Almost everything is old-school, from the furniture to computers and software, and most things are still paid for by check, which can often take more than a week to be processed. Some departments even have to get other departments to pay for things that cannot be paid for by check. Only some managers, Sales and VPs are given credit cards. So if you’re asked to travel or make purchases, be prepared to have the charges on your account for weeks/months, depending on how quickly the physical paperwork gets passed from your boss to the President then to accounting. Some people have gone nearly a year before getting reimbursed.
Salaries are generally low and people who leave often get paid 20+ percent with their new jobs. Also, work from home opportunities are almost non-existent… that is unless you work for the right family boss and are a “favorite”. Everyone worked in the office during the entire pandemic and if there’s a lot of snow, expect to take a personal day if you don’t want to risk your life driving to the office.
Annual reviews should be completed on/near your anniversary date and be accompanied by a slight pay increase (less than cost of living in most cases). Some managers are great at this and complete them on time each year. But many others are a year or more behind for everyone in their departments. If you nag enough, you will eventually get your review and back pay dating back to your anniversary date. However, by that time, you’ve missed out on a higher 401k match, year-end bonuses, etc. HR will tell you that they “can’t make the bosses do the reviews”, which seems odd considering that’s obviously part of being a manager.
If you’re lucky enough to get a manager who is willing to fight for you and their other employees, you might get a promotion. Some employees receive promotions every 3-4 years, while others can go more than a decade without one, despite years of promises. If you’re lucky enough to earn a promotion, beware that your anniversary date can change - which purposely eliminates any back pay that you would otherwise be owed.
You can have 20 years of experience in your field and still be second-guessed by bosses and the President. It will be tough (and often impossible) to change minds, even with stacks of experience, knowledge, research and evidence. Instead, people without any knowledge of the project or experience with anything close will be asked for their opinions over your own. Management/Ownership can often turn aggressive, so hopefully you have thick skin or are at least willing to “pull your head out of your ass”. Projects will often be initiated without any planning, strategy or reasoning, which often leads to higher operating expenses and greater work load. “Work smarter, not harder” is not a phrase used at S&L.
Often, half the people in a department will carry the load while others are allowed to watch live sporting events or quite simply disappear for 30 minutes at a time. Accountability only exists in certain departments. Warnings can be submitted to the entire department so managers can avoid personal conflict with those who need motivation. Or, even better, employees who share concerns about other employees with their manager are often dismissed and/or personally and publicly identified as a “snitch”. And depending on your manager’s mood, you can be called out in front of other employees as well.
When an employee leaves, their duties are often absorbed by others in their department (without any bump in pay) and the position is never filled. If the position is listed, the new person is often offered less money than the last person - even if they have more experience or education than the previous employee. The job description and expectations will of course remain the same. Also, if you’re willing to share salary information with your co-workers, you might find that people in your department with less experience and education make more money than you. Your bosses will deny it because they’re not allowed to share that info, but they’ll also ask you not to share salary info because they don’t want employees to have the upper hand… but asking employees to not discuss salary & benefits with co-workers is illegal for that reason.
If you’re a believer in the #MeToo movement, this is not the place for you. Enough said.
For the most part, you will not find a career at S&L. It is a job, and typically a poorly paid one at that. Don’t count on advancement, respect, or anything other than a few parties and trinkets along the way to cover up the fact that the majority of people are disgruntled for one reason or another. You are considered replaceable, no matter how well you perform. The longer you work there, the harder it is to escape because you will not keep up with current trends in your industry unless you make it a point to learn on your own time. Every year spent working there makes your value that much less. Don’t join unless you’re unemployed and desperate. And don’t get sucked in with empty promises like me. Move on as quickly as possible.
