funeral director

directeur de projets

groundskeeper

branch administrator

directeur de succursale

Arbor Memorial

What is the best part of working at the company?
The client-families are the reason that any dedicated employee joins the funeral industry. The connections made with families and likeminded colleagues are unforgettable.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Seeing coworkers deal with the negative effects of workplace harassment - yelling, misogynistic comments - from management. It is stressful being in a hostile work environment, having HR complaints and diversity, equity, and inclusion survey results blatantly ignored/unaddressed. Manager walking into the funeral home with a "playboy," hat being the same one who tells the women colleagues to wear skirts. Stressful to be unheard, to see management treat families differently based on socioeconomic status, pressuring widows to spend more. Psychological health and safety heavily ignored, even by those attending the training online and leave the room several times during it.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Varies on management. Some locations, there is camaraderie, trust, safety, and collaboration between all levels - management, directors, other staff. I have had some of my absolute best work experiences there, with coworkers, directors, and management. I have also had my worst experiences there. Some locations suffer from harassment and hostility. HR is in Toronto, "human," should be replaced with "company." 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Doing what you love - helping others. Coordination with director(s), reception, attending visitations and funeral services. Some heavy lifting. Driving.

I work weekdays from 8am to 4pm, but my commute is 2 hours each way taking the Go Train and TTC. 

A typical day at work for me is looking at the highest priority issue in my ticketing system and addressing it. These issue's range from a branch being without internet access, their phone system needing to be modified, Blackberry's that need to be activated, computers that need to be re-imaged and sent back for use, and everything in between.

I've learned how to use software tools like Microsoft SCCM, Active Directory, Avaya phone systems, Blackberry servers and Office 365. Using these tools enabled me to participate in multi-million dollar project completions.

My co-workers are team oriented, hard working and reliable. It's been a pleasure working with them and would again anytime. In particular my director, and my VP of information services. They are truly amazing to work for.

The hardest part of my job is working through some the "red tape" when working on projects, which require dealing with third party companies and their lack of proper process to get things done.

The most enjoyable part of my job is the days when I've fixed big issues and going home I feel like I've made a huge difference because it's impacted hundreds of people in my company is a positive way.

There is basically no interview. They sit you down and tell you how rich you are going to be and how you can make your own hours. They never once asked me a single question about myself. 

They also fail to tell you that if a family cancels their deal within a year of making it, you must pay back your commission. It doesn't sit well with me knowing I work for a company that takes thousands of dollars out of their employees pockets.

Management is not good. They do not treat staff nicely, only the ones that have been there for years.

New people get no leads and are expected to find their own.

Lack of proper training, they send you out on your own and when you fail to sell they get mad but do not help you.

You are only allowed to claim 35 hours on your timesheet per week but they force you to stay in the office for at least 50-60 hours a week.

They teach you to up sell to grieving families.

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

THE REPORT THAT CBC MARKETPLACE DID ON THIS COMPANY IS VERY ACCURATE!

This is a completely toxic work environment.  The worst management I have seen in decades.  Some staff are favored, and the rest are left to themselves.  One in 4 weekends on call.  No pay for anything unless you sell.  Pay is 100% commission based.  Yes, you could work an entire weekend and literally get paid nothing.  Favoritism, nepotism, patriarch run company.  If you enjoy being bullied, stressed, having sales taken out from under you, being humiliated in front of your co-workers, then this is the place for you!  I have been in sales/customer service for a few decades and have never seen the likes of a company being run so poorly as this organization.  Perform really well and you could be bonused with a $25 gift card.  Wow, what an incentive.  You are constantly expected to upsell to grieving families and individuals.   Look elsewhere if you value any part of your dignity. 

First, I'll tell you that what they say during the interview is true:  you can earn lots of money.  If you're ready to deal with working super long weeks, phoning hundreds of people, and managers who care more about their own numbers than you learning, then this job is great.  If you can shrug off the stuff and are an amazing salesperson, then this job would be great.

But if you're like me, enjoy the occasional weeknight to yourself, enjoy having weekends, and want to get paid for your time even when you don't get sales, then this job is not for you.  They use a recoverable draw, so if you have a couple weeks without sales, then that draw eats up any commission you do make.  And, while they tell you how terrible it is to start doing sales, they won't let that stop them from yelling at you for not making enough sales.

There's a super high turnover of people in their first year, and I can see why.  It's a lot of work and the management gives a surprising little amount of thanks.

Can be lucrative for those who are self motivated & creative.  Former top producing employee with over a decade at the Scarborough branch.

Zero leads, zero mail drops, zero support.  Minimum wage forced upon the company as a result of a former employee complaint to the Labor Board.  However, as soon as you make a sale, you have to pay back your minimum wage from your commission.  Claw backs for every cancellation no matter how old the sale so, you have to be quite adept to cope with disappearing pay!

Manager at Scarborough branch is dishonest, deceitful and wouldn't know the meaning of "integrity" if you hit him over the head with it!
Watch out for what you enter in CRM because the Manager steals your appointments and re-routes them to other reps.  

New reps are afraid to ask for the Manager's help because he ridicules and belittles them.

The fish is his pond get more attention than his reps.

Typical day at work can be fast paced but fulfilling at the end of the day because you were able to serve a family in a time of need.
What I learned in this business is to live life to the fullest and that I greatly enjoy serving the community even in the most extreme circumstances involving a family and their loved ones.
Management I believe is important because it brings structure and helps to initiate ideas and team builds staff. I was fortunate to have a good manager.

Workplace culture was at times stressful because you wanted to be the best at serving families but it was also rewarding because you worked as a team.

Hardest part of the job was striving to give to all families the best quality of services also while keeping up with demanding side of your administrative duties.

Most enjoyable part of the job is knowing that a family was served to the best and that you were part of that team.

A typical day involves a meeting with all of the sale representatives and then independently working to make phone calls, send emails to book times to meet with people who you try to sell cemetery products and services to. Management does a poor job of training and selecting trainers. Lots of changing rules so it is hard to stay on top of what to expect and hard to get a living wage with the commission. The employees are nice if you follow the rules and are nice but the pay structure will not support you unless you can live off of minimum wage and somehow afford a vehicle. Other representatives are competitive and may take your sales from you no matter how hard you work. It is not true when they say you get what you put into the job. Commission is a game of chance.

When you book appointments people don’t know you’re coming to sell to them. These people are not qualified leads. You don’t even know if they have any money to spend. You can sell to some people who are scared to say no. Most of the time people don’t know they’re going to be sold to so they’re unprepared. Trying to get someone to spend thousands of dollars the first time you meet is ridiculous. People like to do their homework online first. People want to shop around before spending thousands of dollars. Very outdated sales pitch. You will spend your own gas money driving around your vehicle in the evening and lots of times people won’t show up to the appointment. During job interviews you will be told how much you make but most don’t. Do yourself a favour and sell somewhere else. 

A typical day at work is hard to describe, as every day was different. In one shift, I could drive to the airport to do a transfer of remains, be back at work to lead a reception with wine/beer, clean the facilities after that was done, and then set up 60-80 chairs for a chapel service the next morning. Having worked there for 3 years, I've had the opportunity to learn such things as maintain positive work relationships over an extended period of time, manage my time effectively when left on my own to complete tasks at the end of a day. The two most difficult parts of the job personally were the issues that come with an on-call job, and the low pay for the type of work I was doing; often either very stressful, or very messy. That was balanced out however, by the ability to drive company vehicles as driving is a passion of mine.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Funeral director 28 salaries reported	$64,268 per year
Directeur de projets 26 salaries reported	$64,428 per year
Groundskeeper 11 salaries reported	$20.57 per hour
Branch administrator 7 salaries reported	$51,437 per year
Directeur de succursale 7 salaries reported	$54,720 per year

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