per hour
Laborer 15 salaries reported	$18.48 per hour
Sorter 9 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour

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