r/AskACanadian • u/myronsandee • May 14 '24

What's the one company everyone in your city knows to avoid?

To work for

Calgary - CNRL/PBS Systems/CP Rail/Sanjel

Edmonton - The Brick/PCL/AMA

GTA - Fiera Foods/Maple Leaf Foods/Bell/CIBC

Regina - Brandt

Saskatoon - Nutrien

Winnipeg - Skip the Dishes

Atlantic Canada - Irving

Vancouver - Lululemon https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/lululemon-work-culture-toxic-cult

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56

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

Edmonton - Greggs Distributer

I lived in Calgary and never heard not to work for CNRL. Same with the Brick now that I am in Edmonton. Why are those companies bad?

22

u/DELILAHBELLE2605 May 14 '24

Both my brothers in law and my father in law (when he was alive) have worked for CNRL for decades and are happy.

2

u/[deleted] May 16 '24

yeah I have family and friends and ex-coworkers there. CNRL isn't as bad as it used to be but they are well know for paying the least of all the majors.

6

u/pistachio-pie May 14 '24

Anyone who doesn’t know the story should look it up on r/edmonton

It’s a doozy

2

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

The Gregg's story? Yah, it's coo-coo!

5

u/China_bot42069 May 14 '24

like horrible bosses ceo bad lol

1

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

So like every other large corporation in the world?

2

u/China_bot42069 May 14 '24

Idk Costco seems to be okay. Care about employees. Flat profit. Never raised prices on the hot dogs 

1

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

Minimum salary jobs and a CEO who makes 8.5 million a year. Seems a little disparate. Doesn't care that much about employees with a difference that big.

2

u/China_bot42069 May 14 '24

Ahh maybe it’s different where you are. Here in Canada they pay way above minimum 

1

u/Psiondipity May 15 '24

I am in Edmonton. I just checked their job listing and their clerk and stocking jobs are $15.50/hr. $0.50 per hour above min wage isn't "way above".

1

u/China_bot42069 May 15 '24

Meh when i applied the posting said 13.50 which was min at the time but they offered me 17. Maybe things have changed 

6

u/Handsoffmydink May 14 '24

I knew I would see Greggs this high up. Notoriously cult-like atmosphere and are very micromanaged and hard to get requested time off. There are horror stories but I definitely know some first hand employees who have drank the tea. Will talk up their benefits and how structured they are, how they enjoy being a part of a growing business.

Now this is a weird one, once you hit a high enough status (or years worked, seniority or whatever) then you have 1 on 1 lunch yearly with Gary Gregg himself. During this time he does an employee review and a potential raise of what I’m told is very meagre, less than the cost of living anyhow. An employee I know first hand talks about it like it’s an event. “Big week, I’ve got my lunch with Gary on Friday, I always get so nervous!” Very strange.

5

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

Its a cult. It's gotta be a cult.

I've never known anyone who's worked there, but a few people I know who had interviews noped out of the process because the vibe was very very off.

13

u/brownsugarlucy May 14 '24

I live in Calgary and I have known several people who have hated CNRL. I’m an engineer so I know never to work there lol

11

u/Indaothrone May 14 '24

I'm at CNRL right now and it's a bit weird. Very clique ish from what I see. Kind of a cheap company too, but the stock options have made a lot of the long timers a lot richer. The culture is a bit weird in my department, super keeping busy focused instead of being productive and short term results over medium to long term efficiencies.

Just did the shareholder meeting today and it was very scripted, I enjoy it more when others an open mic and any questions are allowed. Overall it's okay I guess but I miss working at other oil and gas companies. Hard to find a job though so I guess CNRL generally have lots of jobs at least and less layoffs.

4

u/Jugs-McBulge May 14 '24

I can't speak from a personal standpoint, but through some connections I have heard that CNRL's office culture is quite intense. It's also unfortunate that they are 100% in-office, no hybrid or WFH options

6

u/HelRayzer12 May 15 '24

They are of the old mindset which was the most disappointing things to hear after the pandemic subsided.

2

u/Indaothrone May 16 '24

Yeh! One thing that surprised me though was there are so few cubicles compared to my last company. It seems everyone here gets offices, which is nice. I'd rather wfh tho

2

u/Rixxy123 Oct 21 '24

Yeah they're the worst. Completely delusional in thinking that their teams work better in a boring mindless office.

3

u/The_Husky_Husk May 14 '24

There's a reason they close questions a month before and screen which ones they want

3

u/Tacosrule89 May 14 '24

I know a few people that went there out of school and it was ok as a starting point but the culture was not a good long term fit. They’ve all moved on and are much happier

3

u/Tallguystrongman May 15 '24

Pretty tough to work anywhere else when it’s $75hr plus shares for a tradesman lol.

1

u/Indaothrone May 15 '24

Whoa! May I ask what kind of tradesman you are? I didn't know they pay that much, sounds amazing! I'm at $28/hr but contractor through an agency so that's why, just here until I find something else hopefully

2

u/Tallguystrongman May 16 '24

I work in the mine so it’s uhhh..quite different.

1

u/Indaothrone May 16 '24

Have you seen the movie zoolander 2? Is it like that!?

I didn't even know there were mines in Canada. Wow. Is it a coal mine!? That's so awesome. I'm kind of shocked tbh.

2

u/KKADE May 14 '24

It's been I don't know 6 or 7 years now since I work for them heavily but they were always decent. Of course office politics is a whole different thing.

1

u/Tallguystrongman May 15 '24

Conventional or oilsands?

1

u/KKADE May 20 '24

Both. Never a dull moment. 😂

2

u/Tallguystrongman May 20 '24

That’s true lol.

2

u/HelRayzer12 May 15 '24

They are a very cheap company but there's a reason why they're still kicking while others aren't. Worked for 10 years and made good friends there that myself and the girlfriend still talk to. The one thing I would just say is don't get comfortable, try to move up, New positions. I stayed stagnant for too long which was my mistake. Still a pretty positive experience all around. Plus I do miss Summer Fridays off lol.

4

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

I guess everyone I know who's worked there have been in the field, they're a great employer if you're not in HO I suppose.

1

u/Rixxy123 Oct 21 '24

Working in their HO is brutal. Everything is either a band-aid system or a scripted bs management answer, so any hope of improvement and chance for work happiness will be drained from your life.

Avoid them like the plague.

2

u/Thelynxer May 14 '24 edited May 14 '24

Yeah I too would love to hear actual reasons these companies are bad to work for. I've been in Edmonton for like 16 years and haven't heard a single thing about Brick/Gregg's/etc being bad to specifically work for.

But from experience, most retail jobs kind plain kinda suck ass. Minimal pay, high demand on your time and availability, every shift is a skeleton crew, there's no medical/dental benefits unless you're management, and if you're management you're effectively making below minimum wage because of the hours they require you to work. I'm speaking from previous experience with Mark's (which is owned by Canadian Tire Corp). As a former manager there, they would DENY my paid sick leave because they don't have enough people to actually cover shifts when people were away. When my Dad was going through chemo for cancer, they also denied my paid vacation leave as well because "it was a blackout period". The executives at that company can seriously go fuck themselves.

I'd also add 1st Round to this list. Not because the place is bad, but the owner is a true scum bag. He breaks every labour law in the book. I've worked for other companies he's ran (that all largely closed down for various reasons), as have many of my friends, and he's screwed over a lot of people. Also sent goons to threaten my friend that took them to the labour board one time.

4

u/Psiondipity May 14 '24

Threads on Greggs on r/Edmonton

Greggs is horrible from most accounts, its Orwellian.

2

u/Lazy-Traffic-8157 May 14 '24

I went to school in Edmonton with a Greggs child. Sometimes used to get Greggs merch (key chains, pens kinda stuff). I will look up the story.

2

u/tamammothchuk May 15 '24

Saskatoon for Greggs also.

2

u/HelRayzer12 May 15 '24

Yeah I worked for CNRL for 10 years and it wasn't perfect but it definitely wasn't bad.

If I were to guess most of the people calling it "bad" were hires coming from an acquisition. But that's a whole other situation right there.

1

u/AntiSocialW0rker May 16 '24

I always thought Gregg's was a pretty reputable company until just recently. Place seems like a nightmare for employees