utility line locator

human resources assistant

loss prevention officer

service dispatcher

customer service coordinator

Vannguard Utility Partners

In this job you’re by yourself making choices while biding to the 10 basics for guiding you through every ticket no matter how small or big. In the summer work is intense to say the least as you’re managing an area while also keeping up with your tickets at least a day ahead as they don’t allow tickets to be due on the same day, while also keeping track of when you have meets that you go to, to talk to the contractor for clear dig zone instructions whether for a bore or a dig zone(s). When doing meets they require meet sheets which are a basically a contract with dig zone or bore instructions should be noted to not only save you from a damage but also remind you of dig zone specifications and requirements. Occasionally I work ahead and am able to help out people in their areas, it’s good to form a habit of trying to work as a team than more independent and never be afraid to make a phone call when you have questions about anything cause you never know till you know, you know?
Winter season is slow but still should be cautious with locates as profits are low and damage costs hurt the company more but more importantly it’s all about safety. I’ve worked many jobs in cold weather but in this job at least you got a car to warm up in. In the end Vannguard has been a consistent main stream of income towards me and my family and I greatly appreciate the company and in courage anybody to apply who cares about safety and not afraid to learn something new.

where do I even start, now I don’t have any hard feelings for what was my actual supervisor because they were one of the best i’ve ever had. but. i digress. summer your more then likely going 80-90 hour weeks, winter, probably 15-25 hours depending on if your in a rural part of the state or not. starting pay is alright if you didn’t have to deal with contractors constantly changing where they are digging or yelling at you when they need you in the next hour and you can’t be there because your already dealing with another projected ticket an hour and a half away. pay raises are bare minimum at most. but hey if your damage free for a full year you get a free sweatshirt… the lack of communication between the manager and the supervisors is pathetic one area changes out supervisors nearly every month due to the lack of training or just because they don’t want to deal with the amount of stuff that goes on. they say you have a flexible schedule at the interview but in reality you better be waking up at 6:30 and on the road by 7:15
some times you will get calls by contractors at 6:00am to not ask but demand you get
out there and mark something for them.
this place would be better if they had more incentives for employees to actually stay, and do the job. 

Required to fill 5 out JSAs per week even if no safety events happen. You could even be off most or all of the week and still be required to do them. 

I was put in charge of a four person area alone, family member had multiple hospitalizations, and only worked three full days. All in one week. I forgot to fill them out and was fired. Was even told, "management is making examples" I was even sent to an area almost two hours outside my normal area only to be fired after arriving.

And don't expect raises even when promised. Promised a raise in January, no raise. It will come in march. No raise. We'll get it by may, no raise. It will definitely happen by fourth of July, no raise and no more talking about it.

We were promised a raise after taking on a new contract. We took an ANOTHER contract almost a year later and still no raise from the first one.

Vannguard is a very poor company to work for. The pay starts off OKAY, better than most jobs. but for the type of job it is, what you deal with on a daily basis, and how much work you do for them...it is not worth it. Most of your coworkers are lazy and will never help, you will be in a stressful situation, with Management yelling at you and not helping, saying it needs to be done now and done correctly. Your sup will be lazy, never in the field, and hounding you 24/7. If you get one minor damage they will use that as the reason for giving you a horrible raise, even if you closed hundreds of thousands of tickets perfectly with no issues. I went nearly a year without a damage and got one because my coworker called in, no one else would answer the phone, and my supervisor did not want to leave his house. They threw 3 things on me and would not stop calling asking about how those tickets were doing. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Unknown what the best thing is because everything that would make it great is ruined by upper management 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing is enough they believe that it is a privilege to have a job there and they expect you to go above and beyond because you get a paycheck at the end of the 2 weeks. Probably most stressful part is your job is held over you everyday 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Over promise under deliver.  They talk alot about how it should be but you could be the absolute best and if you are not liked by certain people they will fire you and the standard are different for each person 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Drive in, sell your soul, go home hope you have a job tomorrow. You are expected to be perfect do not make a mistake but run flat out and keep up with production goal that has no real base line so each day may be different

Vannguard is yes a very good place to work, the downfall is when they get used to you dropping everything to go help out elsewhere they begin to take advantage of that and then when you can't go due to wanting to spend time with your family you get the guilt trip, not only from your supervisor but also the lead tech! Pay yes pay starts low and stays that way no matter what, you may be told by oh let's say your supervisor " can we get ya a pay raise will u stay?" Don't believe it, they have NO control over that!!!  And if it's within your first year it will not happen!! I personally would still be employed with them had pay among other things not been an issue!!!
As far as moving up in the company. It may be told to you that it's possible which it is, but don't bust your butt getting your hopes up as it won't happen!!!
If you can handle the fast paced work and deal with pay you will be great. But if you look for a raise in the first year good luck!!

The best part of the job was the training. You actually worked normal hours. Once you’re out of training you are expected to be a perfectionist. There is never room for error so matter the reason. Your expected to work long hours. If you work 55 hours during the week and if you still have big projects to work weekends. There has been time your working 14-20 days straight in the busy season. If your wanting a life outside of work look somewhere els. They have on call schedules I was personally out on call all weekend. Ended up putting in 30 hours that weekend alone. If you any form of family expect to miss out on a lot of family time. They make it sound like they are family first but then have you work like a dog. If you end up with light work hopping to have an easy week or be home early they will give you work from other people. The raises are terrible the micromanaging is even worse. 

Where to start? The favoritism is painfully obvious and if you're not a suck up you'll get the short end of the stick everytime, being good at your job doesnt matter. You're constantly expected to pick up lazy people's slack, sometimes resulting in working the weekends to help others get caught up while they sit at home. No incentives to stand out unless you like doing other people's work. If you're swamped with work don't expect any help and if you do get any they just give your clear or easy tickets and leave you with big stuff for you to do alone. Lots of empty promises. There are good employees here but it's few and far in between. I could go on but to summarize not a great company to work for they'll beat you down and burn you out.

I found my time a Vannguard to be decent.  I have worked for better damage prevention companies and I've worked for worse.  Good supervisors and poor ones.  Some in upper management tend to view workers as a resource to shift around to meet state or national needs so don't expect to stay where you start if work needs change.  If you are good at what you do but don't like to go to other parts of your state, or to other states, then be prepared to say "no" and stand firm.  If you are new to the industry, you'll get decent training.  You'll work with some really good people and with some that leave something to be desired - just like anywhere else.  One of the biggest stresses is that there is little room for error.

Work-life balance
Work-life balance at Vannguard Utility Partners is all work no life

Pay & benefits
My pay and benefits at Vannguard Utility Partners are garbage

Job security and advancement
In terms of job security at Vannguard Utility Partners, I think there is none. They say you are a dime a dozen and turnover rate shows they don't keep you long

Management
In general, managers at Vannguard Utility Partners are more concerned with themselves and not the employees who do all the work

Overall
My experience working at Vannguard Utility Partners all lies. Management could care less about employees

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