Ecolab Sucks | 11/23/04
Rather than spending another entry complaining about my job, I figured I'd burn this entry by sharing at least one story about a former job. Bear in mind, I had just turned 17 so some of the details might be kind of hazy (read: made-up).
The summer of 1997 I worked for an EcoLab in Illinois. It was through Manpower and it was my second temp job, my first one doing data entry for a day or two for the Plainfield Sun. They told me I'd be doing administrative things since I had such stellar computer skills. When I got there I found my new boss was a minor league pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He had pictures of himself playing ball all over his office and I was determined to impress him. He told him that I was going to be an "efficiency expert". I had no idea what that meant but I figured since "expert" was part of the title it couldn't be all bad. Oh, but it was. He brought me down to the main plant before explaining what I was to do. My eyes watered in the chemical-laden air as he informed me I was to follow around various employees with a clipboard and digital stopwatch, timing them every time they did anything other than crank out Lime-Away. He then introduced me to the first woman I was to monitor, this puffy Hispanic woman named Carmella. Carmella was about 40 and clad in a Mickey Mouse T-shirt and white jeans. Even now I get a good laugh when I see a shirt with Disney characters popping out of the breast pockets but this was different. It wasn't a "aren't I cute white trash" look but a "my God, my life can't get any worse" look. After our introduction the pitcher left and I stood there with Carmella looking at me. She stared me down for a while until I innocently asked if I should be writing down this time as "non-work".
After a few days of doing this and her receiving what seemed to be a motivational speech by our Cy Young daily she decided she was going to make my life a living hell. She took to making it a point to walk over to me every time she had to do anything--cough, sneeze, scratch herself, whatever and say, "Hey skinny, you get that one?" or after stretching her arms as she yawned, "Hey tiny, I only stretch for 20 seconds and you write 30 seconds". Her English was not great but my broken Spanish was able to translate enough to know I should just stop coming to work. Within a week of working there she had ensured no one would talk to me and I gave in and just stopped writing down anything at all.
Since obviously I was the most hated member of the 300 person staff I sat by myself every day at lunch. While no one spat on me, the only time anyone talked to me in three months was when I was sipping my Barq's Root Beer and some mix operator walked over to me, slapped his hands down on the table across from me, put his face about an inch from mine and said quietly, "straws are for p*ssies" before walking away.
By the end of month two, I had taken to not writing anything down at all except bathroom trips. This seemed to cease people handing plastic bottles of mysterious colored liquids with small holes in the bottom to me. One of the last people I was to watch was a batch mixer named (no really) Charles. Charles had a disfigured left hand and loved the band Styx. Never having listened to popular music growing up, I agreed that Styx was indeed the greatest band ever. Being as squeamish as I am now, I could never really look directly at The Hand but from the quick glimpses I took, it kind of looked like a gnarled branch. Charles was nice enough until he asked me what my favorite Styx song was. Apparently my answer of..."gee, they're all so good" was only good enough until he decided we were going to sing a song together while the mixture settled. He asked me what song I wanted to sing. I informed him that as a drummer I'd be better of backing him on drum set while he sang. He agreed on the condition that I'd sing back-up. He elected for us to perform "Lady" for all the other batch mixers. Foolishly, I started right in with a drum beat. I don't think he even got a word out before he stopped me and asked what the hell I was doing. I'm sure I blushed knowing the inevitable question was coming: Name ANY Styx song. With his mangled nub in my face like a zombie-microphone I figured I'd try a guess. I can't remember what exactly I guessed but apparently was it not only NOT a Styx song it was similar enough to the title of some .38 Special that he stopped talking to me all together.
What's sad, is that I'd rather be doing that again than working where am I now. I didn't appreciate how nice it was to have no one talk to you at work.
Comments
andrew (10/15/11)
Auntie Em (11/01/11)
REAL TALK (11/05/11)
Ozzie Victim (11/10/11)
Beware Australia! (11/13/11)
JolietBulkFiller (11/19/11)
Northern Alberta oil and gas camp (03/08/12)
Maxine 124 (03/09/12)
ECO HATER (03/09/12)
JolietBulkFillers (03/09/12)
BAGLAN SITE SOUTH WALES (03/13/12)
discrimination at 600 (03/14/12)
Ecolab 600 bribes (03/15/12)
600 bribes (03/15/12)
ecotraz employee (03/21/12)
ecotraz employee (03/21/12)
banished X michael (03/25/12)
(12/31/11)
Jeff Demeny (01/06/12)
harold catlin (01/15/12)
harold catlin (01/15/12)
harold catlin (01/15/12)
(01/17/12)
JolietBulkFiller (01/27/12)
unknown (02/05/12)
JFQ (02/07/12)
UNKOWN COMIC (02/11/12)
mcdonough 600 (02/15/12)
JolietBulkFiller (02/15/12)
Wrongful Termination Oct 2011 (04/05/12)
Jerry Quigley (04/17/12)
el hater (04/26/12)
THE DUDE (Unknown)
joey (Unknown)
Frankie B (Unknown)
realitybites (Unknown)
EP (Unknown)
I was a route manager with a newborn, and looking back now, I cannot beleive the scare tactics that they used to use on us to get us to perform.
The laugh is on them now as there are a few of us involved against a lawsuit against these monsters.
I would like to make the world know about shit companies like Ecolab. Please spread the word!
Ecolab SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU! (Unknown)
EP in KS EX RM (Unknown)
HappyEcolabGirl (Unknown)
Sad Sad Company To Work For (Unknown)
I too like many others, worked for a DM who did nothing but lie to his Managers. Though much time and effort is brought forth training employees, not enough is done for those who continuously strive at being the best in their work. As mentioned from a previous blogger, they are a corporation who's sole purpose is to strive to make their next billion dollar.
We wouldn't want a company to grow a conscience now would we??????
Why should anyone really care?
Without the existing bottom feeders or slaves, this company wouldn't be NOTHING!
The high paid execs should re-distribute their overpaid wages to the Managers who actually make this company work!
How can a corporation really claim to be "ETHICAL" when money is involved?
Business and ethics...
Now there's a F'n concept!
NA (Unknown)
Another Happy Girl (Unknown)
I'm very happy to be employed by them
N/A (Unknown)
Ronald (Unknown)
ecojob (Unknown)
edu (Unknown)
Rick (Unknown)
*
*
We have someone from Europe calling out the American work ethic? That's the best laugh I've had all year.
ECLsuper (Unknown)
glad to be out (Unknown)
1. Matt Jackson approached me in lane 5 as I dropped a pallet. Matt told me to mind my own business. If I had a problem with him I should get over it etc.
I asked Matt if he was working here or just talking. He went on for about 30 seconds telling me to mind my own business and etc. I then told him it is over with now, the horseplay incident, and drove away.
2. I was picking in aisle 94 as I backed out of level 2 bin, Matt said what are you doing? He had walked up behind me on my blind side to harass me. He knows that from the past it upsets me to be startled. I then asked him if he was supposed to be working or just giving me a hard time. I left and I wrapped that pallet.
3. I picked the next pallet and was wrapping it on No. 1 wrapper and Matt was by the time clock harassing me about minding my own business if I knew what was good for me etc. He also said in affect would I like to step outside. I ignored him wrapped my pallet and put it in lane 5.
4. My next pallet I was in line to wrap at wrapper No. 1 April was wrapping her pallet and talking to Matt. When I went up to wrap, Matt started harassing me again. I told him I would let Mary handle it, he kept talking he knew I was pissed off. He said come over here he was 15 to 20 feet away. I just turned the truck and hit the gas and in 2 seconds I stopped 2 feet from him. I shocked him, he yelled to April you saw that he tried to hit me. He repeated He tried to hit me over and over about 5 times and then ran into the office. I never saw him the rest of the day.
This whole episode happened within 30 to 40 minutes.
I was fired
L22 (Unknown)
(Unknown)
after 9 years here you should have known better than to fall in to matts trap.p.s. craig arnold said that he will see to it that you dont get unemployment and black ball you
so you cant get a job 102 sucks
GOOD LUCK BRO
John in CA (Unknown)
Matt L (Unknown)
local 124 (Unknown)
102 (Unknown)
M. kelly (Unknown)
wouldnt you like 2 know (Unknown)
Worried fac mech (Unknown)
So would ecolab and M.Kelly be held accountable for this fac mech if was to let lose again on someone else??
I smell some cheddar coming my way of he puts his hands on me!!! Godbless, a worried fac mech.
Worried fac mech (Unknown)
So would ecolab and M.Kelly be held accountable for this fac mech if was to let lose again on someone else??
I smell some cheddar coming my way of he puts his hands on me!!! Godbless, a worried fac mech.
W (Unknown)
Dawn (Unknown)
George (Unknown)
Happy RS (Unknown)
Happy RS (Unknown)
Happy RS (Unknown)
ArchStanton (Unknown)
mike (Unknown)
unknow (Unknown)
Ex Manager (Unknown)
seenitall (Unknown)
unknown comic (Unknown)
Lalala (Unknown)
unknow comic (Unknown)
ArchStanton (Unknown)
urboy (Unknown)
imaman (Unknown)
imaman (Unknown)
none ya (Unknown)
mrreliability (Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
answers (Unknown)
ArchStanton (Unknown)
(Unknown)
ArchStanton (Unknown)
(Unknown)
that would be something that would help us!!!
mrreliability (Unknown)
Janis (Unknown)
JFQ (Unknown)
JFQ (Unknown)
Pillowpants (Unknown)
mrreliability (Unknown)
Disgruntled (Unknown)
JolietBulkFiller (Unknown)
ecotards (Unknown)
mrreliability (Unknown)
JolietBulkFiller (Unknown)
mrreliability (Unknown)
(Unknown)
Pissed off in maintenance (Unknown)
nokneck (Unknown)
(Unknown)
irritated w/useless idiots!! (Unknown)
Lost contract (Unknown)
Joliet Bulk Filler (Unknown)
JolietBulkFiller (Unknown)
(Unknown)
we all friends (Unknown)
Joliet Bulk Filler (Unknown)
(Unknown)
mmreliability (Unknown)
Sorry, but you are wrong. My name is Jeff Swing and I was Maintenance Manager @ Kay (Greensboro) from 2007-2009 and Engineering Manager @ Atlatna from 2009-2010. I was fired for doing Doug Parkinson's and Bill Nicholson's dirty work. I posted out of my dislike for Ecolab, not for defined personal reasons. As for Putch, he was a valued resource for me on CAST issues and I will back his play anytime. You all are right, $$$ runs the world for Ecolab upper mgmt. If you need further information, I'm not hard to find.
JS
678-794-1660