The Davey Tree Expert Company Employee Reviews about "davey"

Pros

-If you get into the ol' boys club you will have great job security and can make a decent buck -Because of extreme turnover they are forced to pay hourly employees above average -Can be good camaraderie amongst field employees -Opportunity to get into sales/management at a very young age with little to no experience

Cons

Well where do I start? Let me preface this by saying every individual office is basically treated as a franchise so your experience will vary based on your individual manager. Some managers are probably really good, but the ones I had were an absolute joke. -All management cares about is revenue. The only way to have a happy manager is to bring in lots of production every day. Had a good experience with a client? Who cares, how much production did you do? It's 100 degrees out? Who cares, I need production. No such thing as a valid excuse, literally all they care about is how much money you made for the day. Finished your job early? Expect them to send you more work. Every time you talk to a manager know that the only thing they care about is how much money you made them. -Managers are paid based on profit which encourages extreme frugalness. Nothing is maintained. Everything is treated as run it until it quits. Both offices I worked for had virtual junkyards of equipment that doesn't run and either will never get fixed or won't get fixed until the new year when the managers pay cycle starts over. All of the equipment will have problems that never get fixed. Trucks, chain saws, sprayers, spreaders....you name it, they all have issues that should be fixed but never will -Expect to be slave driven to the point of no life during the spring and summer and then all of a sudden go from 60 hours a week to getting laid off. Rain, 100 degree heat, whatever...they expect you to work. 4th of July is on a Friday? Yep you're working that Saturday. Every other company in the area will be off but you will be working. I've worked Xmas eve, day after thanksgiving, new years eve...they don't care, it's about making money. Don't even bother trying to get time off in the busy season, it won't happen. I mean the manager will take 3 week vacations in the summer, but they will treat you like a piece of garbage if you try and take time off. Then as the work load starts to dwindle forget about dragging it out so maybe you can keep your job for 12 months. They will slave drive you right up until the end of the year so they can make a nice bonus check, and then lay you off or cut your hours to 2 days a week. -As mentioned in the pros, managers are in the good ol' boys club. As long as their office makes money, they can literally do whatever they want. An office I worked for had almost 100% turnover in the 3 years I was there, the manager drank on the job(he would mix vodka into anything and then dump it in a coffee cup to make it look like it was water/coffee), yet he still works there to this day. Numerous complaints were voiced to upper management yet nothing was ever done -Stuck in the dark ages in terms of adapting new technology and techniques. The PHC trucks and programs are set up with ideas from the 90s. Clients are still doing the same PHC programs that were started 20 years ago because the sales team is too lazy to change them and the clients keep renewing every year. New climbing gear and techniques cannot be used because they aren't 'Davey approved.' -Weekly safety meetings that are the same recycled bs every year. If anything is brought up like 'we just talked about ladder safety yet we're using ladders that are 20 years old and about to kill someone,' don't expect anything to change. Current Davey employees know exactly what I'm talking about -The work environment as described makes it really hard to enjoy your job and get motivated to work everyday. There are way way better places to work.

Pros

Working independently and managing the treatments all yourself. Work can be rewarding. Customer interaction can be positive. Great way to learn about pesticides and tree care. Good way to see a lot of the area.

Cons

You have to start early, I had to start at 5 am sometimes. The days can be very long and physical, and sometimes you work Saturdays and do overnight stays. You have to do all the work yourself and there isn't anyone to help you if anything goes wrong. The salesmen can underbid jobs and its on you to try to do it as fast as possible while completing it the best you can. The salesmen have no accountability, and some frequently sell multiple things to a customer that is receiving one chemical treatment just different spray locations. In my opinion the value of the PHC treatments the customer was receiving was very low and the pricing was extraordinarily high. I also had to spray many trees in high traffic areas or in close proximity to windows, neighbors properties, or sidewalks. Many of these trees I had to walk underneath after spraying and could feel drips landing on me. You have to mix pesticides and handle them in all sorts of conditions. I was not a fan of applying pesticides in the rain or I the amount of pesticides I had to apply around backyards sometimes. Some of the pesticides are harmful to non target insects such as bees. There was poor communication between the arborist and the client, and the arborist and the technician. The work is very physical, you need to be comfortable lifting 50+ pounds and hiking and walking in all types of terrain. You need to be comfortable working around chippers, chainsaws, and working in an environment that is dangerous (under people in trees cutting). I would frequently with tree crew be sent to 1 day jobs with 3 people that could have 6+ people working on them. Equipment is used until it can't be any more, sometimes with just quick fixes being applied to keep the equipment operational. In order to receive any pay raises at all you need to get licensing or do the packets that Davey provides. There are 0 bonuses.

Pros

Davey is a huge company and has a lot of opportunities Good benefits for long term employees

Cons

Most locations are underfunded Management is either 100 or 0 Seasonal layoffs depending on location

Pros

Davey and Resource group it’s like a wealthy family. They will adopt you as one of their own. DRG will take you under their wing and treat you like gold, this is hands-down the best job I’ve ever had in my life. Davey gave me a brand new truck, a brand new phone, and a corporate lodging card to purchase a room anywhere I please. DRG paid for my school and paid me to sit through the classes, then gave me a raise after I completed the classes. I have never been treated so well by an employer if you have any problem any kind of problem at all they will help you. Highly recommend Davey and Resource group to anyone looking for an awesome job with tons of room for advancement. I’ve been in the tree care industry 25 years and this is the best job I’ve ever had in my life.

Cons

There are no cons, if you handed me a pencil and paper and told me to write down everything that I could ever want out of a job I would simply write Davey resource group that would summit all up.

Pros

Lots of learning opportunities, training always available, Pat for certifications and there are Davey Tree online courses available to DRG. Great coworkers with amazing attitudes and many likeminded individuals who are all creative. Great health care available and dental and vision.

Cons

Low pay for environmental Specialist even with lots of experience and demonstrated local knowledge that can only come with experience.

Pros

With Davey you receive decent medical benefits and they do offer free continuing education. Option to buy stock after one year.

Cons

Low pay for a very dangerous job. Management doesn't seem to care about employes very much. More focus on production than safety and quality.

Pros

I have been with the company for over 15 years and heald different positions. Its such a large company that everyone will have a different opinion. The company is not slowing down on growth. Davey has good pay lots of hours. There are great benefits like company stock, 401k and health insurance. The company offers a lot of training and you will never stop learning.

Cons

Long hours during during the summer.

Pros

$200 a week with a 15% discount for 20 years at a 10% (average) gain a year gets you over 3/4 of a million. Now put 10-15% into your 401k a year. You can retire around 50 living off your davey stock while your 401k remains gaining intrest without any further contributions and start pulling money out of that at 62-65 you'll be living very well with around $80,000 a year in those retirement years not including social security. Dont let anyone tell you it's bad or dumb to reinvest your money in a company your already working hard for. Chances are they aren't investing but spending and building debt on things they cant afford. Do your research learn about stocks in a whole and diversify your savings in other public companies as well.

Cons

Selling your stock is the only down side.

Pros

Independant, no micro management, work ouside, meet lots of people. Davey constanly educates us in the latest information in our field

Cons

Strict boss about small things not big things