Solid job starting out, but lack of individual reward leads to burnout - Project Specialist Graybar Employee Review

3.0
21 Jul 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Graybar offers a solid 8-5 job, with really good benefits such as stock purchasing/payouts as well as 401(k) match and profit sharing bonus.

Cons

Graybar doesn’t do enough to reward employees on an individual level, unless you want to count being handed more work and responsibility. As Graybar has increased their overall salary schedules each of the last two years, individual annual merit raises have pretty much been capped off to coincide with those (Ex. Graybar increased salaries by 3% in 22’, my merit raise was 3.63% that year so really only .63%) so doing a good job over the course of the year wasn’t really getting you any individual reward over the next person. Just more work and stress to go with it. Your Graybar experience will also vary based on the size of the branch that you work in. If you work in a small branch like me, you’ll be asked to wear a bunch of different hats and do a bunch of extra work that really shouldn’t apply to your job but because your branch is so understaffed you have to step in and just do it (help walk in at the counter, run to the back to receive shipments, etc.). This is again, more stuff that is added to your plate that Graybar doesn’t see a need to really reward you for.

Explore other reviews about Graybar

5.0
11 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Strong department leadership in current role

Cons

Many senior team members with decades of stored brain knowledge that is hard to share

3.0
6 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Many opportunities to learn about distribution and management. Pto is three weeks per year plus holidays and over a s Week of sick time. If you work here longer, you can buy enough company shares to receive a sizeable dividend each year. You are allowed to buy about 5% of your salary in company shares per year and then receive usually 20% of that back per year. The profit sharing plan contributes 10% of your salary to your 401k account but you need to be vested to keep it all.

Cons

You will need a second job to live. Sales reps make way more and do half the work but they report to their managers much more. If you are a CSR, sales people feel entitled to treat you however they want and their manager will back them up. You are watched by coworkers and management like a high surveillance prison especially when you're new but they will leave you alone if you're good at your job after a year or so. Graybar brags about how much revenue and profit they make but middle and upper management suck it all up leaving scraps for the workers who made it for them.

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