sales specialist

floral designer

delivery driver

retail sales associate

client services associate

Winston Flowers

I worked for this company as a manager for many years (over 10). There are great things about this company and then very awful things as well. Because it is the largest floral and event co in Boston, you will see many amazing floral designs from some of the absolute best event floral designers you will ever meet. The flowers are gorgeous and the best you may ever see. The talent that comes through the doors at this company is outstanding. Most of the employees are amazing people. That being said, I've seen the owners and management under the owners command completely suffocate and squash any ounce of creativity any good designer has and put it in a box to make arrangements the "Winston Way". Essentially, they hire great people and then kill any ounce of design or creative flair. They will mold and form you into a Winston robot and if you so much as question or go against the grain, you may as well call it a day. They don't love you for YOUR designs or YOUR creativity. They love you if you can do theirs. They want followers not leaders. Now, if you are a manager at this company, be prepared to do all of the dirty work. The owners (2 of them) don't like confrontation (they don't even really like to talk to each other that i could see) and they aren't very good at offering clear explanation of what they want you to do (and sometimes each one of them want you to do two totally conflicting things. good luck when that happens). This makes for a very confusing and complicated work life. Ever heard the term "sink or swim"? That's a typical management position at this company. You have no idea what to do and pray that you are not sinking. They have a small handful of people (only 2-3 out of hundreds) that they instruct, listen to and trust. The rest is trickle down. If you get on the bad side of one of those people you may as well start looking for a new job.  2 of those people (yes, they are still there) are good old fashioned two-faced and back stabbing and will step on you to make themselves look better and get a head to stay in the safe spot. If they feel threatened by you, they will find a way to bring you down. Now, if you manage to last a long time (I did), be prepared. Once you reach a higher realistic salary, you might just be terminated with no warning and no explanation. They find legal ways to "lay you off". Ive seen many, many good people come and go at Winston Flowers. Most long timers work in fear of being next. Additionally if you don't like working for 6-7 days a week until you are exhausted and sick, giving up any an all holidays and time with your family and friends, this is not the place for you. You will work to death here and it is expected. I hope this helps you.

I have learned how bad a company can really be. I always work with my heart and soul, put all my hard work and effort into any job I have ever worked at. I learned that even when you try your absolute best, it is still not good enough for some people. I was treated absolutely awful here. All I wanted to do was work and keep it positive. But ocer time, I started to see how things operated there. Basically, the guys doing all the flowers and planting, ("designers") would do just enough work needed. We were supposed to stay busy all the time. Isnt that how you should work. After a job was done, they would take as much time as they wanted to do nothing. Instead of reporting back to the boss, they would waste time sitting in the car, getting food and taking a break as long as they wanted. All while still getting paid by the hour, and it was like $23 per hour. I told the blonde lady boss one day, then all the other workers (mostly guys) doing the planting turned their backs on me and started treating me different. They were cold, harsh, wouldnt talk to me anymore or even be near me. They started talking bad about me to the boss. Then the blonde lady boss made me work only at the work location. Watering all of the plants outside and inside, moving a lot of big plants everywhere, mowing / weedwacking the grass and putting plants together. I was focusing on the job, getting the work done, actually staying busy working the whole day. I didnt let the negativity of the guys and the lady boss get to me. I did everything I was asked to do and I tried my absolute best, with all my heart and soul to do the job the best that I can. Then the blonde boss lady fired me. She said it was because I couldnt drive the vans they have. But I was able to drive. I was able to drive it on the highway by myself. I was able to get to the job site and get the work done. I did what was asked of me. Overall, that blonde lady boss never saw me for who I really was or what I was capable of. Instead she believed other peoples lies about me and treated me the same way they did very cold, harsh and unsympathetic. 

Working at Winston Flowers is a double-edged sword. You'll be working with top talent & the most extraordinary product. Getting hired as a designer here is not easy- Winston Flowers is recognized as the best of the best and having them on your resume' is huge for future employment opportunities. Unfortunately, employee competition, gossip and mean-girl cliques run rampant. Leadership turns a blind eye to bullying, valuing designers who have the most production speed, regardless of how they treat fellow employees. Taking a lunch break is required by law, but you will be frowned upon if you do. Leadership will begin to question your loyalty and dedication to the company if you request your earned PTO accrual. Everyone knows that working in the floral and event industry requires long hours, working holidays and weekends. But Winston will make sure that you have no work-life balance to speak of. As a reference, I've been a designer in NYC for 15 years and consider my floral design work meticulous. I come to work on time with a great attitude and work well with others. Winston Flowers is the only company where I was ever micromanaged and led by threat. You may be asked to work in different retail locations outside of the studio, here and there. Sure, you'll find a few friendly co-workers but you can bet they're keeping a watchful eye on you. Fear is the underlying, unifying thread that Winston employees share, and you better believe that everyone is out for themselves. 

The product is beautiful and there are some good people working there but some big issues are the little work/life balance (really no say in your schedule week by week), negative environment with lots of yelling at each other and lack of respect/trust from senior management and veteran employees. The turn over rate is outrageous and by far the highest I have seen at any company  - seems like few people pass the 6 month mark -

I had a pleasant experience working with all the other field associates and field managers. The Garden Design department is a highly customer-oriented department that goes above and beyond to make sure that the client is satisfied with the final product. A creative and driven field crew allowed for goals to be met in a timely manner by creatively adjusting designs in the field to meet the clients needs, while still maintaining the style that is associated with WInston Flowers.

What is the best part of working at the company?
It Was not a toxic environment

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Sometimes the hours were very demanding.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone was putting their fair share into the workload. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Long hours, hard work, tiresome days.

They aren't forth coming when hiring. You can be hired for 40 hours and actually never see 40 except on rare occasion. They hire extremely talented people, and have a difficult time holding on to them because of poor management. The product is beautiful, the hired workers are amazing. The management is awful.

Great company to work at. You can network and plant roots. management is just fine and have no issues working with you and your schedule. You have to give up some social/life balance to make it work if you want to move up in the company. Some weeks can be 30 hours other busier weeks can be 60 plus. 

The hardest part of my job was meeting my quota, even though we offered the most amazing products, dealing with fresh product could be tricky at times as we always wanted to have the freshest and best to give our customers.  The best part were the owners and directors who gave me the incentive and tools to succeed!

Winston Flowers is a fast growing, family owned company that takes pride in offering only the absolute best quality product to its clients.  To work here is to share that sense of pride and feel like an integral part of a great team.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales specialist 2 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Floral designer 4 salaries reported	$31.00 per hour
Delivery driver 4 salaries reported	$23.25 per hour
Retail sales associate 2 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour
Client services associate 1 salary reported	$22.50 per hour

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