design technologist

technologist

operations representative

customer service representative

technician

Fortis BC

A company that looks really great on your resume, but definitely lacking in some very crucial areas. Most co-workers are nice and are doing their best with a very dated company structure and culture. The cliques have already been established, and the lifers are fine sitting around all day chatting, eating snacks, and taking extra-long lunches, until they get to retire with their big pensions.

Despite being an environmentalist at heart, it looked like a great chance to gain some valuable skills and I assumed as a large, well-known company they would be amazing to work for. When people are away or it gets extremely busy, it's the only time you feel valued; you're involved in all the meetings, contributing to their successes and praised for your hard work...until you're no longer urgently needed. Sometimes you get invited to team-building and fun department events, other times only the "real" employees attend. I've actually been UNINVITED to an event once, because they forgot I wasn't full-time. After speaking to others, there was no real reason why I shouldn't have attended other than they probably didn't want to pay for my time (as it was a very general topic). You are told that there is an opportunity to expand to part-time and maybe eventually full-time, but after they suck you in, you start to realize that it'll never happen.

The project planning was very disorganized and not planned ahead of time, even by one week...so you can never plan any other contract work, projects, or appointments. They make you come in 3 days a week to work for only an hour, when it could've been reduced to 1 or at least 2 days. Some days you come all the way into their Surrey office (which is in the middle of nowhere), only to find out that they actually don't need you. You're constantly hunting down and asking all the managers for work to do every hour, and some of them guilt-trip if you don't check in often enough, even though you end up not logging in any hours that day. They act like it's YOU that is wasting their time!

With the amount of money this company makes, there really is no excuse for not being able to improve everything I have issues with. Even if I'm not full-time, my time should still be valued and respected. I have been treated much better at MUCH smaller companies. This job caused a lot of feelings of anxiety, inadequacy, as well as never really being part the team. I am still happy for the opportunity given to me and for the work experience, but I don't have the fondest memories working here.

IU worked 2.5 years for FBC Electricity. With a Spineless Union that couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag, to Team leaders who contorl who gets a permanent position and where SENIORITY means absolutely nothing, to screaming customers who are choked about their bills and the fact that a SMART Meter was being litterally forced upon them at risk of cutting their power if they didn't take it. One team lead who blows his own horn and loves the sound of his own voice and looks for any excuse to dump on call centre staff. Who picks his friends and cute girls to fill permanent positions as opposed to those who actually earn them. The hours are between 7 am and 7 PM. On the plus side if you like to get fat, everytime new trainee's hit the floor there are Pizzas in the lunch room. People bring doughnuts and muffins from time to time and if you are lucky if there meetings across the hall that are catered you will get to have the leftovers they didn't eat.  Fire drills are truly a blessing in disguise. The actual call center staff are actually really really good and supportive of each other. The lunch room is where everyone tells their horror stories about customers on the phone. Free Coffee or tea or Iced tea. Free office supplies, for use in office. They do support you if you have a PHYSICAL disability and will accommodate you with Special chairs or Keyboards and now most desks are stand up sit down desks. Great view of the columbia river and every so many months you switch to a different desk. Just don't ever tick off a Team Manager for any reason or they will make it their personal goal to make your life miserable and get rid of you whatever it takes. If you are a Temp, kiss butt, do whatever you are told, don't miss a single day and make sure your metrics meet their demands or you will never see permanent and the Useless union has a little clause that if you work there for more than a year as a temp they have to give you permanent or get rid of you and hire more temps.

Even though FortisBC employees are part of the Cope Union it gives you a false sense of security. The probationary period is not the standard 3 months and is based on the 1st 1200 hours of continuous employment. For someone who is part time working 20 hours per week it would take years to complete. I was let go one week before passing my probation. I never called in sick and was never late for work. I was never told I did anything wrong. They do not need a reason to let you go. The salary and benefits are much better than industry standards but you cannot have a mind of your own. You have to learn quickly to adapt and form cliques or more senior employees who don't share your enthusiasm will bad mouth you to everyone and move you out! There are not many opportunities for advancement and when an opportunity comes up and even if you are the most qualified applicant it is given to someone who has 2 minutes seniority over you. The most enjoyable part of the job was talking to customers and solving any problems that they had.

This is a great job to gain experience working in customer service in a office/call center environment. But be warned, when being hired as a customer service rep you are at the bottom of a large pyramid. The opportunity to be promoted or work in another department is very rare. Scheduling is very strict. You have to work your life around their schedule, they will not accommodate. You have to book time off a year in advance, and just because you booked this time a year in advance does not mean it will be approved.  At first I felt like a valued member of a team but now I have realized I am Just another number. If you're looking for a stable job just get you to retirement this job would be ideal.  But keep in mind you'll be given more and more work to do without a pay increase. The thing that's mainly keeping me here is the pay is decent for not having to do any hard physical labour. 


What is the best part of working at the company?
Work truck is new , tools are adequate.  Best part is working in a different location everyday . Summer is a great time to be outside . Most of the work can be done with out talking to management which is nice . 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management is very difficult,  extremely self serving management team 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Pretty depressing as management does not value internal employees , they prefer expensive contractors 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Several different locations 4 different jobs a day generally . Work truck is monitored as if the usa president is driving it . Location speed braking etc . As a result the job feels like a delivery driver job . Which is not enjoyable when the work itself is so much more involves then dropping off a parcel .

Fortis had a great training regiment and excellent and supportive management, that was where the positives end. Dealing with tons of disgruntled customers about their bills, trying to defend an awful company such as Fortis. They fast track you before you can get a handle on things in the areas where you are comfortable because they are short staffed because everyone quits or is on stress leave. The turn over seemed really high. They used to pay above average compared to minimum wage, as minimum wage in B.C has been climbing roughly a dollar a year, Fortis has not kept up. 

As this is a call center job, they do monitor your every minute. Since you need to log whenever you're away from the phone for any reason such as lunch, breaks, or bathroom. They are quick to follow up to, if you take too much time writing your post call notes (crying from the stress) they pull you aside and remind you of the targets. 

•	Provide a high level of customer service and satisfaction through effective call handling.
•	Respond to emergency calls, provide and obtain information in accordance with established emergency procedures – Initiate work order for immediate action/dispatch.
•	Utilize multiple software/applications such as SAP, Microsoft Outlook to fulfill customer requests e.g. duplicate statements, reference letters, billing history, meter read schedule.
•	Handle FortisBC Customer Service’s general inbox with customer’s inquiries and requests. 
•	Provide support to marketing initiatives via email and perform data entry on rebates and credits.
•	Process refunds, credit balance write offs in SAP, Provide administrative support and perform billing related activities.
•	Process Pre-Authorized Payment Plan forms for withdrawal on customers bank accounts.
•	Excellent interpersonal communication skills.

Tons of politics. Need to be favoured in order to rise to the top. Managing up is the #1 skill for success, and no one is held accountable for leaving chaos with direct reports in their wake. Very disappointed that employee surveys do not exist, ever. There is a prevailing fear that 'since we may not be able to action the results, we better not get employees to tell us if they are engaged or not'. Chicken and egg problem which is never going to be resolved. Select HR leaders, even those who outwardly champion inclusion and diversity, show immense favouritism, micro management and two-face natures. In general, peers and non leaders are fine, pay is good and office facilities are well maintained. 

A reasonable place to work with great security, but sub-market pay for professionals.  

Management cares about individuals and work-life balance is respected.  However, non-trades positions are put into 5 salary bands and pretty much everyone is in the 3rd band.  As a result, professional positions such as engineers, business professionals and accountants are paid about 20-30% lower than the BC median.  For instance, a 10 year professional engineer would make about $80k, where their peers would make around $100,000 for a similar position.  There is no possibility for salary negotiation.  As a result, I've observed many departures in the past 2-3 years and difficulties hiring top talent.

Similarly, job culture is stuck in the 90s - it's fine, but lags behind peers such as BC Hydro, Telus, but perhaps still ahead of government.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The co workers you meet really help make the day go by a lot quicker and you make lots of meaningful work relationships.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management. You are under a microscopic lens from the day you start. Whether it be your call length, saying hi to people, or taking a personal moment after a tough customer interaction. Managers in the call centre only care about the service levels the report to the BC utility commission and nothing else. They make it “fun” by bringing around a candy bar every other day. My honest opinion, if you’re looking for work. Go elsewhere.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Peer to peer environment is fantastic. Management is very toxic

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Design technologist 38 salaries reported	$6,327 per month
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Customer service representative 36 salaries reported	$26.65 per hour
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