Norfolk Southern reviews

Lets see if I can list them all.... You will work no less than 60 hours a week. At times it will be 84 hours, so all 7 days of the week. You might get a day off, maybe 2 off, but then you will work another 7-9 days. That's on the low end. It is definitely possible that you will work 9-14 days straight. And no care about how tired you are, over worked, mental or safety state. Zero. Like I mentioned, if it was a 40 hour work week, then yes, 30 an hour (though salary) would be nice. but since the average hourly week puts you at $14-$15 an hour...it's no where near worth it. You can work 7 days straight, have a day off but get called in..and you will come into work. And the person that called in better be dying cause if you're sick or hurt, you are still expected to come into work or get ready for a chewing. Micro-managing like I have ever seen in my life!! Everything you do is wrong. Even when you get trains out 95-100 %, you can always do better. Management at your Terminal, likes to tell you (and this is super rare) "good job on getting those trains out...BUT...you can do better!" At 100% and we can do better?? Give me a damn break, read a good book on Leadership and leave us alone. Let us do our job and stop breathing down our neck on every decision we make OR...the decision you made the day prior but somehow today, your same decision requires a phone call or IM, cursing...yes curing...me out...very unprofessional. Where you start at here in ELKHART, IN (purgatory) is not a Management job. Not even close. You are a high temp clerk, secretary, crew/taxy dispatcher, datasheets, turnover sheets, emailing constantly, IM'ing constantly and this is non stop for your whole shift. People calling you or upper management calling you to call this person (why they don't call...I have no clue), your cell is ringing, phone is ringing, and etc. You probably get 5 mins to eat your lunch and 1 mins to go use the bathroom. You are seriously swamped non stop. If you don't like to multitask with 8-10 non stop for 12 hours...not a job for you. But then remember, you are told that you are a Trainmaster..manager..over the Engineers and Conductors...better go do your make believe safety and rules checks. Oh...don't have time...better find a way or else. Or just lie about it, per your boss. But get caught...definitely fired and that boss knew nothing of the sort..... OR, you worked 10 days straight..that's ok, come in on your off day for 5-6 hours and do it. This is 110% the truth. When I got hired, I read all the good and the tons and tons of negative reviews about the position but blew it off. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I MADE OR YOU WILL FIND A NEW JOB LIKE I DID, A YEAR AFTER BEING HIRED. ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS ARE TRUE. THE POSITIVE ONES ARE PROBABLY FAKE, CREATED BY UPPER MANAGEMENT OR PEOPLE IN THE NICE OFFICE JOBS. Don't believe me. Just come to Elkhart or North in general and when you talk to everyone and you say "I'm a trainmaster" listen to what they say. Usually it's...run!, you won't be here for long, when are you quitting?, I feel sorry for you and so on......Truth.

POTENTIAL COLLEGE HIRES PLEASE READ: I worked for NS for a year and a half directly out of college. If you are interested in a M-F, 9-5 type job with weekends and holidays off... this is NOT the place for you. - Expect to live ANYWHERE on the system (even if your offer letter says 'Chicago', that does not necessarily mean you will be in Chicago. And if you are, you won't be for long.) - Expect to work nights, weekends and holidays. The ONLY employees who consistently have Sat/Sun off are much higher up the management chain. (On that note: expect to use vacation in order to have holidays off...) - Expect to work long hours. I consistently worked 60+ hours per week. - Expect to work directly with unions. This can be very difficult if you are not familiar with a union environment. With many (not all) union employees, there is a strong 'us vs. them' mentality toward management. If you take things personally, you will likely struggle to cope with this. - Expect to have little to no social life. Given the uncommon hours and/or off days, it is nearly impossible to find time to enjoy your income. This lifestyle is definitely a good fit for certain people. However, I feel that college hires struggle the most with the adjustment to this lifestyle. In my opinion, the cons greatly outweigh the pros. I was able to find a new job with equal pay and normal working hours in a great city for young professionals. The railroad is NOT for everyone.