Great for shareholders and land surveyors. Not great for any one else. - Anonymous employee Midwest Employee Review

2.0
11 May 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get a pay-cheque twice a month. Overtime opportunities do exist if they are busy and almost even mandatory. Very-laid back atmosphere as they are not situated downtown. Very friendly receptionist, she should get a raise. Their accounting department is superb. They also have an on-site gym in Calgary.

Cons

This is a privately-owned land surveying company. The attitude towards land surveyors is they own the company (and shareholders), which they do. The board of directors is almost 100% land surveyors, so for any bonuses and perks that is received, the majority of it goes to the surveyors and the shareholders. They do not have a great benefits plan, they do not match RRSP but they do provide every ALS with either a nice new black fleet truck or provide them with a gas-stipend. They promote that it is a employee-owned company. This is a lie and a terrible marketing scheme. It is a shareholder-owned company. No employee is even offered shares before they are deemed worthy, some employees may wait more than 5 years to be offered shares, but if you are not deemed worthy by the board of directors and your manager you will never be offered shares. Information about becoming a shareholder and any of the financial information about the company is kept behind closed doors, for obvious reason. They low-ball their clients and are considered to be one of the cheapest land surveying companies in Western Canada. Because this is a relatively small company, the room for growth is extremely small. They would rather keep employees doing one thing until they burn out before even considering them for a raise or a promotion. I've heard from shareholders, that the bonuses shareholders receive compared to what the low-level employees earn is drastically different. Some land surveyors have a very "I am better than you attitude" and/or bullies other employees.

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Midwest Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to leave some feedback. Yes we are an employee owned organization. There is a process involved when being offered the opportunity to be a shareholder in the company, and employees from all parts of the company are shareholders. The information on becoming a shareholder is available on the internal website. If you have any more specific concerns you are welcome to contact me directly at jodonnell@midwestsurveys.com.

Explore other reviews about Midwest

4.0
19 Jan 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Money is good but you will have to really work your best to earn it.

Cons

Working with clients can be stressful

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Midwest Response
4y
Thank you for taking the time to contribute to Midwest's online presence. You're right, our client service expectations are high and they take everyone's cooperation to achieve.
1.0
19 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The gobs of money I make from equity in the company, the pay cheque. They all afford me fancy cars and multiple homes along with retirement savings and being able to fund my children's education.

Cons

For too many years I have felt ashamed for making copious amounts of money while other staff struggle to make a living. Whay i have gathered by being a shareholder is its our job to protect our investment and claim as much revenue as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time possible with the least amount if work involved believe this needs to change. As an organization, we need to treat ALL staff on the playing field the same way. We need to understand that its not just ourselves making money but ALL of the staff make money for this company. The non shareholder are the biggest reason all of us are filthy rich. That says something. We need to share the wealth with everyone in this company equally to retain staff. Not everyone can afford to live on $23 an hour anymore. We need to do our best as owners to ensure that everyone employed with us is financially taken care of.

2
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Midwest Response
1y
Thank you for sharing your opinion so candidly. As you know, Midwest's shareholder group is comprised of individuals from various positions throughout the company; administrative, field, technical, professional, and management. This is one of the best things about our ownership structure, it's representative of all positions within the company. You're right, it does take every employee to achieve success. That's how Midwest has defined success in its Value Statement. "Our success is defined by engaged employees, loyal clients, and a bright future for us all." I'm open to discussing this further, identifying where you feel we're not living our values. Finally, I'd like to share that Midwest routinely benchmarks employee pay ranges against industry-based market data. The compensation structure of any company is comprised of more than just an hourly pay rate. If you have questions about our pay structure I'd encourage you to reach out to me. Thanks again for contributing your voice to our profile. You can reach me anytime in the Calgary office. Yours truly, Kelsey Poxon, CPHR Corporate HR Manager
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