Please do not repeat my mistake. ATPCO is where ambition, creativity, and innovation go to die.
If you are ambitious, motivated, and upwardly mobile, you will absolutely regret accepting a job here. Please, save yourself the heartache. It is simply not worth it.
This is a backwards, stodgy, depressing, boring place to work. Individuals are promoted into middle management not because of skill or ability (clearly) but because they have worked here for decades. This company operates 180 degrees opposite of any modern management or leadership practice. New employees are specifically told not to make any suggestions for improvements or process efficiencies because they “do not have credibility and have not proven themselves.” At the beginning of one weekly staff meeting, two managers spent several minutes mocking homosexuals and a mentally handicapped employee.
At one point, I was told that the culture is “kind of quirky,” and that I should “just drink the Kool Aid.” The culture is not quirky. It’s toxic. The culture and management style of the company can best be described as autocratic. You will do what you’re told, how you’re told, and when you’re told. Asking questions, taking initiative, or thinking outside of the box will get you labeled as a “difficult employee.” I know because this happened to me. Rules are rigidly enforced, unless bending them benefits the company. There is no give and take. Did you have to work till 2:00 am on some special project? Tough. Better be in by 8:00 am the next morning.
You are required to seek management permission for anything and everything. Want to take a 30 minute lunch break instead of an hour? You need a manager’s approval, at least 48 hours in advance. Yes, this is an actual regulation in the employee handbook. And these silly, demoralizing, de-motivating, corporate bureaucratic regulations aren’t just for hourly, clerical-level employees. This same childish treatment is applied to individuals with graduate degrees, a decade of work experience, and a 70k+ salary. I was treated with more autonomy, respect, and integrity as an unpaid intern.
If you are a corporate drone, without an independent thought in your head, who dreams of toiling away your career in a cubicle farm (check out the pictures), this place might be for you. If you desire meaningful work, an opportunity to be challenged, advance your career, and make a difference, you will want to bash your head against the wall every day you come to this miserable place.
