Smaller town branches get sub-par equipment. When equipment necessary for job was faulty or broken, our poor local manager would have to Sanford and Son the lead wires, wand, and drop box because corporate wouldn't give us new equipment. They said it was all going to Denver since it was more important over there. Equipment just wears out quickly (even when you treat it really well) because of the nature of the job. They would act like it was your fault if you asked for new lead wires and wouldn't give you any new equipment, even when it was completely trashed. By the end of my job, I used lead wires that were completely made out of duct tape since I had to fix them constantly instead of just giving me new ones. Wasted a lot of time attempting to fix faulty equipment instead of locating. Then they would get upset that you didn't get an unreasonable number of tickets done. Not managed well by corporate. Manager wasn't allowed to hire more help when we were already working 60 hours a week and volunteering Sundays. They would get used to you being a constant workhorse if you were good at your job and then get upset when you asked for time off because they failed to hire more help. Employees get no help and get burned out, so the turnover rate is constant, putting even more stress and work on the loyal employees. I was their best employee and asked to get trained to do fiber when the opportunity arose (so I could improve my overall skills, be a better locator and improve my employability/resume) but when the job position for fiber opened up, they trained some brand-new guy instead because I was "too valuable" to lose the amount of work I was currently doing in gas and electric volume (because they wouldn't hire more help). I would work through holidays and weekends for them because I wanted to be a team player, I cared about the contractors work and they were desperate for help, and as a reward they would attempt to throw you under the bus whenever there was a damage that wasn't even my fault. Luckily, I was smart enough to watch my own back and document everything, but it was disheartening the way they would treat the local manager and employees.
