Keep Away if you value sanity - Finance Support Specialist Columbia Grain Employee Review

I recently retired from Columbia Grain after more than 23 years working there as an IT systems administrator. The company has grown over the years, afforded me many opportunities to grow with them in IT. You are well appreciated by all for hard work, colleagues are friendly, management open to your ideas, The Portland office is professional and conveniently located in the city. I highly recommend a visit to the Portland office to see for yourself; self-motivated and talented individuals always welcome!

I don't have any cons to mention

The company issues paychecks twice a month

While there are a few exceptional managers, they are the rare exception rather than the norm. Leadership and senior staff often lack the professionalism, emotional intelligence, and fundamental people skills necessary for effective management. It’s disheartening to watch underperformers get promoted while high performing employees burn out and leave. Turnover is alarmingly high-and unsurprisingly so. The HR department, once a collaborative and positive space, has deteriorated significantly. It’s now marked by a tense, quiet atmosphere and visibly disengaged team members. The two “ seniors” of the HR department routinely exhibits cold, standoffish, and unprofessional behavior, even in meetings with their own peers. The other one is largely absent and, frankly, incompetent. As a result, accountability is nonexistent, and the HR function appears to be in survival mode. Leadership within the department is both ineffective and toxic. The workplace environment became so stressful and unpredictable that it began to negatively affect my mental health. Experiencing anxiety simply from going into the office should never be the norm. Yet at Columbia Grain, it is. There is a pervasive, outdated leadership culture that consistently favors familiarity and status quo over merit and progress. Women and other underrepresented voices are frequently overlooked or marginalized. The disconnect between the Portland corporate office and the field is substantial, and leadership has made no visible effort to bridge that gap..in fact, they seem to reinforce it. Unprofessional conduct, including yelling and profanity directed at employees, is tolerated and even ignored. There is no accountability for poor behavior, and the message sent to staff is that disrespect is acceptable. Pros: A few great coworkers and managers still striving to make a difference The company has potential if major leadership changes are made Cons: Toxic and unprofessional leadership Lack of accountability across departments Anxiety inducing, unpredictable work environment Extremely high turnover and low morale Lack of inclusion and fair advancement opportunities Poor communication between corporate and field teams Verbal abuse from management is tolerated without consequence Low Salary and lack of SOP's Until there is a full cultural reset and the replacement of ineffective leadership- Columbia Grain will continue to lose valuable talent and further damage its reputation.