Packaging Corporation of America
Packaging Corporation of America Employee Reviews
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work place
Troubleshoot faults on PLC SLC 500 controller (Former Employee) – East Point, GA – June 3, 2019
working with co-workers.how to work with others. support management . clean workplace. learning more productive way of doing your job. going home to be with your family safely.
Burley Idaho
Operator (Former Employee) – Burley, ID – June 6, 2019
Great pay and benefits. Poor management practices,
Horrible communication between management and employees, management doesnt care about employees, only care about numbers. High turn over rate.
Horrible communication between management and employees, management doesnt care about employees, only care about numbers. High turn over rate.
Pros
Pay and benefits
Cons
All about numbers not employees
A fun place to be that is challenging and rewarding
Structural Designer (Current Employee) – New Oxford, PA – June 5, 2019
A typical day is walking in and being greeted by everyone that you walk by, the day is often busy, but not so much that you don't have time to enjoy some conversation and a quality lunch. The managers are very knowledgeable and don't only just teach you how to do your job, but also to be very successful and to grow within the company. Overall and great experience all around.
Pros
hour lunch, great benefits and welcoming culture
Cons
aged managers and need to modernize
Terrible company
Press Operator (Former Employee) – Minneapolis, MN – June 2, 2019
This was a terrible company to work for. To start, I hope you like to live your life their in the summer months, mostly 10 to 12 hour days and mandatory overtime on most Saturdays. Management is absolutely terrible, most of them have no clue how to manage anything. The moral of this workplace is the lowest I have ever seen. It is a true sweatshop in the summer, be ready to be soaked head to toe 10 minutes into your shift, on top of the corrugator it can get to 130-140 degrees in the summer and around 100-110 in the rest of the shop. They expect you to work miracles with equipment that hasn't been properly maintained since the 60's. When the machines break down they usually blame the operator for the break down when it is out of their control to why it broke down. They give you very little time to do any preventative maintenance on your machine. When the machines is finally running decent and you get good production numbers you never get recognized for the good work you do, but if you don't get those numbers they basically degrade you. So to end this review I will say that if you like working long hours, sweating all day and not being recognized for the good work you do, this is the best company to work for. If you like to work normal hours in a comfortable work environment and get appreciated for the work that you do, look elsewhere, this is definitely not the job for you.
Pros
They dont lay off people.
Cons
Long hours, weekend work, terrible management, low moral, no praise for good work.
Not a life long career
Process Engineer (Former Employee) – Minnesota – June 2, 2019
Not a place to work if you're a woman or want a life outside of work. Salaried are expected to be on call 24/7 and come into work at the drop of a hat. Management has high expectations and is difficult to work for. Personal career goals aren't taken into consideration, if you don't take their career path you might as well leave. Management lacks technical background for processes, but doesn't take recommendations.
Pros
Decent safety culture
Cons
Long hours, no work life balance, poor upper management
Not horrible
Helper/Laborer (Former Employee) – Marshfield, WI – May 31, 2019
Not horrible if you’re ok with a severe lack of communication in the corporate side. Pay was good. People were good for the most part. You have bad apples no matter what you’re doing. I was working the corrugator. Complex machine but we worked as a team. Wasn’t bad
Pros
Good pay. Decent people. Good benefits.
Cons
Zero communication. Too many bosses not enough workers
Good place to work
Truck Driver/ forklift driver (Current Employee) – Denver, CO – May 22, 2019
Busy work environment .lot of hours.lot of responsibilities fast paced 15 minute brakes long hours and work a lite of Saturdays started working there in 2000 for Colorado container driving truck. PCA took company over about 6years ago dropped company driver.so I when inside to work
Pros
Working with good people.
Cons
Hot inside plant. Lot of hours.
dead end job
Rotary Die Cut Operator (Former Employee) – Columbus, IN – May 20, 2019
management, from the top to the bottom, is terrible. if you are a good worker then you are the only one expected to work while others get to stand around. only work here if you need a paycheck immediately, dont expect to get anywhere by working here. work every week with monday-friday posted and watch the posted 10 hours get changed to 12 and on friday they will post that you have to work saturday. terrible work life balance.
Pros
nothing
Cons
everything
Human Robot
Machine Operator II (Current Employee) – Kingsburg, CA – May 19, 2019
Work is mostly constant. Company has a motto to never say no to a customer, so requests can become ridiculous. It becomes monotonous very quick. Speed is expected, even with mechanical errors. It's a warehouse. I was excellent at my job and moved up fairly quickly, but not much room for advancement to leadership roles, especially if you don't have an almost "dictator" attitude.
Very poor management
General Labor (Current Employee) – Phoenix, AZ – May 11, 2019
You are just a body to them. They don't care if you have family. They will force you to stay late and work weekends. They don't care if you get family time or sleep. They thought I was stupid when I asked for time off to be at the birth of my child and threaten to fire me if I took time off. If you are ok with being bullied and work for a company that doesn't take care of its people work here.
Pros
Benefits
Cons
Management
Poor Management
Labor (Former Employee) – Burley, ID – May 8, 2019
Horrid management. They sit you down for 3 days vomit all this info at you, but none of it tells you how to do your job duties. Then they, basically, take you to the floor, drop you off, and say good luck. Then when you mess up everyone gets irritated with you even though you have little to no idea what your doing.
The hours we atrocious 8-12 hr days with no options. Either you work when they snap there fingers or leave.
The hours we atrocious 8-12 hr days with no options. Either you work when they snap there fingers or leave.
Pros
Pay/Benefits
Cons
Management/ life-work Balance/ Expectations
Upper management still old school
Associate (Former Employee) – New Oxford, PA 17350 – March 29, 2019
Managers at New Oxford Facilities still run company old school. Human Resources shares private info with thier friends.
No process to appeal unfai practices from management. Review panel ran by managers. Should be separated.
No process to appeal unfai practices from management. Review panel ran by managers. Should be separated.
Pros
Stable, pay is fair
Cons
Management, policies practices
If you're not first, you're last.
Laborer (Former Employee) – Salt Lake City, UT – March 26, 2019
I've never in my life been scolded by an employer for *only* being 2 minutes early for a work shift before. That said, I've also never been required to work 5 ten hour shifts a week and not been given a lunch break before either. Only one person in the building seemed capable of smiling. In my month under their employ my immediate supervisor hadn't bothered to ask "How are you?" even once.
Everybody there seems all too eager to "tattle" or gossip on how they percieve others aren't working hard enough. Management seems to think they need to motivate you by putting you down, even if you exceed the expectations you've been given. The attendence policy has zero capability for managers discretion or flexibility for circumstance. Not that it matters, if you miss time everyone will think you are just lazy anyway and talk about you behind your back.
It's a place people go to because they don't have degrees and justify puttting up with it because all the overtime makes it seem like they're paying you well for all you're effort and time. Without the mandatory overtime this job would be worthless. 10 hours a week doesn't seem like much of a stressor but when you only get a 10 minute break (which is about 7 minutes in practice) every 2 hours *and then* you have to come in on a Saturday, you'll come to loathe it.
Oh... and then there's the work.
Everybody there seems all too eager to "tattle" or gossip on how they percieve others aren't working hard enough. Management seems to think they need to motivate you by putting you down, even if you exceed the expectations you've been given. The attendence policy has zero capability for managers discretion or flexibility for circumstance. Not that it matters, if you miss time everyone will think you are just lazy anyway and talk about you behind your back.
It's a place people go to because they don't have degrees and justify puttting up with it because all the overtime makes it seem like they're paying you well for all you're effort and time. Without the mandatory overtime this job would be worthless. 10 hours a week doesn't seem like much of a stressor but when you only get a 10 minute break (which is about 7 minutes in practice) every 2 hours *and then* you have to come in on a Saturday, you'll come to loathe it.
Oh... and then there's the work.
Pros
they pay you
Cons
short breaks, no lunches, constant mandatory overtime, poor work enviornment
Terrible working environment
Stacker/Packer (Former Employee) – Algona, WA – March 25, 2019
I do not recommend working here, they can't make up their mind if they want to keep employees or get rid of them, plus they great their temps like trash and they act entitled because they are full time employees
Pros
Different working environments
Cons
Terrible management system
No work life balance
PROCESS ENGINEER CO-OP (Former Employee) – Washington State – March 14, 2019
Salary staff at PCA are expected to give all of their waking hours to the company. Compensation was fantastic however. Many problems to solve at the plant, which kept you busy. Upper management never praised employees, only berated them for not reaching standards.
Pros
Compensation, interesting problems
Cons
Management, working hours, expectations
management is horrible
Machine Operator/Shipping Clerk (Former Employee) – Newark, OH 43055 – March 8, 2019
Management was horrible. Worked us way too many hours. Not a good life/work balance. Hard work. Very hot working environment. Felt unappreciated.
Pros
Insurance was good
Cons
Too many hours/Poor management
Family oriented
DISPATCHER (Former Employee) – Orlando, FL – February 28, 2019
We became almost like family in the Orlando office and warehouse. Great place to work everyone did their best to pitch in during busy seasons and during inventory.
Pros
Friendly, sometimes fun place
Cons
Some long hours
Management is not the greatest
Machine Associate (Former Employee) – Liverpool, NY – February 26, 2019
I was there for a while and I felt that the people in my position were not treated fairly. Management did not have a clue what went on out on the floor. Hourly workers were oftern overworked with nothing to show for it and for no reason.
Pros
compenstion
Cons
everything else
It's a very productive fun place to work
Lead Fabricator (Former Employee) – Traverse City, MI – February 24, 2019
I enjoyed my time working at packaging corporation of America hardest thing about my job was to travel to get into work the job itself is not very hard it's very basic and simple they had a skilled book line out to where anybody could walk up to the machine look up the parts in run it
Pros
I enjoy my job very much is a very good
Cons
It only had one female in three men
A lot of room for improvement
Lead/Dry End Operator (Current Employee) – Atlanta, GA – February 24, 2019
Overall PCA is a good employer. There is a great divide between production workers and office workers in my particular plant. There have been several upper management changes and with each manager the environment changes. We are supposed to have an open door policy but there is very limited access to the general manager. The equipment is outdated and in poor condition which limits production and quality and also lowers morale. Work/Life balance is terrible.
Pros
Good compensation, Benefits Package, Enjoy working with my crew
Cons
No work/life balance, Equipment conditions