intern

truck driver

sanitation worker

maintenance supervisor

local driver

Sargento

Sargento advertises itself as a family orientated company, and once apon a time, it was. It is, however, quickly becoming just as bad or worse than any other run-of-the-mill manufacturing industry. Every department is falling apart due to poor management, faulty equipment, and exhausting work. The people aren't "selectively" chosen as their "Hire good people, and treat them like family" philosophy suggests. Most people have little commitment, poor work ethic, and little to no experience. Training is a joke and virtually non existent. You're lucky to get even a day before being expected to do the job without error. The equipment is faulty, and usually doesnt get fixed. This causes employees to pick up the slack. Taking on additional responsibility usually means more work/stress with no compensation. Human resources will often sweep situations "under the rug," which contributes to a toxic environment. Overall, the pay and benefits are decent, and the work week is better than most (Monday through Saturday,) but expect to pay for these bonuses with your life. I'm glad to have left Sargento before dying of a stress induced heart attack.

The culture is amazing. An awareness of people, pride, and progress is evident in every employee.

It used to be one could only get a job with Sargento Foods, if they knew someone or if one were related to an employee. This mentality is hard to shake, even though it's necessary to look beyond family and friends in order for this great company to continue to compete with the big fish.

Embracing employees as family is evident everywhere. The wonderful people this company has managed to attract is the number one thing that really makes this company shine above all others in the county.

Sargento unfortunately does fall prey to tiny fiefdoms made up of long-term employees who are resistant to new processes and employees, which they may not see are necessary in order for the company to scale; this is the downside of having a major player's HQ located in a very rural area where the pool is small and widening the talent-recruiting net is a necessity.

The only favorible thing that I can say about working at Sargento is that the pay is good. The working conditions are poor. The factories are ugly, dirty, depressing and dangerous. I worked at two locations (Plymouth and Kiel). At Plymouth the machines are usually not working right and the employees are expected to make up the difference. At Kiel the mean and nasty employees are in control. As a new employee you are trained in each department. The trianing is not good in many cases. Too many people doing the training are mean and short tempered. The benefits package is dissapointing. Sargento does not care about the health of its employees. They will just keep on pushing and pushing. I was thrilled when I was hired by Sargento but, that changed fast after I saw how they treat their employees. They just don't care about anything but making money fast. While I worked there I felt that I was nothing more than a number.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Free cheese and crackers daily.  Sometimes got discounts to races and things like that.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The fact that management hid a lot of things from the CEO/owner such that he couldn't make the most well-informed decisions for the company that he owns. And there were too many executives who really were not qualified for their roles and they take too long to get rid of them.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Claim they are a family company but I was aware of several people they let go who were good workers and one who was going through treatment for cancer when they let them go due to "covid".  They were making plenty of money so it was BS.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
punch in, try to figure out what my manager wanted that day because he couldn't  figure it out, then punch out.

The company is a great size; big enough to have the stability and financial backing to provide the tools needed to do the job well, but small enough that you can make an impact and get to know people.  All facilities are located right here in WI, which leads to a great sense of team and purpose.  We are not struggling with the complexities of operating across international time zones or with competing business units.  Work-life balance is excellent.  There are challenges in any workplace but the people here are generally in a low level of stress and pressure.  Benefits package is very good including a truly outstanding retirement plan.  The company gives back to the community in various ways as part of its core values.

Working in production at the hilbert plant is super boring, its really hard to have vacation approved is always based on seniority. 12shifters have more seniority over 8hr shift it doesnt matter when they got hired. You dont find out if you work the weekend until almost the night before the weekend comes. If there is no production or if they are in slow season they will make you do sanitation/cleaning around the bulding the whole entire shift, it makes your shift take for ever. They dont always respect seniority for advancement, they are supposed to grant positions based on seniority but most of the case thats not how it is, its more by favoritism. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
No micro management and freedom to make critical decisions 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of support when needed and wondering who was there to look out for you and who was not 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's not "hire good people and treat them like family" it's more like if you bring up any safety concerns or accommodation issues they will find a way to get rid of you. If you call out an ethical issue or law violation they will black list you and get rid of you so the owners do not find out about what the middle managers and supervisors are hiding.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It was very satisfying until I brought up safety concerns and violation of federal law and they terminated my employment.

There is really no supervision on the plant floor. This makes it easier for people to leave their stations and lines to go talk/gossip. I watched people bullied, belittled, and swore at. It is not uncommon for the people running the lines to stand there and watch people struggle. The work can very hard on your body unless you are one of the select people who do not have to lift the heavy cheese on the line. The pay is the same either way. There is a lot of coupling and mingling. Certain people are able to stand around for HOURS and get away with it. Management either has no clue what is going on or doesn't care. 

A typical day at Sargento is very repetitive for most of the positions in the plant, but since the workplace moral is typically high, the work day goes by quickly. I gained employment through a temp agency, and only because I was offered a full-time position elsewhere did I leave. The plant is incredibly clean. This is true not just for the production floor but also the break rooms, bathrooms etc. If you don't mind production line work this can be a career. Once hired as a full time employee the benefits are nice and the hourly wage is more than adequate.

Overall it was a good place to work with good pay and benefits. Training was good, difficulty of work varies. High turnover rate of supervisors and their different policies would stress some employees out. There was a lot of mandatory overtime when I worked there. Advancement opportunities are tricky. It didn't matter if you were there for years, you could get beat by someone that was there for six months and a degree that has nothing to do with the position. Don't expect 1st shift without  being on 2nd or 3rd for a few years.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Intern 4 salaries reported	$22.25 per hour
Truck driver 2 salaries reported	$90,000 per year
Sanitation worker 1 salary reported	$26.60 per hour
Maintenance supervisor 1 salary reported	$80,000 per year
Local driver 1 salary reported	$29.46 per hour

Working at Sargento: Company Overview and Reviews

Sargento

Sargento Ratings

Popular jobs at Sargento

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected