What's the company culture at Waste Management?

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

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 Waste Management?

One thing good about Friday is jeans day. Folks do not get together for happy hour on Fridays. Management staff does not fratinize with the non-managers.

A typical day in the life of an employee is stress, stress, stress. They keep piling on the work, don't like when you ask for time off, work you to death and treat you as a number, not as a person. From the minute you get in to the minute you leave you are working. It is a very unhappy and unpleasant place to work. Do yourself a big favor, don't even apply there!

Name Withheld in Powder Springs, Georgia said: One thing good about Friday is jeans day. Folks do not get together for happy hour on Fridays. Management staff does not fratinize with the non-managers.

A typical day in the life of an employee is stress, stress, stress. They keep piling on the work, don't like when you ask for time off, work you to death and treat you as a number, not as a person. From the minute you get in to the minute you leave you are working. It is a very unhappy and unpleasant place to work. Do yourself a big favor, don't even apply there!

Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Name Withheld in Powder Springs, Georgia said: One thing good about Friday is jeans day. Folks do not get together for happy hour on Fridays. Management staff does not fratinize with the non-managers.

A typical day in the life of an employee is stress, stress, stress. They keep piling on the work, don't like when you ask for time off, work you to death and treat you as a number, not as a person. From the minute you get in to the minute you leave you are working. It is a very unhappy and unpleasant place to work. Do yourself a big favor, don't even apply there!

Amen brother I applied for a mechanic position that evidently didn't even exist then I get told the only thing they do is change light bulbs and hydraulic lines(thats not mechanic work)!

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please learn how to spell then we can all READ WHAT YOU THOUGHT!Otherwise keep your fingers off the key board!

The culture at Waste Management totally depends on what market area you are working for. Please note that each WM facility is it's own entity and does not necessarily represent the entire face of the company.
I would somewhat agree that there is much work being put on WM employees, however this company is in a midst of change both internally and externally. Therefore, this shift can somewhat skew the overall culture perception.
I would not say WM is a bad company to work for. It has it's good and bad but so does every company.

This company is a sweatshop! They don't pay well and they work you to death. The turnover is tremendous throughout the entire company.

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CJ claims to have the power to hire someone, yet he or she does not have the power to utilize the written English language. Thankfully, CJ states that he or she does not work for Waste Management. I would seriously reconsider doing business with any company that would hire someone like CJ into a decision-making position.

CJ has the audacity to call others lazy, but CJ was evidently too lazy to pay attention during English class each year he or she should have been in school. The irony is absurd!

Grammarian in Mobile, Alabama said: CJ claims to have the power to hire someone, yet he or she does not have the power to utilize the written English language. Thankfully, CJ states that he or she does not work for Waste Management. I would seriously reconsider doing business with any company that would hire someone like CJ into a decision-making position.

CJ has the audacity to call others lazy, but CJ was evidently too lazy to pay attention during English class each year he or she should have been in school. The irony is absurd!

Thank you!I was afraid that I was the only one who noticed this CJ did not hit spell check!

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Dipstick:
You can have work & happy workers...but it take enlightened managers who give a sh_ _, which you obviously DON'T !!!!!!!

Ronda in Chicago, Illinois said: ..., however this company is in a midst of change both internally and externally.

Yes and it has been changing internally and externally for years and years. It never settles down, lay offs, management changes, restructuring,downsizing of departments,mergers of job functions. This all adds to the constant turmoil for employess and never knowing when and if and when the shoe might drop.

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what;s/what's woron/wrong giwh/with asking people to spell properly?

Ronda in Chicago, Illinois said: however this company is in a midst of change both internally and externally. Therefore, this shift can somewhat skew the overall culture perception.

Never ending *changes*, restructure, layoffs, new computer systems, more restructuring, division restucture, regional restructure,this has been going on for 20 years and it never stops. Therefore one can never feel secure, just always waiting for the shoe to drop.

Agent One in Lambertville, Michigan said: what;s/what's woron/wrong giwh/with asking people to spell properly?

aint nuthin wrong with it ,BUT they would have to be able to spell in order to read what you wrote to them other wise its wasted time

I'm a driver in residential in Jackson Mississippi. Bosses do get a guarantee of ten percent bonus each year up to one hundred percent of their salary if they can cut cost and push production. A lot of our pay is going into management's pockets. We have lost our day rate and now are paid hourly which is really affecting all the drivers. Our special time, for helping each other has been taken away also. We also have only one helper now on the back of the garbage trucks and about the same amount of projected hours to finish a route. We lose money if we don't reach that projected time and actually have to work two hours extra just to break even. If we go over the projected time by even a minute. This wouldn't be the end of the world but the routes are humongous, some over two thousand homes for one worker. Workers are dropping left and right, all the company hoppers are almost gone and everyone is new. They cramp up and I've actually had as many as four in one day be put on my truck to finish a route. Back and forth to the base and wait until someone new can be located, many 10:00 nights starting at 6:30 AM. You have to stand outside each morning and "find someone" to work. A lot of game playing and it's hard to get someone on your truck especially with the size of the routes. Management leaves it up to the drivers to find helpers, now to get out and help all the time which two people used to do most of that. We're now taking a lot of junk from the overworked hoppers, vulgarity to us and the customers. I guess after the contracts don't get renewed but the municipalities someone will get the message. A neighboring waste company Allied does the same thing and their Operations Manager, Service Manager and General Manager got over one hundred thousand bonus last year. The new manager constantly is trying to get more and more. Some drivers clear about three hundred a week now and are Class A Drivers.

Kim Jong-il treats his people better then waste management treats is employees!!! They try Brain washing you every day, including leaving messages on your answering machine. And if you don't buy it you’re fired. Not to mention most of there trucks run illegal and then love you work you way over 60 hours a week. OH and if your fired they tell everyone how horrible of a person you are and if you think for your self your next! Management must make all descion for you or your wrote up or fired.

The "Brain wash terrible actor training videos" are a riot!!!!!!

I know a few guys I work with that used to wrk for WM. This industry not only recycles trash, but it also recycles it's employees. I have heard horror stories about WM. No security, over-worked employees, dangerous equipment and more. Funny thing is, there are many companies like this. I guess it's all perspective. I am glad I found this survey. I have a friend that works at Allied and we talked about how drivers and employees need a place to vent, congregate, and just talk trash. I am starting a non-profit site called TrashTrucker.com for all the recycled drivers and employees can keep in touch with the friends they have left behind at other companies. Hope this doesn't break rules of this site. But we need a place to kick back and discuss these issues. Thanks for reading and providing a place for us to vent!

I am interested in the sales culture at WM Inc. What is the compensation like? For an account manager, what is a realistic base salary when coming into the company? Tell me about the sales environment? Is it a great place to work and what are the benefits like? etc. Can anyone provide me any insight?

Worst place I ever worked at----terrible computer system and expect you to do the impossible.--don't apply- stay away!

I second that. Stay away!!

Waste Management is the place to work if you like to be used, lied to and treated like crap. My husband has been working there for over 9 months. If you like to work 14-16 hour days and make less and less per hour with every hour you work then this would be the job for you. He was started out at $14 per hour during the training - er bull crap lie session. They preach to their employees safety, wellness, family. Ha. You get to work at 4:30 a.m. and work until 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. most every night. You MUST deduct a half hour for lunch which most cannot take because it would just have them out a half hour longer so you are essentially giving the company 2 1/2 hours of free help each week. The "required" paperwork you must fill out on your truck and route each night is required to be done off the clock - so add another 15 min to 1/2 hour on to your unpaid time. You are paid day rate and tonnage. Yes, if you bust your butt you can make money, but most days the trucks break down, you cannot get to the landfill to dump so your weight goes unrecorded and so your tonnage goes right down the crapper. Last week hubby made - gross mind you - $700 for a 62 hour week - that is 62 hours on the clock - now add in your half hour lunch and paper work and you can add another 5 hours to that. How can they preach safety when they expect their drivers to be out for 14-16 hours a day. They want you to get a full 8 hours of sleep a night. Do the math - 1/2 hour to get to and from work each way, really if you are on the clock for 16 hours it means you have been there for 17, so now you are up to 18 hours minimum away from home. Gee there are only 24 hours in a day. Don't expect to spend time with your wife and kids, don't expect to help with anything around the house. By the time the weekend rolls around all you want to do is sleep. Management is a joke. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT APPLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kat23 in Port Charlotte, Florida said: Waste Management is the place to work if you like to be used, lied to and treated like crap. My husband has been working there for over 9 months. If you like to work 14-16 hour days and make less and less per hour with every hour you work then this would be the job for you.

In years past WM drivers used to belong to the Chauffeurs Teamsters union. But I know here when the merger with USA Waste took place the drivers voted the unions out. I can't imagine these abuses taking place if the drivers still had the Union to grieve to.

WM's culture is very resistant to improvement. When you get there, you will notice that there have been plenty of people that have been there a very very long time. New people and new ideas do not migrate into the company. You will find that most of the managers have moved up in the company. While the practice of hiring from within is a good thing, new ideas and processes from outside the company do not make it into the company.

Expect to work long hours. As a salaried manager, expect 10-12 hour days. Expect to work 1-2 hours overtime every day to tend to emergencies. Do not question why you are spending 2 hours of your time trying to find an alternate way to save $20. Is that really how much your free overtime is worth. WM is great at making you feel cheap. The company also has a "cheapskate" attitude on all things. They would rather save $20 on a $100 valve and ask you to replace it over and over again than to spend $120 and fix it once and for all. Like I said, your overtime is not worth anything to the company.

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Too bad you don't have the "power" to write an intelligent post. I seriously doubt someone with your spelling and sentence structure inability is in a position to hire anyone. Most likely you are a teenage troll.

I currently work for wm and let me tell you we have safety meetings everday . Then you walk out the door and everything changes.THe meetings are for them to excuse themselves as a company if something happens like an accident.They can go back and say he was given a meeting about this and its his fault! You tell them that a truck is not in condition to leave the yard and they get mad! They tell you such and such driver took it why cant you? Second if the truck breaks down they blame you for it. Even a damn flat tire !!Right now drivers are being followed to see if they are slacking off . Four drivers just got suspended last week .Most of them are hard workers and look what happened . That is making drivers nervous. They are making up any excuse to fire you . The pay is good and the benefits. But wm is always finding ways to save a buck.People might say how come you dont look for something else? Because there arent any good jobs out there. Unemployment is high right now!!Dont believe the undercover boss crap!!The guy in the movie isnt working for wm either he got canned too!! Wm made it seem very warm and understanding but they did it because they are losing too many city contracts!!SO hopefully i wont be next on the unemployment line like my other coworkers!!!

trashman9696 in Bloomington, California said: I currently work for wm and let me tell you we have safety meetings everday . Then you walk out the door and everything changes.THe meetings are for them to excuse themselves as a company if something happens like an accident.They can go back and say he was given a meeting about this and its his fault! You tell them that a truck is not in condition to leave the yard and they get mad! They tell you such and such driver took it why cant you? Second if the truck breaks down they blame you for it. Even a damn flat tire !!Right now drivers are being followed to see if they are slacking off . Four drivers just got suspended last week .Most of them are hard workers and look what happened . That is making drivers nervous. They are making up any excuse to fire you . The pay is good and the benefits. But wm is always finding ways to save a buck.People might say how come you dont look for something else? Because there arent any good jobs out there. Unemployment is high right now!!Dont believe the undercover boss crap!!The guy in the movie isnt working for wm either he got canned too!! Wm made it seem very warm and understanding but they did it because they are losing too many city contracts!!SO hopefully i wont be next on the unemployment line like my other coworkers!!!

Your story sounds very typical. Years ago WM used to be a superb company until they sold their sould to Wall Street and starting hiring "executives" who coudl give a damn about the waste industry whereas the old timers used to. they are constantly laying off people or elimanting positions to make numbers look good for a while, then recreate the same positions and rehire people at lower wages. They got too big for their britches and have long ago just become a corporate monster---with a burn 'um and turn 'um attitude towards employees and ...customers.

brugandy40yarder rolloff in California said: Your story sounds very typical. Years ago WM used to be a superb company until they sold their sould to Wall Street and starting hiring "executives" who coudl give a damn about the waste industry whereas the old timers used to. they are constantly laying off people or elimanting positions to make numbers look good for a while, then recreate the same positions and rehire people at lower wages. They got too big for their britches and have long ago just become a corporate monster---with a burn 'um and turn 'um attitude towards employees and ...customers.

When you talk about the burgandy days i.e. the respectable, profitable and fun days. The current management at my shop gets pissed off! They say well those days are never coming back. Its funny because these managers never were around in the glory days of Chicago. I can't understand why they get so mad. LoL!

CJ in Poughkeepsie, New York said: Realize you are there to work, what;s woron giwh expecting people to work? I would not hire you and I have the power, and I do not work for this company, you are lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously, you've never been a manager nor worked at a successful company. The employees are the heart of the business. Obviously, you have very dysfunctional parents and never have worked on your issues. That's sad - but very common.