Lifetouch Reviews

Pros

I have the opportunity to improve my photography. I have met amazing people, both customers and other employees.

Cons

Uncertain schedule: We dont know our schedule from one week to the next whether we have work or not

Daily schedule: in the course of a 6 hour work day, we have up to 30 sits ...lately its been closer to 24 with 2 photographers/sales consultants....thats an average of 12 per photographer....leaving us 15 min to photograph families and show our work..its just not possible

Not enough time to do our jobs, let alone well
Long hours 2-3 hours of drive time, set up days are brutal, work day can easily run 10-12 hours
Customers, even in a church setting, can be very cruel.

Give up the best part of the day, losing time with family to do this job and grossly undercompensated for it. Church division works evenings and Saturdays. By the time you get home on a Saturday night after working all day without a break...the earliest you get home is 7pm

Advice to Senior Management

Need to pay employees better. Create better opportunities for advancement, Leave Saturdays and Sundays alone. Dont schedule anything after 4.

Pros

hiring hopeful and well meaning people.
making marvelous portrait memories,
The oportunity to learn a decent job at a low but liveable wage

Cons

dissapointing so many hopeful and well meaning people with abrupt changes in philosophy, leadership and management. Ask how many LNSS pesidents in the last 6 years>
Convoluted customer service that ruins the memories the photographers try so hard to create
Right place at the right time means doors open....but rarely. and slam just as fast

Advice to Senior Management

take a little risk, for gosh sake.....Esop is not the be-all end all, but also is investment money for the future of all the new folks that hope to have the opportunity you had. Thwy are losing faith fast.

Pros

The retirement benefits are great

Cons

hour and low ball offers for promotions

Advice to Senior Management

don't be so cheap when offering the job to the right person

Pros

Flexible Hours, No experience necessary they have all the tools & support to get you where you need to be, Self Development, Constant recognition not only from your boss, but your boss' boss, and even corporate. Great relationships with co-workers & guest. Good Insurance Plans. Option to join in ESOP. Tuition Reimbursement. Fun, energetic atmosphere.

Cons

Not enough room for advancement. Hours conflict with daycare/family schedules. Not enough hours to share with many team members causing staffing issues often. During off peak season (After Christmas) Opened only 48 hours a week & Managers are suppose to work 40 of them. With closures at 7pm one day 2p another 5p another, it's hard to get hours in.

Advice to Senior Management

The company has quite a lot of employees that have been around for years. You are great about giving them Recognition, Pins, Rings,ect but you took away yearly meeting which inspired us all more than everything. I get it, you have business to run; it can get discouraging having so much passion for your job and as manager of your studio there is no where else to go from there. You're limited to your small space. And as far as being manager, it seems we're just the full time employees with more work to do, because we are not alloted the time & pay to "manage" our studio or employees because often time we are the only ones there running it.

Pros

The one thing that has been the best has been some of my fellow employees, some have become good friends.

Cons

The absolute lack of respect, being threatened with job loss if you speak out, no decent compensation for years, incompetent and dishonest management, safety code violations, labor code violations and corporate insensitivity.

Advice to Senior Management

Try and remember that we are human beings, not drones, and not all of us are supplemental household incomes; i.e. retirees or bored housewives. We do have to work there, if something else was available, alot more of us would take it. Should this economy recover, you may be in a world of hurt. Most of your employees flat out don't care for you at all.

Pros

Good experience working with different people, clients, and posing.

Cons

Never work with different lighting. Compensation for hourly wages is terribly low for the amount of work, and knowledge one has shooting, creative process and sales. Undependable hours. Could be called in for a couple hours the night before or morning of.

Advice to Senior Management

Ten minute slots are very unrealistic around the holidays. Most people are very frustrated with this and are waiting past their appointment time and already have a poor attitude before they get "into" the studio. Pay a little bit more 8.25 seems very, very low. Or least pay each associate according to how well they work, ambition, attitude, and skills.

Pros

Lifetouch is a good place to work to get some work experience. It is good for people who don't like a desk job and have energy, and of course enjoy working with children and teens. The office was organized and with weekly meetings and employee mailboxes, communcation and updates were on point most of the time.

Cons

The only other major con is that the work is seasonal-Spring and Fall have the most hours, with summer being slow unless you can get in at the studio.

 The pay is low, but you can get small raises as you go up (I was just working there temporarily to help with bills so I chose to stay only as an assistant.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow more creativity. The photos are nice, but they sometimes have the 1980's glamour shot feel to them.

Pros

Good retirement plan. Company stock

Cons

Not loyal to emploies. Many full time emploies get less than 30 hours a week

Pros

Beautiful Corporate work location. Sells good Products, but other than that not too many good things to say, about how the company operates internally.

Cons

Poor work delegation which led to long work days, poor technology, poor benefits and work life balance, poor pay, poor job growth, poor moral!

Advice to Senior Management

Executive leaders need to review how the company is ran from the top down...Too many different company policies, which lead to confusion, and frustration.

Pros

You travel to a different school every day. Never boring. Some schools were very pleasant. Enjoyed working with children. Training was sufficient for job.

Cons

The biggest downside was the nepotism and inequality of salary, promotions, etc. That really dragged down employee morale. Some schools treated us very poorly for no apparent reason. Other schools did not allow us a meal break. Getting even just a bathroom break some days was difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

When it comes to promotion time, look at employee's experience and performance instead of friends and family who gossip and backstab. Don't rely on formal feedback from employees because in bad work environments, employees fear retaliation....and with reason. Insist that all schools schedule the photographers a break of some sort, even if it's just 15 minutes to eat quickly and go to the restroom. When you're working 9 or 10 hour days, you need a break. If those things changed, the photographers would be happier, the pictures would be better as a result, sales would go up, and schools would be happier.