Change is inevitable at most companies, but one typically hopes that that change is for the better and to be progress in the right direction. Sadly, that can't be said for AgFirst. After almost a decade with the company, I saw it go from being a family-oriented, warm place to a cold, scary, toxic place that looks at their employees as just another number in their spreadsheets and not as people. They stopped doing the big holiday party at the zoo, and also stopped caring about being rated one of the best places to work in SC. Probably because they know that they're not, and don't stand a chance. The problems at AgFirst are top down - from the c-suite to middle management. Their c-suite is so far removed from the day-to-day workings of the company, and just push through HUGE initiatives without considering how sustainable or realistic their asks are. Lots of political posturing and brown nosing going on at every level of management. It's honestly exhausting. Work life balance is non-existent for most employees. The huge projects going on at AgFirst in the last few years have meant that people are easily working a quarter or more worth of overtime on salary and are told that they don't get comp time for it. Bonuses are budgeted for projects and then not given. Upper level management is clueless about what direction they need to go in order to be successful and also have no concept of how burned out their people are after several years of project purgatory. And don't get me started on their HR. As MANY other reviews have already indicated, their HR department is trash. Flaming dumpster fire comes to mind. They are NOT there to help employees - they're there to protect the company and that's it. Don't go to them if you have an actual problem because chances are, they will work against you to force you out of the company. Ask me how I know.
