warehouse worker

production

maintenance technician

packer

production operator

The-Krusteaz-Company

In the 6 months that I worked at continental mills. There was a lack of training no communication on how your doing between managers and employee it doesn’t matter what you know it’s who you know there’s lots of job security when it comes to the older folks that have been working  there 30+ years if you plan on trying to move up in this company good luck  they seem to reward the lazy and punish the hard workers it has good benefits I just never got mine in the 6 months that I worked there it feels like the good ol boys club  you could put in the work and do as much as possible out perform and go above and beyond take as much  overtime as possible when others didn’t want to but in the end it doesn’t matter it seems like the managers would go out there way to make life bad. I had to travel 70 miles altogether there and back working from sunday night to Friday morning. In a month I would rack up 1400 miles. In my mind I thought if I took enough overtime they would train me on more things, I was dead wrong. Lack of training is an understatement. It’s a family operated business and with that being said a lot of them could get away with more stuff. Sleeping on a line, taking hour long lunches which are supposed to be 30 minutes. The only time you can get promoted is if someone quits or retires. My personal experience on why I left is for months I tried to get over to my brother’s department which was processing. I was told you will be over there soon, 4 months later I finally had that opportunity and I applied but the thing is the managers had me go for one day to see how it was then brought me back to my old (packaging)department for two weeks. I didn’t know if I messed up, so I was very confused. But after that two weeks they put me back over in that department(processing) for a week I enjoyed it learned a lot, but while I was training they would take me out of training to help out in packaging . After that week was up, they brought me back again to my old (packaging) department for another week. There was no communication on why until I asked and the manager told me we’re training other people in that department so you have to come back and help over here. I did what I was told even though it wasn’t productive. I worked nights  from 10pm-6:30. I got fed up I was getting tired of being moved back and forth with little to no context on what was happening  or how I was doing. That next week the managers put back over in that department but had me go to day shift which messed me up a little. I didn’t mind because I was told I would get forklift trained. I never got forklift trained that whole week and it really sucked but I embraced that suck. At that point I knew there was no future for me at this company so I went down to the armed forces recruiting center and they got wind of that so they took me back out of that (processing)department and right back into my original department(pack) it must be a game to the managers but I still stuck around for about two more weeks but with no motive to stay, I left handed my manager a letter of resignation and resigned. 

If you are hired in the production department, packaging or processing no matter what you think you will be doing you will be cleaning. There is more cleaning than anything else, but they do not care about cleanliness. They care about timing. You will not make any movement or improvement in any role because the training is nonexistent, they expect other new people to train new people. No one knows what they’re doing because they do not read the paperwork, but the paperwork can be confusing and usually has plenty of errors that no one cares to correct.  management does not care about your progression or training whatsoever, but they will blame you for every wrongdoing that you never knew you were supposed to be doing or not doing. Your reviews will be based on hearsay because the people in charge of Your progression probably won’t even work on the same shift as you so the people that will be judging you are people that do not even know how to perform your duties. The communication is more than broken. It’s nonexistent. You will not know when you’re doing something wrong or how to do something properly until days or even weeks later when it’s brought up by someone else who can only tell you what they heard happened by someone else. They have recently changed training procedures, but it does not matter because nothing is implemented. The procedure will never matter because no one will ever properly implement any sort of training procedures. It’s a food processing facility and majority of the workers don’t even wear the proper gloves for the job they’re doing. Lots of people are related to one another and with this comes lots of cliques amongst relatives and people of the same background, if you do not relate to them or understand them (if you catch my drift), you will not make any progress. The unfair treatment and favoritism is so blatant even the people that benefit from it have spoken out and been amazed by things that have happened. 

The company culture as a whole is fun and sociable, although most people show up, keep their head down, do their job and leave ASAP everyday. I was hired by the company for a role that never came to fruition. At the time Senior Managers were leaving without properly training their staff, perhaps one foot out the door already. Whenever concerns were raised to HR, the HR Team give you advice on how to deal with it yourself. I saw and experienced some pretty awful inter-personal treatment in more than one department. I witnessed people being let go or fired that had worked their for more than 10+ years, and were treated like another cog in the wheel. Their internal project systems were non-existent (seriously, no project management software at all). Pretty painful to experience a company that has been running this long, of this size without proper up-to-date tools and systems. The hardest part of the job was trying to get properly trained for what management wanted. The most enjoyable part of the job was the pay and bonus structure. 

I really liked my coworkers. CM has a good culture of mutual support and respect. The people are friendly, engaged and dedicated. There is a culture of teamwork, and most people have a positive attitude. Corporate office employees tend to stay with the company for long periods of time. That is reflection of the positive culture but also can be a barrier to advancement for newer in career employees as the opportunities for advancement are less frequent. This is a good company for people who like broader scope roles as opposed to deeply specialized jobs.  Most jobs offer a lot of ownership.  CM is a privately held company, so decision making is relatively clear and quick.
The company makes high quality, delicious products that customers like, there is a cultural expectation of good customer service and positive involvement in the community. CM offers a very good benefits package compared to many large employers in the Seattle area. The compensation packages are mid-range/competitive and there are performance bonuses that tend to have high percentage of payout.  


Packaging floor is climate controlled usually around 70 degrees, quarterly bonus based on performance, longevity bonus at Christmas, good paying job for the area, only worked 7 days every two weeks with 12 hour shifts...pay raises based on job knowledge and popularity...folks in charge treat everyone decent...

Financial compensation is really the only thing you get from it though...usually left after shift cussing to myself about other employees or management...lots of drama between individuals, some folks not able to work with others. Upstairs management was focused on surviving the day and taking the paycheck. Constant talk of a team but always trying to divide and get people to turn on each other while RARELY helping the team or even seeing what the team did. 

Makes it hard for us unwashed masses to care when the folks that get paid to sit at a desk sipping coffee don't.

I left a good place of employment for Continental Mills. Or rather the promise of something better there. The grass is not always greener. It is a place that beset with the same problems as any factory in this. Morale is not so great. Emphasis on making money at the expense of employees personals lives. Benefits were slightly better. Pay was marginally better but the hoops one had to jump through to improve that were comical. No hope for forward progression to management. I had a hard time adjusting to the by the book approach they stressed and my training was thoroughly frustrating. I dont want to condemn it completely. Some people can thrive there at the expense of integrity and honesty. Alot of you will find the reputation of being a good employer a little bloated ... Its a factory just a different kind of one, with a the failings of any factory.

Continental Mills offers decent Benefits and fair pay. While overtime is often available, it is very seldom mandatory. Bonuses are paid quarterly based on company performance and focused issues important to managements goals. The Christmas Bonus is also based on longevity and can be substantial for employees that have stayed at the company a long time. If you have infractions such as attendance problems or safety and process violations however, the bonuses are withheld. Advancement is based on "pay for skills" and can be withheld for any infractions. Make an infraction and you could be out a huge amount of compensation.

The 3rd shift @ Effingham should be gotten rid of due to the extreme toxic nature of select individuals on the shift. The Area Manager is extremely weak and beholden to 2 dirtbag employees that are directly responsible for the inability to keep quality employees. These toxic individuals intentionally run off temp workers and good full-time employees and treat it as a contest. I have never seen a factory where favoritism is so engrained in the culture and management wonders why they cannot get fully staffed. It is hilarious they purchased the building next door when they cant even get a full staff with the one building they currently have. This location and more specifically the 3rd shift is absolutely hopeless. Stay away unless you enjoy laziness and favoritism.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Very family oriented vibe!

They take very good care of their staff, and offer many opportunities for transferring/promoting from within.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
In my department (warehouse), they didn't seem to want to staff the adequate amount of employees for the workload.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Incredible!

My coworkers and supervisors couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful.

The head of the warehouse department is the best boss you could ever ask for.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Fast paced, and depending on the assignment/responsibility you're given for the day... The shift flies by.

The work culture over all is very good, Management actually cares about there employees ,The benefits are very good as health insurance if very affordable. You get incentive bonuses quarterly which is nice, Pay is equal to if not better than companies in this area but do have chance to earn more with there pay for skills program the more you know the more you get paid. The ceo and all of the higher ups actually come to each facility few times a year but what impressed me that they come on Christmas to physically hand you your Christmas bonus which I personally have never seen happen in any of my previous jobs.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Warehouse worker 46 salaries reported	$23.21 per hour
Production 17 salaries reported	$30.77 per hour
Maintenance technician 29 salaries reported	$36.76 per hour
Packer 4 salaries reported	$17.58 per hour
Production operator 14 salaries reported	$21.06 per hour

Working at The Krusteaz Company: Company Overview and Reviews

The Krusteaz Company

The Krusteaz Company Ratings

Popular jobs at The Krusteaz Company

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected