TruGreen LandCare Reviews

Pros

Trugreen pays you for performance, both in production and sales, and pays well in this industry, A strong work ethic will open a lot of doors. You are paid right in line with your ability. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Cons

Trugreen is not for the faint of heart. Work loads are very high in the spring, and literally, non-existent in winter, as you are laid off for a good portion of winter, though you are allowed to collect unemployment during this time.

Advice to Senior Management

Lay off in the winter can be a very stressful time. It means the end of company sponsored benefits,such as health insurance. I think it would be in the best interest of both Employee and Employer to maintain these benefits while the employee waits to come back in early spring. It would certainly make me feel better about my company

Pros

Teaches you how not to run a business. Upper management has no idea what is going on in the branches, heads are in the clouds, or up the ... Of each other.

Cons

Long hours, no respect, little to no idea on how to run a business. They hire branch managers with no field experience or ability to see the big picture of this business.

Advice to Senior Management

Pray, your going to need it. The plug is pulled and your going down the drain fast, employees have lost faith and customers are leaving fast. Mac needs to go.

Pros

- Benefits through parent company (ServiceMaster); medical, perscription, dental, 401k, etc.
- Company issued uniforms which are paid for and laundered weekly. And repaired as needed.
- Bi-annual company paid physical.
- Comaraderie amongst Specialists and outside of work activities.
- Freedom of each Specialist having their own truck and route.
- Exercise in the great outdoors causing weight loss.

Cons

- A workplace atmosphere where there is no spirit of cooperation, and employees are undermined as replaceable. Imput is not taken seriously. No say on how things are done. No positive feedback on where employees do well. Lack of recognition and reward drives the "misery index" up.
- Lack of good direction from upper management. Corporate constantly "tweeking" things in a vain attempt to re-invent the company; Yet missing the mark 9 times out of 10. Instead, falling into the trap of doing the same things over & over again and expecting a better outcome. A group-think mentality of "Lets double-down on what has already been tried and failed!" (Employees had these same complaints 20 years ago!)
- Having middle management tell employees that TruGreen is just a "marketing company", and to "leave your conscience at home!" Made to spray in rainy weather just to hit a $-number.
- High turnover among first year employees who either find that they can't do the job and/or don't like TruGreen's poor business practices/ethics.
- Heavy work schedule. Made to work a lot of Saturdays because of excess employee absenteeism, slackers that don't bring in their weekly quota, or because the entire Region is behind its goal for the month.
- Specialists unable to adhere to Best Practices and the company's "Do The Right Thing" policy, forcing Specialists to cut corners due to unreasonably high quotas/goals. Creating a dilemma of meeting production numbers without compromising quality standards. Mis-measured and underpriced properties add to this problem.
- Winter lay-off, forcing employees to go on COBRA and pay their own benefits. Because of this a lot of guys don't come back the next season.
- A consistantly poor "we-they" relationship between Operations and Marketing Groups at the Region level. The connection between Production & Sales Groups at the branch level ranges from antagonistic to adverserial, but is rarly mutually supportive.
- Marketing is a joke! Annoying sales tactics. Door-to-door "Neighborhood Marketing". Cold-knocking on doors like students selling coupon books. Plus harassing telemarketing, constantly calling existing customers bugging "sandbagging" them to buy more services. "Hail Mary" sales are bogus, and are self-inflicted cancels.
- The dreaded "Fluctuating Work Week" (FWW) payroll method. The pay gets converted from hourly to salary. This legally allows TruGreen to pay "half-time" for overtime, instead of 1.5 time. You end up making less per hour the more hours you work. This is known as "Agricultural Overtime", but is scarcastically called "Chinese Overtime". Yes, it's legal. but it's also unethical!!

Advice to Senior Management

- All of the "cons" listed above is why TruGreen has had 0% growth since 2001! TruGreen got fat, sassy and careless in the 1990's and now we're paying for it. Management must recognize that there is a constant "theme" of problems that runs like wood-rot throughout this company.
- To improve your workforce, the company must have better team spirit and encourage personal growth. Go back to TruGreen's roots of the early 1980's, before the Wst. Management ownership. Employees need to be empowered to fix the company's tattered reputation of being the "bad apple" of the industry. Understand that you need a close knit family atmosphere, with tremendous focus, energetic employees, and a fervent devotion to customer service.
- Realize that there is currently a "commoditization" mentality that is causing a more short-term focus on Return-on-Investment; when upper mgmt must focus on sustainability, quality growth and employee retention.
- Create a working culture of "integrity drives profits" 100% accountability, respect in the community, flexability and a fun, enjoyable place to work. Every employee from Corporate Mgmt on down needs to watch the Tom Peters customer service series "In Search of Excellence".
- Take advice. The best part of advice is actually taking it. Strive to improve internal communication.
- Project a management style that says you have to learn from every mistake you make, because the greatest mistake becomes when you identify a misake, and don't do what needs to be done to correct it. Be open-minded, open communication and team-orientated approach to problem solving.
- Have a policy of never leaving a property just having made money but NOT also having made the customer happy. Understand that a close relationship with employees and customers will carry the day.
- Please come to terms with the reality that compensating employees for the volume of work they produce is a recipe for poor service and dissatisfied customers. Instead you should adopt a non-commission style approach to production pay. Implymenting a compensation of service-based incentives based on quality of work, coupled with fair pay will keep your workforce stable and capable of making your customers happy.
- With marketing, don't just ask for the sale, but stay close to our customers, and ask how they're doing.
- Stop the high-pressure sales tactics. Refuse to just sell something for a quick buck. Discounting services does not say value. Make no promises that can't be delivered on. Remember that people that are pressured into buying are the first ones to cancel.
- Above all else, understand that there is life after TruGreen, as your Associates are getting burned out quickly by working 55+ hours/ 6 days a week!

Pros

Benefits, pay is above average, coworkers

Cons

Unrealistic expections high daily goals management at the local level who do not listen or care

Advice to Senior Management

Put the human touch back in the business

Pros

The base salary was high.

Cons

Infrastructure and people at local level were horrible.
Lack of support in operations side of sales process.
Dishonest practices among management.

Advice to Senior Management

Adopt a company police of truth and follow it.

Pros

Great money. Work by yourself at any pace

Cons

If you are married and have kids dont work for this company especially in thorofare nj. You will nwver get to see your family by them making you work close to 60 hrs a week. Then they make you work on your own truck when only a certified mechanic should be working it. Non of the trucks in Thorofare nj branch meet dot specs. Horrible company

Advice to Senior Management

Start caring about your employees instead of your bonuses.

Pros

The Dallas Call Center is a good working environment. It is indoors in a climate controlled environment. Mostly inbound calls but some outbound required. Pay is good during peak season (March-June). Good benefits.

Cons

Pay fluctuates from peak to off peak seasons. You will most likely be layed off for a couple of months every year due to seasonal staffing requirements. Little to no room for career advancement in the call center.

Pros

The pros of working at TruGreen was that the management at the office level was great. The employees at the branch level was great.Base was satisfactory.

Cons

The upper management have no idea what they are doing. They run the sales force poorly. Extemely low commission compensation. Weekly goal instead of a monthly goal. Not very innovative when it came to sales tactics. Company not knowing what direction it is going in. Unstable work place.

Advice to Senior Management

Make some necessary changes to make the salesman more effective. Better pay structure. Find a plan and stick to it.

Pros

Able to make a good chunk of change if you are willing to put in 12 hour days 5-6 days a week, and benefits offered are above corporate norms. Strong brand name. If you put up the numbers no one bothers you-

Cons

Long work hours, mandatory seasonal weekends, prior poor management has tainted the brand to where previous customers yell at you.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop changing sales/production goals/expectations every few months. Stop cutting peoples pay and benefits.

Pros

With so many chiefs fighting to keep their jobs, you could usually work at your own pace which is nice.

Cons

Complete lack of planning for most major projects and no consideration given for other's workload. Unrealistic expectations of completing huge workload in a small amount of time. Praise is given to those who upper management likes...not to those who deserve it.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat workers with respect and stop running on and on about "Doing the Right Thing" since clearly you don't do the right thing.