A terrible company to work for! - Quotation Specialist Graybar Employee Review

1.0
Apr 26, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not Many pro's, basically it pays the bills.

Cons

This company is all about upper management, making big bonuses on the backs of hardworking frontline customer facing workers. When times get rough, they ALWAYS cut the workers, never management. During this Pandemic Crisis, they went thru every district and eliminated over 200 + positions. In doing so, they eliminated jobs of long time producing employees forcing them into forced retirements in most cases on a service pension that one cannot live on without another job. In my own situation my job was eliminated, and the reason " It's a numbers thing", this is unacceptable! With the economy dead, and without access to one's 401K or profit sharing without having to absorb penalties,this leaves people in extremely tough situations. Then after they eliminated positions, they issued a company wide furlough. Now, forget about the Pandemic for a minute if you can, Raises better be happy with 1 & 2 %, when health insurance, food, and gas prices go up this doesn't cover it. And don't get paid over scale for your position, else HR steps in and eliminates your position. When coworkers screw-off on the clock, with other coworkers to the point where it becomes disruptive, nothing is done about it; at times for hours on end, as I witnessed multiple times. When coworkers watch movies on the clock, or surf the web on their cellphones nothing is done. When it's brought to management, nothing's done to correct it; rather they hide in their offices. When customer orders get screwed up during order entry, Management argues to the defense of the error, not the individual who didn't follow instructions. In all, this company used to regard it's employees as an asset; NOT ANY MORE! Frontline workers are simply Grunts who are expected to generate huge sums of profits, while management keeps getting wider at the beltline. They have a lot more Chiefs than Indians! My friends and customers, used to refer to me as "Mr. Graybar!"; if I ever hear that statement again I will blow a gasket!!

Explore other reviews about Graybar

5.0
Jul 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of experience, hands on learning

Cons

Lack of compensation ( money-wise)

2.0
Jul 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Employee owned so profits are shared with both employees AND employee stock holders

Cons

Graybar is trying to keep pace with the digital transformation of our industry, But, most senior leaders lack the experience needed to execute true digital change. As a result, the company has made several costly missteps. Graybar needs more outside senior talent with a proven track record of building and deploying customer‑facing digital solutions that both simplify the customer experience and reduce Graybar internal labor. Our current AI initiatives are unlikely to deliver meaningful results because our data is too inconsistent to support AI and other inititives. Without significant changes soon, Graybar’s long‑term outlook risks mirroring companies like Blockbuster, Borders Bookstores, Sears, and JCPenney—businesses that failed to adapt when customers shifted to online purchasing instead of relying solely on brick‑and‑mortar service or phone/fax to place orders.

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