Saturday, November 8, 2014

Do NOT Work For G4S Security Solutions

G4S is a private security contractor that is based out of the whole United States and many countries. The office I previously worked for was out of the Chicago office, located at 2235 Enterprise Drive, (Suite 3510) Westchester, Illinois. I recently quit my job and moved on to other adventures in the work force, but wanted to get my story out there. Never work for G4S security and here's why:

I started with G4S in January, 2013 and to say the least, it was not a good year and a half. I quit the company in September, 2014. I worked hard every day I came to work and even worked overtime on many occasions, to help them keep the account. But the personnel in the office did not even thank you for doing the work that keeps them employed. Because if there's no accounts for them to oversea, there's no work for them to do and with that being so, there's no job then. Here's what they may do to you:

G4S will mess up on your paycheck and not pay you the owed money. That would be okay if they paid you in a reasonable time. I had missing four hours of pay on a paycheck and we told the office about the claim and filed a payroll discrepancy. This is what my account manager said; "what checks are messed up, can you re-submit a payroll discrepancy. If you were not properly paid I will absolutely get this fixed." Four months later I still have not see that money.  Another case was a month later as they missed four more hours and that was overtime pay. My site supervisor sent my boss emails and phone calls to get that situated, but to no dice. We sent in a couple payroll discrepancies once again and to no more money on a check. Now a few months later, same as the first check, still no more money received.

Here's where the aggravation arises. After a year with the company, you get a paid vacation. Since I started in January 2013 and took my vacation in August, 2014, I'm obligated to a paid vacation if the proper paperwork was sent in. Which the proper paperwork was sent in twice before I took the vacation and once more when I returned. The paycheck my paid vacation was suppose to be on was 40 hours short and yes, they did not pay me for my vacation. My check was $350 short. That is still a lot of money for me. Yes, I still live with my parents and don't have many bills. But I was counting on that money for school. I had a $480 school payment that day and was counting on that money. Plus, I have a $500 car payment and a $100 car insurance. My account manager told my boss a week later after the hours were missing that they are aware of it and the hours will be added next week. Now we're a month in and still have not received my vacation check. The only way I was able to pay for my payments is that I saved up and had savings. But if someone is check to check, they count on that money and would become a major issue. Like my boss told me if it had happen to him; "I would be screwed and not be able to pay my rent." Luckily I was not in that situation and could manage it. However, that cannot happen and not ethical at all.

My last day of work at G4S and my second to last paycheck from them, I was missing another 8 hours. After this one, I just became fed up and didn't get why they were doing this. With all my paychecks screwed up, I had to get a lawyer to my money. As they do not listen to me nor my boss and refuse to talk to me. That was the only way to retrieve my money and the lawyer plans on getting the money owed to me. I was told they were getting tired of me asking for my money and could potentially fire me for harassment. I didn't get why, so I stopped asking as I needed my job at that time.

Here are a few other instances I have encountered working for them: 1) I was working overnight at a site and I told them I couldn't do it anymore as I was having panic attacks on the way home. They initially told me they had no sites opened. I kept emailing them and calling them, but to no answer or reply. The day I knew I was being transfer is when my replacement came in and I had to train him for two days. No warning whatsoever and no new site was given. I called that morning for a new site and they said none were open. I had to wait another month for a new site. 2) I was offered a new job and I of course I took it. My account manager told me on Friday at 11:00 a.m., if I can show up on Monday. I said I could not as I am not going to be in town. I said I'll come in Tuesday. He said what about Saturday at 7:00 a.m.? I said I couldn't as I had plans being less than 24 hours in advance. He told me I had to be there Saturday at 7:00 a.m. or I would be fired. That just goes to show you, they don't care about you whatsoever and only about their business and clients.

Those are the main ones that I dealt with, but here are a few of incidents my co-workers have dealt with: 1) G4S loves to lose paperwork and blame it on their employees for not sending the paperwork in. One of my co-workers was trying to get medical insurance and G4S lost the paperwork and they kept delaying it for months. They finally got back to her and said for her to re-file the paperwork. But of course it was after the Obama Care deadline and that hurts her but saves G4S money. My co-worker said that to them and they blamed her, saying they wouldn't do anything about her claim and help her. They literally made one of their employees go into tears and didn't care. She kept calling them and they kept ignoring her calls and she was told if she went to the office about this, Human Resources would have terminated her on the spot. How can they do that when she's trying to better her life? 2) Another one of my co-workers was sexually harassed at work and the guy that said inappropriate gestures to her was not even punished. The co-worker at my site was third shift and making $11 an hour. G4S removed him from the site and like rewarded him for doing so. Now he works 2nd shift, doing a lot less work and making $12:50 an hour. G4S supposedly did not believe her and the other girl that was told the gestures. Here's the kicker, he was fired from 3 other jobs for sexual harassment. Maybe that's a clue, but they are desperate for workers and don't care.

These are just the instances I heard and what I went through. But all these cases and more do happen all the time through the company and they need to stop. It is bad business and not ethical one bit. Many people that go through a problem with them or has missed hours accounted for, just let's the problems go. That's what they want you to do as it benefits their company and they save or make money.

If the office does see this, they will know who wrote it and I'm perfectly fine with that. They can't do anything to me as I'm writing in truth and don't work for them anymore. The problems from the office comes down from the GM of the branch, to the account managers and to human resources. No one should be trusted and they will back-stab you in a heart beat to better them self and to save the company money:

I know I will not be making out in my owed money with taxes deducted and the lawyer fees. But that's not my case for writing this article. I want to be heard and make sure people are not being taken advantage of by G4S or any company for that matter.  If you have a problem with a company, speak up because if you don't, the problem will never be fixed if you don't. Member you as an employee work for the company and you help them make money. With that said, you should be treated right and paid for the job you do!

If you do not want to go through my problems or my co-workers problems, DO NOT WORK FOR G4S SECURITY SOLUTIONS!!