Were do I even start? - Anonymous employee PRMI Employee Review

Were do I even start? If you are interested in working at a place that combines the downside of the public/non-profit sector plus the downside of working in the private sector then PRMI might just be the perfect fit for you. The company takes a working professional that traditionally earns a salary and pays them hourly. That’s right hourly. The supposed rationale put forth is to protect the worker. In my humble estimation, this is an attempt at a thinly veiled double speak to protect the company so they can protect their profit margins when things go south. Rather than lay-off or better yet not hire employees they can’t afford they instead use an hourly pay system where employees have to clock in and out. In addition to that, they have a rotating door at every entrance with security cameras that you have to walk through for reasons I never understood other than to slow you down from entering and exiting the building. I found that very odd. It was as though the company itself whispered to you every time you went through those doors that you are a criminal looser mooching from them. In addition, employees are asked to clock out for smoke/walk breaks and lunch breaks. So effectively no one takes any lunch breaks because no one wants to be there beyond 8 hours. This has a major effect on the culture where effectively there is little to no socializing or idle talk and employees mostly keep to themselves. Perhaps for fear of being reprimanded by a superior. I was told multiple accounts of employees being told to stop talking while at their desk. These are actual adults telling other adults to stop talking. What do you even say to that? So, little to no bonding, or relationships being formed so long time attachment to the company is anemic at best and morale suffers. Adjectives I would use to describe the vibe/culture is bizarre, surreal, cold, or distant. At times I felt a character in a Twilight episode. Since the company invests so little in the employees, in turn, they invest very little in it as well. Giving minimum effort. They seem more motivated to avoid extra work than to do great or even decent work. And can you blame them? Why would you when the compensation package leaves so much to desire. For some, in fact, making it very hard to even afford the cost of living. I heard many times during hiring and while working there that they are big on ‘work-life balance’. This term was thrown around like a cheap rag. Feels good to say but hard to do. It’s the classic just cause you say it is doesn’t make it so. The work-life balance is terrible. In contrast, you could say it could be worse. But with the trends of the new workforce and the up and coming generation, this isn’t going to cut it. And they shouldn’t have to settle. They offer the bare minimum standard earned paid days off and sick days after working a certain amount of time. They make it a priority to have people at their desks from 9-5. Emphasizing activity over performance or results. When sitting there working mindlessly buying time is devastating to morale. As for the insurance package well let’s say you have to sacrifice to a significant percentage of your income in order to afford their baseline option. Needless to say, I was stunned at how much it cost. I even found a typo in their pdf document sighting a cheaper option. Turns out it was considerably higher and I had to spend even more to select the insurance package. I submitted a formal complaint which was then quickly ignored. It sure feels nice to feel heard at the workplace, doesn't it? Speaking of not being heard let’s take a moment to talk about the IT department. Real quick though for some context. I have always gotten along with the folks from IT famously everywhere I have worked. But this time sadly was a major exception. From the jump, their attitude towards me would vacillate from indifferent, indignant to sometimes outright hostility. Every request made was met with suspicion and questioning. Mind you many of which were basic requests in order to perform basic functions just to do my job. As for the actual computers themselves, I was shocked at how old and antiquated they were. Half the time I was surprised they would even run a browser let alone turn on. One day I went through three different keyboards before they found one that actually worked. I felt like I was digging around for old computer parts in the back of a thrift store. It was surreal. So yeah there it is. If you haven't noticed I would definitely recommend not working here if you can afford it. If you can't I say to you don't give up and you have my sympathies.