Working here felt like self-harm. - Recensione dipendente - Dipendente anonimo presso LifeFormations

My passion for themed entertainment was boundless until working here. I was excited to try my hand at a type of position I'd never held and generally am still grateful for the chance my supervisor took on me. But there was almost no training, nothing official - No cybersecurity training, no welcome videos, nothing even close to what one would consider "corporate." At first, I didn't mind this, seeing it as a casual atmosphere despite the pressure of the projects. This was quickly replaced by confusion, constant question-asking, and paranoia that I wasn't doing things to standards. My boss wore so many hats that he was tough to get to at most times; He was busy managing two departments and almost the entire IT of the company. Also, I inherited a workspace that looked like a tornado had run through it, and was expected to organize it on my own time rather than when everyone else was present. I won't get into my personal health here, but just know that this job gave me multiple problems. All I got was flack for being in enough pain that I couldn't be there. Changing tasks on a dime is constantly expected for anyone who isn't an engineer, 3D modeller, or plastics/casting person (Apologies for not knowing the exact term), and yet, every task you get distracted from is just another that piles up and is expected to get done regardless. Like other reviews have stated, everything is an emergency because almost nothing can seem to get taken care of before it becomes an emergency. As a result, employees are "rewarded" with time crunch, mandatory overtime, and burnout. It's also not uncommon to see specific team members get told to focus on preparing for a project that hasn't even been announced to the rest of the company yet. This crunch culture often resulted in figures that barely functioned, or literal all-nighters for people assembling them. I understand that the clients LF works with expect a lot of them - I truly do - But if the projects can't be done healthily, they shouldn't be taken on in the first place. Outside of all-nighters, working until 7 or 8PM every night was common for many of the "grunt" work folks, myself included, while management left at 5PM on the dot almost daily. To take from the very comprehensive Oct 16, 2022 review, here are some things that were still not solved when I left: No dedicated break room with kitchenette (break area and kitchenette are always dusty and dirty due to the shop environment). No accountability to keep the refrigerator clean. No HR department (The woman who did the HR duties on top of her other job was amazing, but there needs to be a dedicated person for it). No welcoming committee to help new employees integrate. No tutorials or media to help with learning your new position. No dedicated time set aside for training new employees. In addition to the above, some other quality of life issues that need to be addressed are: There are no janitorial staff; Employees are expected to take turns cleaning the bathroom despite their already-busy schedules. There is no IT person, not even an outsourced company who handles it for us; Computers are mismatched, often out of date. Some even are questionable as to whether they work. One employee in particular who held a high position in the company often clicked phishing links that lead to possible data breaches. Frequent mice in the building, with employees expected to set traps and empty them. Inconsistent, uncomfortable temperatures in extreme weather in the many non-climate-controlled parts of the buildings. Most obvious of all, the building and its parking lot are simply too small for the company. They need to invest in a space triple the size to support their massive projects, if they want to continue taking them on. Things are misplaced easily, shoved into corners, thrown under tables, stacked too high, and improperly stored just to make sure there is room to work. It's, quite frankly, embarrassing and dangerous. Like I said at the beginning, I was deeply passionate about working in TE before this. Now, I just feel empty. I've gladly moved on to a workplace where I am appreciated, feel physically safe, and am not under any ridiculous time constraints. Don't work for LF until they've completely changed their ways.