What's the company culture at United Rentals?

Every business has it's own style. What is the office environment and culture like at United Rentals?

Are people dressed in business casual, jeans and t-shirts, or full-on suits? Do folks get together for Friday happy hours and friendly get-togethers?

What is a typical day in the life of an employee at United Rentals?

NObody gives a crap about you and half the people don't do s*** at their jobs. They hire incompetent idiots for a low wage. If you're looking for a good work environment, look elsewhere.

Hana is correct in my experience. Sexual harrassment, and the good ol boy system here.

It was easily the most horrible place to work. I regretted every minute of my short stay with this company as they give a s*** about the programming staff. If you want hell on this earth, be my guest and join the goons ASAP. Good luck until you rip your hair off and jump from the top floor...

Concur with S. in Portland. A very abusive and stupid IT management at their Tigrad location.

The corporate property tax department is like the IT department..... Certainly not doing a very good job reducing values nationwide!!!!!!!!!Nothing but a cost center........

When will the s _ _ _heads who control corporate culture GET IT ? I for one will not shop at neanderthal retailers - especially the biggest ones like WM ! I vote with my wallet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello,

I find many of your comments very abussive. Trully, it is someones attitude that affects the environment in the workplace. I have worked for United Rentals for 3 years and it has been a very fruitful event.

To answer the very first post, an average day in the life of a United Rentals employee typically depends on what their position or title is. Also you can expect some employees to get together after work on fridays, it really all depends on your personality and where you work.

Finally to answer the question regarding typical dress. In a branch environment you can expect business casual at the counter and branch management positions, usually uniforms for mechanics, drivers and yard personel. At the corporate level you can expect the usual business attire of suits.

Cashe in Denver, Colorado said: Hello,

I find many of your comments very abussive. Trully, it is someones attitude that affects the environment in the workplace. I have worked for United Rentals for 3 years and it has been a very fruitful event.

To answer the very first post, an average day in the life of a United Rentals employee typically depends on what their position or title is. Also you can expect some employees to get together after work on fridays, it really all depends on your personality and where you work.

Finally to answer the question regarding typical dress. In a branch environment you can expect business casual at the counter and branch management positions, usually uniforms for mechanics, drivers and yard personel. At the corporate level you can expect the usual business attire of suits.

They must treat you well for you to make remarks as you did! I think you are out voted on this one. United Rentals is not just a horrible place to work, the moral is horrible and the ethics are just as bad. They don't care about the safety of employees or anyone for that matter.
I could go on and on, but I won't....I think we all are in agreement (except for one) that UR really really is horrible. Before working there, I rented from there, now that I see what goes on......NO WAY WILL I EVER RENT A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THERE AGAIN.....bad new travels fast.
Management here is a joke, management not only in the stores, but upper management too.

I have to agree whole heartedly. United is the pits - I worked there when it was US Rentals. Then it was great. Once United took over things started going downhill. They DO NOT care about the employees. Branch level management and upper management are a bunch of crooks. The SEC investigation is proof. Ask yourself why so many old timers in the rental business (people who know what they are doing) are bailing.... I no longer work there - enough was enough -

ntn in seattle, Washington said: They must treat you well for you to make remarks as you did! I think you are out voted on this one. United Rentals is not just a horrible place to work, the moral is horrible and the ethics are just as bad. They don't care about the safety of employees or anyone for that matter.
I could go on and on, but I won't....I think we all are in agreement (except for one) that UR really really is horrible. Before working there, I rented from there, now that I see what goes on......NO WAY WILL I EVER RENT A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THERE AGAIN.....bad new travels fast.
Management here is a joke, management not only in the stores, but upper management too.

Wow you are bitter. I am confused how you can say that they don't care about safety. That is completely not the truth. I can assure you that no one wants to have any friend or employee injured on the job or off. They provide safety equipment and training. You will get in trouble for not being safe, up to losing your job. I am glad that you have moved on to a company that works better for your personality. What job did you have for United Rentals?

A normal day at a branch starts around 6:15 to 6:30 am. I am in outside sales so I will tell you my day. I don't always go by the office to start, but if I do I try to be out w/in 30 min. The job is really about getting in front of as many decision makers as possible on job sites and in offices. You are trying to service accounts that are already w/United Rentals and looking for new accounts that are not doing business w/us. I will usually make 25 contacts a day in person and about 10-15 on the phone. During the day you are also taking incoming calls on you cell phone and getting orders and reservations placed while trying to keep up on those proactive contacts. The day ends around 5-6 pm. I make sure I am ready for the next day the night before. Pretty good gig.

A normal day at a branch starts around 6:15 to 6:30 am. I am in outside sales so I will tell you my day. I don't always go by the office to start, but if I do I try to be out w/in 30 min. The job is really about getting in front of as many decision makers as possible on job sites and in offices. You are trying to service accounts that are already w/United Rentals and looking for new accounts that are not doing business w/us. I will usually make 25 contacts a day in person and about 10-15 on the phone. During the day you are also taking incoming calls on you cell phone and getting orders and reservations placed while trying to keep up on those proactive contacts. The day ends around 5-6 pm. I make sure I am ready for the next day the night before. Pretty good gig.

"Trey"
This is off topic. But in all reality, the outside salesmen for UR rely on the name on their shirt to get them rentals, across the nation. I have never seen or met so many lazy, ignorant salesmen in my life. One, your stores don't open until 7. You guys dont work before or after holidays and most of the time just turn your phones off. You guys sit in the office, waiting that some customer that has some type of nationwide account calls to rent something in your area. You have your silky golf shirts, nice pants with no stains or dirt on them, and your pretty shoes with no mud on them. Please dont false illusion these poor people that UR employees are hard workers. And to get back on topic, no UR isnt a good place to work, the CEO for United Rentals is being indicted for FRAUD, the company stock is doing NOTHING but going down. Investors are paying United Rentals to back out of contracts to purchase the company, which means United cant PAY someone to buy them because of their negative debt from renting out equipment for a rental rate that is BELOW their NOTE on the piece of equipment. United Rentals will be gone one day, probably very soon by the way it looks. Dont work there...

Actually I think Trey's comments are entirely pertinent. He's telling his experience, which is exactly what is being asked.

As far as false illusions of our sales reps, just because are seeing the guys in the office doesn't mean you're seeing the hundreds that spend their days going from jobsite to jobsite, helping customers set up, plan full scale jobs, showing people how to use their equipment, answering their phones for after hours emergenices (holidays included) and essentially working their tales off. These guys know their stuff and can prove it.

I also work for UR but in the corp office so our environment is a little different than the field. Not that every day is perfect by any means, but I've been consistently happy here for nearly 3 years. I find our management team to be extremely supportive and knowledgable as resources. I haven't agreed with every decision made or the directives passed down, but it's a great place to be.

As far as culture, we're 24/7 here so there is no time for everyone to hang out where we wouldn't be excluding someone who has to be at the office, so group meetings are out. We do try to have fun for special occassions, like pumpkin decorating contests for fall, etc. People here are very friendly, always open doors, hold the elevator, ask how your day is going, etc. That was my first sign on the day I interviewed that morale must be decent. People SMILED. A LOT.

I'm not surprised by the comments that are so negative. As you can see, some people have terrible attitudes toward change, even when it means job security and growth down the road. If you can't support the company you work for, look elsewhere. I'm sure the future boss will appreciate your inability to see the big picture, and I'll appreciate not working with bad attitudes. If you have a positive outlook and strong work ethic, COME ON IN!

Trey K in Mansfield, Texas said: Wow you are bitter. I am confused how you can say that they don't care about safety. That is completely not the truth. I can assure you that no one wants to have any friend or employee injured on the job or off. They provide safety equipment and training. You will get in trouble for not being safe, up to losing your job. I am glad that you have moved on to a company that works better for your personality. What job did you have for United Rentals?

A normal day at a branch starts around 6:15 to 6:30 am. I am in outside sales so I will tell you my day. I don't always go by the office to start, but if I do I try to be out w/in 30 min. The job is really about getting in front of as many decision makers as possible on job sites and in offices. You are trying to service accounts that are already w/United Rentals and looking for new accounts that are not doing business w/us. I will usually make 25 contacts a day in person and about 10-15 on the phone. During the day you are also taking incoming calls on you cell phone and getting orders and reservations placed while trying to keep up on those proactive contacts. The day ends around 5-6 pm. I make sure I am ready for the next day the night before. Pretty good gig.

this is typical of an outside sales person. They don't have any idea what really goes on in the office. Plus, they have a company truck, phone, lots of vaca, sick time, etc, They don't know how many calls the admins/isrs take from complaining customers, trying to keep them happy and collecting money from them in a timely manner so the sales force can their bonuses(which admins don't get a penny of) It's a thankless job and it will change the bottom line when you are paying for invoices more than once or not getting your AR on time. Some admins even were the point of contact more than the BM or sales people. I also noticed that this name is no longer in the UR directory hmmmmmm wonder what happened? layoffs

Wow there are a lot of bitter people out there. I have worked at United Rentals for nearly fourteen years. From what I know working at several branches, is that at a branch level it depends a lot on the manager. I have had some of the best managers, and I have had some that should not have been managers. The ones that should not have been, are no longer with our company. The great managers are promoted to higher levels. In fact "jane b in vail" the worst manager I ever worked for came from US Rentals when we acquired them. He lasted one year and was fired for stealing. About sexual harassment It is not tolerated in the least. I have seen people fired for questionable statements. About safety, I know every branch I have ever worked at has cared about their employees. Safety is part of United Rentals culture.
And for "James Keating in King George," You must not have ever actually worked at United Rentals or you would know that almost most of the employees (at least at all of the branches I have worked at) arrive well before opening time to prepare for the day, especially sales reps. Trey is completely correct.
"tx2010 in Cornelius" I don't know what your sales force is like but this could not be further from the truth in every branch I have worked at. You say they get a phone but anyone at United Rentals knows if you have a phone you are on call 24/7 unless you are on vacation. Lots of Vacation, Vacation is only earned with years of service. Sick time, everyone knows every employee gets the same amount. If you are getting complaints take some initiative, find out what the problems are and offer solutions to fix them. I have made it a point to tell everyone at my branch good morning every morning, and good night every night. You cannot imagine how much this can build up your team. My reps tell us almost daily how much they appreciate our support.
United Rentals is a great place to work if you are motivated and interested in being part of a great team.

Paul I agree with you wholeheartedly. It is what you make it. Those who put in the effort stay. Those who don't, either leave because they're miserable or they get fired because they're making others miserable.

Being at the call center, we tend to be the first contact from the customers with emergencies or concerns. We take emergency calls all night and weekend and it makes up a huge part of our job. Being able to respond positively and efficiently to those calls is what sets UR apart. We're there when other companys are closed and unaccessible. Customers don't like having their equipment fail, but they love knowing that our guys are there for them, so when we call our reps in the middle of the night and they leave their families to go fix a busted machine, our customers know where they are going to come for their next project. They know our field reps are that dedicated.

As far as those customer complaints that Tex mentioned, we field a good portion of those as well. Any time we think a customer may be less than satisfied with their experience, whether they make a point to complain or not, we document it and pass it to local management. What they choose to do with that information is up to them, but the best managers will reach out to the customer and make sure they have what they need to come back. This has a HUGE impact on a customer. Imagine being less than awed and making a comment to someone, and next thing you know you're getting a call from a manager or a sales rep who heard what you said and took you seriously and wants to fix it. That's impressive. I've worked at companies in the past doing customer service and those complaint forms go into a big black hole where no one ever sees them. At UR people SEE THEM, and those who action them have happier, more loyal customers long term. I love working for a company that is so sensitive to customer needs that the customer doesnt have to call in screaming to get the response theyre looking for.

Host said: Every business has it's own style. What is the office environment and culture like at United Rentals?

Are people dressed in business casual, jeans and t-shirts, or full-on suits? Do folks get together for Friday happy hours and friendly get-togethers?

What is a typical day in the life of an employee at United Rentals?

I don't care what the heck they where anymore, as of 2 days before Christmas I was suspended for an incident that my boss could have taken care of (MARK FORD) Panama City Beach,Fl Branch 962, instead he let me work all day, the other driver on vacation. Then at the end of the day, he called me on the radio said leave your keys and phone at the office you have been suspended 2 days without pay!!!12/21/2010...So much for a Happy Merry Christmas, then the next week was my vacation and he called me on the PHONE*****and said I was FIRED. Almost 5 years of ass busting working to all hours of the night, pulling the weight of 2 drivers when there was one of me, then hiring another driver and I still had to work twice as hard, because he was slow, never said anything to him, because he was one of the good ole boys...So Mark Ford of Branch 962 Panama City Beach, Fl, may you have a Blessed 2011. And next time the service manager, who drives a UR service truck comes to work reaping of alcohol, go by the book with him, take him get him a drug test and see if he passes....because The Five years I was there wasn't it something my name was always randomly drawed for a drug test.....BECAUSE I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD PASS ONE..There AT-Will Policy, I suggest don't go buy a home, because they can drop you like a dime, I seen corporate come in an fire 5 people at Branch 962, all at one time....For no reason, blamed it on the economy, oh, yeah, that's another thing, I haven't gotten a raise for almost 3 years, because of the economy, but I wonder what they are eating.....STEAK or HAMBURGER?????? I will find a better Employer than UR.

United rentals is just a breading ground for managers to to treat there employees like crap. I watched a service manager push another employee . It was done in anger but yet the employee that was pushed is gone and the service manager is still there. Also the same service manager has cursed at customers and yet he is still there. None of the managers lead by example they all use intimadition to keep you in line.