Hate Your Job? Be Glad You Don’t Work for These Companies

Low pay, high stress, poor job security and little chance of promotion – hardly sounds like a job listing anyone would answer.

Unfortunately, employees say that’s the reality of working at some U.S. companies. And complaints like those were enough to land 11 businesses on 24/7 Wall St.’s third annual America’s Worst Companies to Work For list.

In an effort to identify which companies would end up on its list, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed thousands of employees’ reviews of their employers on jobs and career site Glassdoor.com. Companies had to have at least 300 reviews in order to be considered for the list.

We’ve highlighted the top five from the list, including their overall rating by employees. The ratings range from 0 to 5, with 5 at the top.

1. Books-A-Million. Rating of 2.0. Employees complained of high stress and low pay. 24/7 Wall St. said one employee wrote, “to[o] much stress for the pay, very low pay, low chance of promotion, hours are based on magazine and discount card sales. Even if you’re normally good, if you have a bad week you get cut.”
2. Express Scripts. Rating of 2.2. Poor work-life balance was the top complaint at this pharmacy benefits manager. However, unlike many other companies on the website’s list, Express Scripts has experienced considerable growth in recent years.
3. Frontier Communications. Rating of 2.3. A number of employees said this communications company is falling behind in communications technology. One employee said, “The reason you can’t hire is that no one wants to work on a dinosaur.”
4. Jos A. Bank. Rating of 2.3. Employees of this apparel retailer expressed frustration with the commission structure, inconsistent product prices, and the number of hours they are required to work.
5. Brookdale Senior Living. Rating of 2.3. Brookdale’s employees are some of the most miserable on the list, 24/7 Wall St. said. Employees mentioned poor management, understaffing, high turnover and an overemphasis on profits.

Click here for the full America’s Worst Companies to Work For list.

Although many companies that earned the dubious distinction of being named one of America’s worst companies to work for are in the retail sector, 24/7 Wall St. said not all retail employees are unhappy.

Scott Dobroski, associate director for corporate communication at Glassdoor.com, suggested that pay plays a big part. “We know that compensation is the number one factor job seekers consider when determining where to work.” Starbucks and Costco are examples of retail companies that offer benefits or pay above the industry average and that employees rate highly.

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