customer service representative

delivery driver

production

warehouse worker

service à la clientèle

Canadian Linen & Uniform Services

I'll try to talk about this in a neutral state of mind.

Started in summer of 2021, I was told in the interview and read online that it is very physical which was true, it is very physical and I expected that which is fine.  If you're use to actually *working* its not too bad but I wouldn't suggest this job if you're coming from a desk job.

Typical day involves coming in around 6am to prepare your route for the day, some load the day before if they can to get a head start on the next day, others do it that morning which I don't suggest because sometimes you're waiting for a spot on the loading dock resulting in leaving late.  Organize your invoices making sure there are no errors (There are always errors that need to be fixed) The job is advertised as 4 10hr work days but some days are longer than others.  I have a couple that are about 12hrs and a couple under 10.  

A common issue I find is the production plant is behind a lot of times on the supplies for the routes so you either have to wait hours for your stuff or start your route short handed.  Several times I've had mat shortages and customers could not get serviced as a result or I would end up deciding who to skip in order to service someone else.  (Robbing Peter to pay Paul as they say)  The company doesn't always have the supply to meet the demand yet they eagerly sign up another customer despite not having supplies, this isn't a management thing more so a head-office share holder thing.  

They advertise that steel toe boots are provided plus medical benefits etc but you don't get anything like that until you pass your 6 months probation so keep that in mind.   There also seems to be a constant staff shortage like a lot of places lately.  If someone calls in sick and they have nobody to cover the route it simply doesn't get done and that employee comes back with 2 days of routing to somehow complete which isn't right.  If you're sick it shouldn't be your responsibility to cover off your work afterwards.  If a sales rep picks up a new customer they just throw the stop on whatever route is there to the point where some routes have too much work on them.  

I find myself feeling stressed out a lot and waking up several hours earlier with my mind racing and worrying what kind of day I will have as a result and going into work extra tired.  

Some good things about the place is there is good money to be made if you're willing to put the effort in, simply getting a customer to renew their contract gets you a commission, returning full racks of coat hangers gets you commission, routes that stay overnight at hotels get a really good meal allowance paid out monthly.  If there is a holiday you get that holiday off, work your regular day off in lieu and get an extra 10hrs of pay on your next pay.  If you have a good relation with some of your customers they will give you free stuff (coffee, snacks etc).

The union is kind of a joke, has never had any meetings or communication about anything since I started and they put up with too many issues from management instead of trying to do something about it but also keep in mind a union is only as strong as its members.  

Coming from working nights at a former job to doing day shifts with weekends off here is rather nice and I feel people take that for granted.  We work a 4 day work week, many having a long weekend as a result.

I reported directly to the fleet manager and performed short-haul driving services between Vancouver and Kamloops. 

I found the fleet manager to be an expert in his field, very helpful and supportive of the drivers need to keep the trucks in top shape and ready to run. Any reports of defects to the fleet manager was dealt with immediately. The fleet manager was professional enough to brief the driver of any repairs done to his assigned truck prior to his shift starting which was very refreshing to see in this industry. There was no sense of frustration between the driver and the fleet manager. 

Their double-deck shuttle trailer similar to a car hauler configuration has very high centre of gravity, manual air bag release that's slow to reinflate, and no sliding axles; requires careful loading procedures to ensure load is balanced properly. The trailer is very low to the ground and will scrape the dock ramp if you don't wait long enough to reinflate.

Their location is transit-accessible. 

There was good work-life balance in the trucking job. 99% Chance of sleeping in your own bed and not needing an alarm to wake up. Scheduling has some built-in flexibility so your runs are not too rushed. 

This was one of those rare moments in trucking where you felt respected as a human being and as a professional driver.

As long as you pay attention, follow instructions and have an eye for detail, you'll be fine. Lots of reading, scanning, organizing orders, and restocking. If it's slow, find something to do or they'll send you home. The work isn't very difficult, but if you have issues with heavy lifting at times, it might not be the best fit. It's a dusty environment and can be noisy. There are some positions where heavy lifting isn't usually required like sewing or embroidery or printing the orders. Benefits aren't amazing, but not trash either. Pay is slightly better than what most warehouse positions offer at $18/hr. Uniforms provided and offer a pair of work boots you can order every 2 yrs. Management appreciates accuracy, efficiency, and a willingness to cross train in different departments. Not sure about advancement beyond that scope. They treat staff to lunches for special occasions. You also get long weekends and holidays off that are paid. 6 paid sick days annually, and can use vacation hours accrued. Some colleagues are great, others are extremely toxic and should be avoided if possible.

To My Fellow Canadian Linen Employee,
I know exactly how you feel — overworked, underpaid, and worn down by a company that treats you like you’re replaceable. I’ve been there. For years I put in the hours, kept the plant running, and used my skills as a Class 4 Power Engineer. But no matter how hard I worked, the respect and support never came.

Production and drivers might have union backing, but skilled staff like us are left outside of those protections, carrying more responsibility without the recognition or security that should come with it. It’s not fair, and it drains you — day after day.

I finally reached a breaking point. I left. And I can tell you honestly: it was the best decision I ever made. Once I walked away, I found work where my skills mattered, where I wasn’t just a number, and where I could actually breathe. I got my energy and my pride back.

You don’t have to stay stuck in that system. Your skills are worth more, your time is worth more, and you are worth more. Don’t let them burn you out and convince you this is all you deserve. There are better opportunities out there — ones that will respect your effort and let you grow instead of grind you down.

I left, and I’ve never looked back. You can too.

— A former employee who’s finally free

This company was a great place to work many years ago, many incentives and a management that cared, and had a say as to how to treat their employees. This is no longer the case. The direct managers that run the service department today are under immense pressure and are given totally unrealistic goals and time restraints that are inevitably passed on to the customer service reps. The morale and atmosphere that permeate the working environment due to all of that pressure is unbearable at times. I've witnessed many reasonable people fly of the handle and crack under the stress. It was almost a daily occurrence. There is literally not enough time in the day to complete all of the quotas required. There is just enough time to fulfill the loading/unloading and deliveries for the day, provided you don't take lunch or breaks, which almost no one does. Any complaints or requests for overtime will get you a "leave, if you don't like it here" comment from management. This company has sucked the life out of almost everyone I've worked with over years. Great pay and benefits are not worth the long term physical and mental side effects.

Had to leave job due to medical issues, was unable to stand on feet for long shifts.

The company shifted regular route drivers to 10 hour days 4 days a week. You either get Monday or Friday off, except when a holiday occurs during the week then you get the holiday off (with pay) and have to work the other 4 days of that week. Meaning you earn 48 hours of pay (those 8 hours are not at overtime rate because it's 8 hours holiday not worked hours).

Management is good, they work hard, willing to jump on a truck when not enough hands to help get routes done available due to call outs, vacations, etc.

Support could be better when busy in winter months but because management is on a truck when down 3 or more drivers for a day got no one to back ya up on those days when needed.

Stress is so/so for the job, you have sales quota's you need to hit but for the most part those are easy if you dedicate yourself to the job and it's goals.

No overtime required.

All in all - Great place to work, amazing pay for what you do, at the end I was making about $25 hour on average due to route commission (3% of all deliveries), bonus renewal commission and direct sales. Which is amazing pay for a delivery driving job.

My day would consist of coming in a half hour early to set up coffee station at most times. I would then greet all early employees to make sure to see who was in that day. I would then do my bank deposit each morning at 7;30 sharp. I then would send out all incoming email enquiries. I would also answer a 5 cisco phone line for 16 Canadian linen branches. I then would retrieve the mail ,that would be between 1 to 3 bins of mail. I would open and mark for appropriate branch. I would then stamp mail and send out all outgoing mail. every day usually consists of a very busy phone. The hardest part of the job would be not wanting to leave at the end of the day until everything was done. The most enjoyable part of my day was helping all customers that called in ,especially the angry ones , that I felt accomplished that I would make them laugh and feel better at the end of our call. I also enjoy talking with all my co-workers who I became good friends with.

management and upper management are very disorganized, no actual systems are put in place to help the employee succeed (just a bunch of videos you gotta watch), there were never any real meetings held for you to voice your problems (it was always one on one with a manager and sometimes 2 managers JUST so that they can put down your ideas and make all your complaints your problem)
no one was held accountable for a thing, especially management 
Never had a week where we had everything we needed for the customers, if anything, many times the customer still had to pay for things they didn't get, and the employee is left to take the blame every time
VERY obvious discrimination is based on whether the managers liked you, and that liking wasn't based on the employee's skill or work ethic at all.


a typical day includes entering everything for your branch... eft's credit cards and cheques but you're under pressure to get everything done fast. 
and I wasn't fond of the supervisor asking personal questions at my desk.  I don't need the whole floor to know everything about me .. It was unprofessional and none of her business.  plus I felt like if I had different interests then everyone else i was left out of stuff.  I felt like the outsider the whole time i worked there and i was there longer then a lot of the people. I didn' t feel included.  I remember someone asking everyone but me if they could pick something up .. .I never felt welcome and for awhile they went through a lot of staff.   a couple of times by the time I learned their name they were gone.

This place is the worst establishment I have ever worked for bar none. All the time I was there I never saw or knew of an HR department, very strange considering the size of the company.  We the drivers drove trucks that were defective and highly unsafe. Customers  were constantly furious with this evil company because they were being cheated of their monies on a regular basis. Drivers meeting early every week, overtime was almost never paid even thou overtime was worked almost every week. No clock to punch even thou we are paid hourly so how was overtime calculated or tracked, it wasn't dummy.  I have never been so nervous and depressed the whole time I worked for this evil company. My advise to all reading this never go near this place, it is EVIL.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 52 salaries reported	$28.14 per hour
Delivery driver 4 salaries reported	$30.91 per hour
Production 6 salaries reported	$21.21 per hour
Warehouse worker 6 salaries reported	$21.10 per hour
Service à la clientèle 3 salaries reported	$24.76 per hour

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