Reprographers, how do your employees feel about your company? Rank-and-file employees who work for Reprographers, what’s your obligation?

Well, for those of you who haven’t yet found “glassdoor.com”, I’d like to introduce you to “glassdoor.com”.

Interesting site that contains “reviews” of companies by employees who work for (or, maybe used to work for) the companies.

I’ve copied into this post “links” to reviews posted by employees who work for (or, maybe, who used to work for) four of the largest reprographics companies, ABC Imaging, American Reprographics (ARC), Thomas Reprographics and NRI (the latter, also known as National Reprographics Inc.)

ABC Imaging has the most (as well as the most recent) reviews, and most of the reviews are, well, let’s put it this way, “not kind.”

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/ABC-Imaging-Reviews-E224605.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/American-Reprographics-Reviews-E16051.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Thomas-Reprographics-Reviews-E142232.htm

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/National-Reprographics-Reviews-E23940.htm

Joel’s comments:

I realize that most of the visitors to Reprographics 101 are owners and senior managers of reprographics companies. I’ve done nothing, at all, to publicize the existence of Reprographics 101 to the “rank and file.” In spite of the fact that “employees” (and, I prefer to refer to rank and file workers as “team members” instead of “employees”) are unlikely to ever read this post, I’m going to direct my comments to “team members” and not to the owners or senior managers of reprographers.

So, to the non-owners / non-senior managers who work for reprographers, i.e., to the rank-and-file “team members” who work for reprographers….

If you haven’t yet figured out that the reprographics industry is, and has been, experiencing “depression-like” conditions – for at least 3 years by now, if not longer – then “wake up”, it is not a pretty situation. If you are still employed, you are lucky to be employed. Stop whining and complaining; that will do you no good. If you don’t like working for a reprographics company or in the reprographics industry, then leave it! Anyone who accepts employment with a company – no matter what position you are in – has an obligation to (and your owner and senior managers expect you to) give your job 100%. If you aren’t willing to give 100%, you don’t deserve to have a job. Whining and complaining on a site such as “glassdoor.com” is counter-productive. If customers of your company read the negative reviews you post and those customers are influenced to leave your company because of what you wrote, that could not only cost you your job, but could cause your fellow non-owner, non-senior managers to lose their jobs. If you consider your fellow team members to be not just co-workers, but friends as well, do you really want to be the reason for your friends to lose their jobs? I was formerly an “owner” and a “senior manager”, but, before I earned those positions, I, like you, was a rank-and-file team member. When I was in that position, we went through some very difficult times (recession back around 1973-4). We did not get any raises, and, in fact, I got a pay cut. That did not affect my work ethic or my care and concern about my employer’s business. I always gave 100% (frankly, I think more than 100%), because I felt that that was my obligation. Frankly, I felt a debt of gratitude to the owner of the company because he gave me an opportunity to work for his company, and my debt of gratitude was no less even when business conditions required the company to reduce benefits and wages. If you want to whine and complain, do that directly with your owner(s) and/or senior managers. Let them know how you feel, but I urge you to voice your concerns in a positive, not negative, way. I have ALWAYS felt, and I seriously doubt that anyone would ever be able to change my thinking about this, that it is a privilege to have a job; having a job is not “a right.” If you don’t like the position you are in and cannot get your company to move you into a position you like better, and/or if you do not like the company you work for, then “move on” to a new job and a new employer. As to the owners/senior managers of the company you are working for, if you are jealous of what they have (their fancy cars, their fancy homes – and even second and third homes), realize that there is huge risk to being in business – it is not uncommon for their entire “net worth” to be at risk (loan guarantees, etc.) and, besides that, jealousy, to me, is the one of the absolute worst character traits anyone could have. Running/managing a company during a period of “depression-like” conditions is not easy, nor is it fun. If you think owners get any joy, whatsoever, out of cutting jobs, you’re nuts! Most of the owners I know (in the reprographics industry) care a great deal about their rank-and-file team members. For them, it is an absolutely heart-wrenching decision to have to cut jobs, to have to cut wages and to have to scale back or eliminate benefits. But, during “depression-like” conditions, that has to be done. If that is not done, then the company won’t survive, and, when that happens, everyone loses their job. To sum this up; if you don’t like it, leave it, but leave it in a positive way – don’t burn bridges; if you have concerns, express those concerns directly to your owners/senior managers. While you are employed, give your job 100%; you owe that to your fellow team members, to the owners you work for and to yourself.

Joel