There is a Senior Manager who is a bully, and it has been allowed for years. He is obviously sexist, and degrading to his employees, as well as any other person lower in the corporate hierarchy. He will yell at you, and insult you – sometimes publicly. I stopped keeping track of how many people quit, or at least transferred out of his group because he is so mean. Based on the number of people he makes cry, he should go work at Amazon. It is common knowledge that he acts this way. Upper management has done nothing about it, and I don’t see that changing.
This is just one example. It is an “old boys club” – if you are one, you’re set. The behavior of people like that is completely tolerated by the higher ups.
The lack of accountability highlights that the company does not protect the rights of employees, and will sometimes act against them by choice. Evidently, putting the entire company at risk of being sued is better than dealing with a conflict.
If you quit, they say there is something wrong with you. They will slander you endlessly, at any, and all opportunity (I know of very few exceptions to this. If you used to work here, your old boss is probably saying bad things about you right now). If you have an issue with management, they say there is something wrong with you. They will probably not say this directly to your face – they approach it passive-aggressively, and talk about you behind your back.
There is no HR department, so those things are left up to the discretion of your supervisor or manager. People have had to fight for maternity leave, military leave, and many other rights, as afforded by law. Again, there is no HR department to go to - so you have to be prepared to bring in someone to help. This company has decided that someone, who just happens to have decided to move into people management, should get to decide if I can take military leave. I’m hard pressed to find a competent example at Expeditors of someone who should be in that role. You need to be prepared to have a lawyer on hand if you have any kind of “special” circumstances. You also need to make sure you educate yourself on employment laws. You will have to know what they are because the company clearly doesn’t.
There is an “open-door policy,” which really means, “you can come in, and tell me what you think, and I’ll tell you how you are wrong.” Unless your title is high enough, they do not care what you think. The open-door policy is a lie, and will only lead to negative feedback on you.
In general, the pay and benefits are not good. If you are a developer with any talent, go somewhere else! The company holds the view of “you’re lucky to have a job at all, so stop asking for things.” Like modern compensation packages. New hires are making more money than highly skilled, existing employees, showing the company realizes the pay scale issues they have, but they continue to deny them. A newly hired developer might make more, but one that has been there for 5 years, and come up through the ranks, might make 80k. They make wild claims that Expeditors is competitive. They claim that there is no issue with salaries. Employees disagree.
The dress code is terrible and outdated. Depending on the group you are in, you may be talked to for rolling up your sleeves, or wearing your coat in the elevator. I cannot comprehend why men are forced to wear ties.
You also have strict hours. Some groups are afforded a little flexibility, at the discretion of your manager. In some groups, you are criticized for being even 5 minutes late. They will watch you, and if you are late at all, you will be criticized. They actually watch you. I do not know of a group where you are not monitored.
If you want to work at a company in the 70s, you’re set! Otherwise, you’re probably looking at the wrong place.
Whatever you do, for the love of God, and all that is holy, STAY AWAY FROM EDI AND SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATION!!
