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Sofina Foods

### Review: Working in the Sanitation Department at Sofina Foods

**Position**: Sanitation Worker  
**Location**: Sofina Foods

Working in the sanitation department at Sofina Foods has been a fulfilling experience with both its ups and downs. Here’s a comprehensive review based on my time in this role.

#### Pros:
1. **Job Stability**: Sofina Foods offers a stable work environment with a steady paycheck. The company has been around for a while and has a solid reputation in the food industry.
   
2. **Good Benefits**: The benefits package is robust, including health insurance, dental, vision, and retirement plans. There are also opportunities for overtime, which is a great way to increase earnings.
   
3. **Sense of Purpose**: Ensuring the cleanliness and sanitation of food processing areas is crucial for food safety. Knowing that my work helps maintain high standards of hygiene and prevents contamination is very rewarding.

4. **Team Environment**: The sanitation department fosters a sense of camaraderie among coworkers. We often work in teams, which helps in completing tasks more efficiently and safely. The support from colleagues makes even the toughest days manageable.

5. **Training and Development**: Sofina Foods provides thorough training for new employees and ongoing development opportunities. This includes training on the latest sanitation practices and safety protocols, which helps in performing the job effectively and safely.

#### Cons:
1. **Physically Demanding**: The job is physically demanding, involving a lot of standing, lifting, and bending. It can be exhausting, especially during long shifts or when covering large areas.

2. **Work Environment**: The work environment can be harsh, as it involves exposure to cleaning chemicals and working in cold or wet conditions, typical of food processing facilities. Proper safety gear is provided, but it’s still something to consider.

3. **Repetitive Tasks**: The nature of the job can be monotonous, with repetitive cleaning tasks. This might not suit everyone, particularly those looking for a more dynamic role.

4. **Shift Work**: The sanitation department often operates on shifts, including nights and weekends. While this provides flexibility, it can also disrupt personal life and be challenging for those with families or other commitments.

#### Overall Impression:
Working in the sanitation department at Sofina Foods is a solid job with several benefits, including stability, good pay, and comprehensive benefits. The sense of purpose from maintaining food safety standards is a significant positive. However, the physical demands and work environment can be challenging. It’s an excellent fit for those who don’t mind manual labor and value job security and teamwork. For anyone considering a role in sanitation within the food industry, Sofina Foods is a respectable and reliable employer.

Don't expect to be trained without having to hound your coworkers for it, since that's apparently not the supervisor's job to ensure you get sufficient training and there's no official trainer either.

As this is an older plant (at least 60 years old), expect everything to break down at any moment and if a task seems easy, expect something to go wrong and take way longer than it should due to ridiculously old and beat up equipment or shoddy plant construction/renovations. The structure is sound, but contractors across all trades have mentioned how horribly built/designed it is, which I can unfortunately confirm. The equipment is old and breaks down often, though it will never be replaced as long as it can somehow be resuscitated from the brink of death it deserved years ago. 

Expect to work alone. It can be utterly grueling some days because of that, to the point you won't have a chance to even take your breaks. Even if there are other shifts or coworkers, be aware that they are also busy most of the time. And expect to be blamed for things going wrong due to forgetting minute details you're only told once in the midst of the bustle of a work day (usually by a coworker just as confused as you are) and/or poor communication between upper management, department supervisors, other shifts, and yourself. That's the case, at least, for things/tasks outside of your daily tasks. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Had a pleasure of working with some of the most genuine and amazing people who taught me the tricks of the trade.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The work is stressful, but you get through it with the help of the people around you and it makes work less stressful. Unfortunately for me, I had a horrible manager that made work more stressful than it is - constantly made you feel useless, set you up to fail by not providing you support and expected you to know everything you were never trained on, asking for help/clarification was like asking to be insulted for not knowing something, lack respect for employees, constantly providing negative feedback (makes you feel like you're no good for anything)...I could go on and on...
But like any other job, the people you work with/for can either make the job feel safe and stress-free or make the job more stressful than it should be...

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic culture of needing to get ahead no matter the cost. A lot of hostility on the floor because of lack of support and frustration from not being heard. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Get berated by manager when asking for clarification on any pending issues, people coming to you to ask questions because they were 
scared to ask the manager, fix other people's work because your manager doesn't want to confront the employee who's been bringing the team down even when you've brought it up multiple times, trying to survive the day with all the work and hope you do not have to see/hear your manager so your day doesnt get worst.

The job itself depends were you work . The wages vary slightly ; jobs vary drastically . There are light and easy jobs   and there are heavy and very physical jobs . The jobs that are the easiest and require thinking pay the most . The management is not wanting to help you . Is a dog walk on dog to the top . If your lucky you get a nice boss that treats you with respect . I was lucky to have had many good people as my boss . Also is how you treat your boss . I don't care how hard a job is as long as I have a great boss . I will not work for anyone that does not truly respect me as a person first . I learned not to look at the clock and to focus on getting the job done no matter what . Co - workers are sometimes can cause stress and I found that pushing myself to help them and letting them know that I will be there to help them has made many people like me and changed them as well . The hardest part of the job is dealing with other workers and sometimes the boss can be in a bad mood and will not want to talk to anyone . The best part of the job is the feeling that I accomplished the task at hand and feels good to go home ;job well done and the payday feels good to know I work for this and spending it feels great too . I love working in the cold and wet doesn't bother me . I enjoyed working at the most physical jobs as I love to work out and this place gives you that if you want that . The pay is very good and the dental and medical is the beat you can get .Overall I spent 35 years working for this Company and never once thought about leaving as it was a good safe place to work .

If you think your last workplace was intense and painful, you got another thing coming when you apply to become a butcher/ meat cutter. Things to note, the most common pain you will recieve when going into this line of work is the repettative motion and that production is top priority! Sometimes we work with 4 deboners on the line and the speed doesn't change at all! The same goes with the whizards and trimmers on the line. The work is fast paced but the pain within your wrist, fingers, shoulders, lower back is all in all not worth the sacrifice and the mental stress. I have seen so many faces come and go and I worked here when the new department just opened, 2022. If you think you can meet the requirements, here it is; Skinning, 25secs or less to meet the every other block on the line. Whizards are required to do a piece at least 25secs or less. Deboners are required to do the aitch bone in 15 secs or less. The center bone are required to do at least 15 to 17 seconds a piece. Trimmers, on paper required at least a minute to trim. Now with all of this, just know you got to be able to throw all of that in the garbage because it does get intense and overwhelming. When i say, 15sec or less as an example. I mean less. Sometimes we gotta go at least half that time or even more. This job will makes you not feel human but more or less like a machine that has no conscious and I struggle everyday to feel good that I work here. So, with all of this being said, please think of your health and find another job.

My experience working at Sofina Foods/Lilydale was disappointing, especially regarding safety and workplace culture. Following a tragic incident in 2023 where a worker lost their life, it became evident that the company has significant gaps in enforcing health and safety protocols. Unfortunately, meaningful improvements have not been implemented, leaving many employees feeling vulnerable.

Advancement opportunities are limited to those who maintain appearances rather than addressing real issues. This creates a toxic environment where employees with genuine skills are overlooked, while those who avoid transparency are favored.

The quality of production also leaves much to be desired. Witnessing the processes firsthand has made me question the standards of the products, which could affect consumer confidence. While some hardworking employees are doing their best, their efforts are undermined by poor practices and lack of accountability at a systemic level.

I would not recommend this company as an employer or a producer.

I did many jobs working at the table working various machines and sanitation.When i worked afternoon shift i was a lead hand and completed product runs,working the machines and paperwork.The other workers were good people and we worked well together.It was a fast paced work environment with priorities.The job was making various poultry products for grocery stores and restaurants.I learned the many processes involved in producing a finished meat product.
The hardest part of the job was trying to get a particular food product out and having no raw product or a machine breaking.Rules had to be followed and we would have to wait then attempt to get the product out. Most enjoyable part of the job was getting our work completed and getting ahead of the game.For the longest time it was a friendly family like workplace with good competent supervisors,After change in ownership many left and were replaced by fellow employees,Upper management were still good and able but the work floor turned into  a soap opera. I still enjoyed working there and missed many aspects of the job and people.

been working there for 2 years. im looking for another job. its a horrible place to work the supervisors are bullies and HR aswell as the union Local 175 are useless. they do nothing to help which causes people to quit. alot of workers do not like the union and do want them voted out. 

they rip you off weekly....if you dont check your paystub then you are asking for it. they will try to not pay out meal bonuses ( you get 7$ extra if u stay past 4pm) they love not paying that out! ive fought with them many times to the point where ive given up and try to not even stay till 4pm.

if you try to take your full 15 min break or  30min lunch they will say you are late....i still take my full break tho because i go by Ontario Law and i am protected by it if they try anything. union local 175 couldnt care and only worry about people paying union dues.

Local 175 likes taking union dues off everypay you get including vacation pay which i find very greedy. why pay union dues for a week i wasnt there....? 

they dont care for your safety at all so please becareful and watch yourself. they will overload you with work thats meant for 2 people.

I have worked at this plant for approximately one year. In my experience, the work environment was challenging, and I ultimately decided to leave due to management practices and overall job satisfaction.

The plant has a strong odor both inside and outside the facility, which may be difficult for some employees to adjust to. During my time there, morale often seemed low.

One of my main concerns was the management style. I felt there was significant micromanagement, limited employee autonomy, and a tendency to place blame nighshift staff when equipment issues occurred. Communication between management and employees could have been better, and I often felt that employee concerns were not taken seriously.

Another issue was that employees were expected to provide many of their own tools, whereas other facilities I have worked at supplied toolboxes and basic tools for maintenance staff.

There were many hardworking and supportive employees at the plant, and I appreciated working alongside them. However, the overall work culture and management approach were not a good fit for me and for many others. 

I can start out by saying there is no typical day at work for a project engineer at Sofina. Days can start at 5AM or like most normal workplaces at 8:30AM all depending on the project and its location. As a project engineer I manage capital projects that are being implemented at 21 facilities across the nation. Being a private company, a dollar holds an extremely heavy value hence requiring Project Managers/Project Engineers to be extremely thorough with projects in the design stage. A variable overlooked can undoubtedly cause over expenditure which as Sofina is a crime. As a result my attention to detail skills are constantly being honed. At Sofina I've developed both soft and hard skills. My interpersonal relationship building and communication skills are constantly being utilized while the engineering technical background is of equal importance. Although gone through school for engineering, I have learned a lot outside my field of engineering especially the electrical side.

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