Life at Bartlett, employee perspectives

[Nish]

Btw, Nish, where in N.C. are you?

Chapel Hill. Yes, I've heard good things about Heartwood, and we do know someone there. I love the idea of networking with and learning from other companies out there.

 

[Serf Life]

Good on ya for caring about your employee's future, really nice thing to read. Agreed on the roving around idea, different state, trees, etc boosts the learning immediately.

 

[CanadianStan]

Good on ya for caring about your employee's future, really nice thing to read. Agreed on the roving around idea, different state, trees, etc boosts the learning immediately.

agreed and I really hope your employee still comes back to you

 

[rope-a-dope]

If he has a lot of promise, I’d hesitate to send him to one of the big companies. I’m with one now to learn what it’s like. As an experienced arborist, it’s not been too bad, but for an up-and-coming climber, the pace of opportunity to grow his skill set will be painfully slow.

As was mentioned before, find a good mom-n-pop shop. One in Blacksburg, VA is great for turning hungry people into skilled crew leaders with advanced climbing and rigging experience in two to three years. I’d be happy to connect you, if interested. In NC, Heartwood Asheville will test a climber. They are an insanely skilled team that will push you. It’s grow or go. Check with @rope-a-dope to see if they have room.

Thanks for the mention! The Asheville branch of Heartwood is an awesome group right now. We recently picked up a sixth and part time seventh crew mate. That being said, we only have trucks for 2 crews, max! The Charlotte HQ is always hiring people though, and it's a great company to work for. Education and growth are core values here; we try to be the best, every day, across the board. Take a good look at Heartwood, for the young guy especially.

 

[Bigolebeech]

I work for the Cleveland Bartlett office, my experience here has been predominantly positive.
It is a big corporate company, and has lots of rules and regulations as far as how we work. Most of it is for your own safety and even though it’s a headache at times I believe it’s better than working for a company that will put you up in a hazard tree or let you work in an unsafe manner.
We tend to work in nice areas and the quality of work we do I believe is above average. The office I work at tends to take on the nicer jobs. You will learn a lot, and the company will invest in your training and equipment.

As far as advancement goes, it’s hard to get a raise based on improving at your job, and money seems to go up with accreditation and how long you are an employee. You would probably make more as a climber for a smaller company, but in the long run I believe it to be a good job and even though it’s a large company my local office feels like a disfunctional family.

 

[Mowerr]

Hopefully their raises are quicker than inflation rates tho.
Nothing new or different it's sounds to me. No disrespect to Bartlett but it sounds like how it is working for any of the big, respectable companies. Many pros and cons but pretty much the same pros and cons as the other big ones.
Some people love it some hate it... Might be best for the guy to try both a big outfit and a smaller one. The contrast itself is a good thing to learn about, especially if he or she has aspirations of going for the Long haul or starting their own gig.