Ugh...First, probably 80% of the employees looked like they were addicted to some form of drug. Most looked awful and smelled worse. They supposedly have a dress code, but you wouldn't know it from all the people wearing everything from gym shorts and sandals to pajama bottoms and slippers. It's sad when there's a sign in one of the training rooms that actually says "Please keep your shoes on".
Management is an absolute joke. Trainers were very nice, I especially liked mine, but coaches and up were the worst. The Head Coach for the campaign I worked on may actually be one of the worst human beings I've ever encountered. She walks around with this pretend front of wanting to help, but she has no problem being as rude as possible to your face. Rather than up and quitting like most people do, I did them enough respect to let them know that I had been hired by another company with a pay rate double to what they offered. I tried to be nice by saying "I enjoyed working here" to which the same coach had the audacity to say to me "You never worked here". She has no idea how close I came to telling her where she could stick her ridiculous $8.25 an hour.
The pay is atrocious. They start at $1.00 over minimum wage, but are big on telling you how you can supplement your pay with sales. While I was training, it was repeatedly impressed upon me that an individual on my campaign had just gotten a $3,000 commission check. They want you to believe that a check like that is fairly close to standard...as long as you apply yourself. What they won't tell you, something that every phone REP will, is that only happened one time. Looking at the average commission check sheet that they keep on the first wall you see upon walking into the campaign area, the average commission is between $100.00 to $200.00 per rep, per month.
I'm not a fan of someone using their cell phone at their desk. I firmly believe that if you're on the clock, you're being paid to do a job, not sit and text to your family and friends, however, I do understand that it's very nice to have on you in case someone absolutely needs to get in touch with you. Sitel has a policy of absolutely no electronic equipment of any kind at your desk, to which they enforce under the guise of privacy protection. I see no problem with this policy at all, however, when it doesn't apply to everyone, it's not right, nor is it fair. If a coach happens to like you on a personal level, or even worse, if they are trying to get into a rep's pants (this happens more than you can imagine) coaches and mentors will overlook the fact that you have your phone on you and may even be texting in your cubicle. When coaches aren't playing favorites, they have no problem walking around texting, showing you pictures that they have taken, or even showing you stuff on their personal Facebook, all from their phone, because mentors and coaches are not subject to the no electronics policy. They have a red piece of construction paper to signify this (I wish that were a joke).
The bathrooms are a constant mess and they are treated by most as a porta-potty, or outhouse and they smell even worse, but they pale in comparison to the cafeteria and rest area. It looks like something you might see in a housing project. They go out of their way to overcharge for anything they sell on site, and then they charge tax on top of it. They've got some guy that comes in every day who apparently makes "homemade" food. He's not an employee, nor is he what you would consider a vendor. This is some guy who comes in, brings the $0.25 snack bags of chips, a hot plate, and hamburger patties and cooks meals that cost what you would expect to pay at Chick-Fil-A. Now, I can't say a lot about that, because you're not required to make anything, but he cooks in the actual common area. Because of this, there are full garbage cans of rotting food, mixed with the smell of whatever he is cooking. Let the idea of that smell combination sink in for a moment. The first time I saw it, I wasn't sure it was really happening. There are gnats, flies, and while I never saw one, I was repeatedly told by other reps to check my belongings at the end of each shift for roaches.
I could go on and on, but I guess the easiest way to sum up the entire Sitel experience is with the following statement...When a company hires you the day you first walk in the door to fill out an application and then holds a new training class as soon as the last session lets out, that should tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the caliber of job you're going into.
