Ferguson Enterprises Reviews

Pros

I've made some great friends by working at Ferguson. It's more like a family then work. Everyone, including the executives, go by their first name. People always say hi to you in the hall and hold doors for you if you're walking behind them.

Cons

Morale is lower than it used to be, but that is the same for any business like ours because of the economy.

Advice to Senior Management

Be sure to share information with your employees. Let them know what is going on. This will go a long way.

Pros

For IT folks, there is a steady stream of projects. Mostly, due to technology refresh needs.
Easy access to offices in Newport News, VA via I-64.

Cons

Tech Center building in Newport News, VA needs better HVAC
Slow paced work environment.
Lot of resistance to change.
Weak industry.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in technology to boost sales via the internet. Running the business on legacy systems poses the risk of aging systems.

Pros

Many opportunities for promotion from within. Lots of communication from management. Performance based reviews. Nice benefits package.

Cons

Favoritism to sales side. Most bonuses are based on sales only. No work / life balance.

Advice to Senior Management

Performance based reviews are very nice, however separate reviews should be customized for other departments besides sales.

Pros

Decent pay for entry level (too bad it rarely increases), opportunities to transfer to different locations, 401K match, great place to make lasting friendships.

Cons

In a five year period I got less than $100 per month salary increase and my bonuses actually went DOWN, yet worked longer and harder than ever! Management was completely oblivious to the happenings in the showroom- much more focused on selling pipe and hiring outside sales staff for that side of the business than bringing in a much needed showroom administrator for overworked, underpaid showroom consultants. People who deserve to move up in the company dont, some actually move back, and those that are incompetent seem to be the ones who are promoted.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to what is actually happening in your branch. You have tenured employees who are working their butts off but are completely miserable- they deserve a much needed pay raise and maybe some assistance- your precious inside sales plumbing staff only take incoming calls- showroom consultants take calls, meet with appointments and walk-ins, deal with reps daily, teach plumbers how to install EVERYTHING and still find time to create quotes and portfolios, give them the attention (and pay!!) they deserve!!!

Pros

The other associates were awesome - it was a great environment with the people, benfits are excellent and the company does seem to care about some of its associates.

Cons

When I first started at Ferguson the term "Ferguson Family" meant something but once the British took over it seems that all of that went out the window - now it is just about the bottom line and the dollars. Considering that Ferguson is carrying Wolseley as a whole it would seem that they would leave Ferguson alone but it has muscled its way in and changed the environment for the worse.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of Wolseley as the parent company and go back on your own....

Pros

Management is hands off as long as you perform

Cons

Where to start? If you don't have an X chromosome, don't expect to be promoted or respected. This is definitely a good old boy mentality company. There are numerous discretions that I could sue Ferguson for it I cared enough. Everything from asking people to work off the clock to sexual harassment.

Advice to Senior Management

Come down from the corporate pedestals you've put yourselves on and really find out what is happening in your company. People are extremely unhappy and disgruntled, especially in the showrooms!

Pros

Fun energetic environment where no days are the same.

Cons

Long hours, skeleton crew in periods, not enough vacation and maternity leave.

Advice to Senior Management

Appreciate their biggest assets- their employees and especially their sales force because they are who makes the company.

Pros

Great first job. If you show initiative it is not hard to get involved in the decision process of smaller branches. You have the ability to learn a lot about running a company. The construction atmosphere is not uptight at all. When business is good, the company will expand and create opportunities for advancement.

Cons

Work to life ratio is extremely poor. Expect to work 10 to 12 hour days. My longest day, a handful of times, reached 16 hours. Inventory twice a year will take up 4 weekends of your life each year. Extremely understaffed (mostly due to the economy and the poor performance of sister companies). Expected to sell products based on superior ability to procure and deliver product, however the company consistantly cut levels of inventory and personel to satisfy shareholders and made this nearly impossible to provide to customers.

Advice to Senior Management

Straddling different strategies sends mixed signals, if you are going to cut resources and provide poor service you have to have the low price. If you want your salesman to sell the quality of your service and availability of product you have to provide these things. Otherwise your salesmen are lying to customers and they won't be return customers.

Relationships may be a keystone of selling, but they only go so far. Your customers are also running businesses.

Pros

Pretty good benefits right out of college, decent pay out of college as well. Get to interact with customers all day long.

Cons

Employees don't get compensated for the hard work they put in. Work 50+ hours a week plus saturdays. Management doesn't praise you for doing a good job, but they are quick to point out when you make a mistake

Advice to Senior Management

Compensate your employees like they deserve and you will not have as much turnover

Pros

The training program I had right out of college was actually pretty good and the initial people I worked with top notch. It began to go downhill as soon as we had some management changes.

Cons

The amount of hours I put in were excessive in view of the job requirements. Though part of my training was simple warehouse work, I was never given much of a chance to use the college education I earned. If this is the leader of the plumbing supply industry, the industry is in real trouble.

Advice to Senior Management

The positive treatment of all employes whould go a long ways to improving morale.