conseiller en vente au détail

commis d'épicerie

pharmacist

relocation specialist

caissier

The North West Company

There are a great deal of positives working for the North West Company offices in Winnipeg.  The compensation package has been excellent, as have my bonuses.  There are some fantastic people working in the trenches.  NWC has evolved a great deal over the past years as many external hires have been brought on for positions, often in cases where no job posting was put forth for internal candidates.  Further, when starting a new role no training is provided, or very little resource.  Everybody is very busy, so often you need to figure things out for yourself. 

Senior management often say one thing, then do another all together. Many of the VPs just have a fixed mindset and shut down those that have other solutions.    The business is very top heavy.  Lots of VPs, EVPs, etc.  Each one of them protects their "empire".  The VPs management styles have divided the business into silos.  (Even though Sr. Management is in denial).  Cross-department Collaboration has improved greatly over the past years, mostly due to the efforts of middle management.   If senior management would back off sometimes the efforts of their teams would actually create a more harmonious work environment.

There are a lot of meetings that happen in the NWC.  The culture surrounding meetings in the company is frustrating.  Many times people schedule meetings with people without looking at stakeholders calendars.  It is not unheard of to be triple, or quadruple booked for meetings throughout the course of the day.  People arrive late to meetings, so often they don't start early or end late.  Meeting rooms often get booked up for non-business purposes, and make setting up a meeting challenging.  The CEO put forth a meeting policy with the best of intentions.  No meetings are to take place on Wednesday mornings so individuals can complete work.   Further, meetings must be scheduled between certain times of the day and not through lunch .  The VPs are the first to break these rules often citing how busy their calendars are.  Even though this is brought forward through direct communication with VPs, or through escalation through unofficial channels, nothing changes.

One of the NWC 's core principles is "Work-Life balance".  This phrase is thrown down like a buzz word in the company.  Throughout all aspects of the company (stores (especially stores) and the offices very little Work-Life balance exists.  This is a retail business.  the realty is that we must attack certain items with a great deal of urgency to meet time lines.  However, in efforts to lean itself out there have been many reductions to the work force over the years.  While the intent is good to put savings into retails for customers, and capital to improve the condition of our store network, the reality is that there are not enough people to complete the work, and a great deal of salary dollars tied up in          executives.  Further, when these decisions are made little to no though is given to who will pick up tasks that are critical.

There is a reminder every 3 years or so that you are just a cog in the wheel.  The company seems to restructure for "the best fit" to support our stores.  There have been a great deal of fine individuals "restructured" over the years.  

The company lags behind from a technology standpoint.  Antiquated systems, and a loss of knowledge of these legacy systems and very slow transition to adapt to newer software/technologies is making supporting our customers and remote staff more and more challenging each and every day.

Direction isn't always clear, and goals aren't always defined.  There is lots of time wasted because work is assigned without proper QQRT, or that work is assigned outside of people's roles or capabilities.  This results in multiple "do-overs", or multiple groups completing work.

This likely sounds overwhelmingly negative.  It isn't.  For the most part I enjoy going to work.  You learn to tune out the items above.  Despite all this you are still given a chance to use your brain, and develop solutions for unique problems.  I have learned a great deal working for the North West Company.  The compensation is strong, including bonuses. 

I have spent many years in this company and they are pros and cons and it’s up to you if the pros outweigh the cons.

You get a house, you get a food allowance, you get flown out for vacation. Now all of these are taxable benefits so it puts you in a much higher tax bracket and it makes it so that you make a lot less money.. in theory you make more as you’re not paying any rent, electrical heat Internet or food as long as you stay within your allowance, but all are deducted from your pay after having amounts added to your pay.

When you fly out for vacation, they fly you to the closest international airport so Edmonton, Winnipeg or Montreal, and that is also a taxable benefit which will raise your taxes and make it look like you make a lot more money take for example if you’re working in Nunavik, and you say have a child and a spouse. If you take both your trips that year that you were entitled to you were looking at about $36,000 in taxable benefit so for a good portion of the year you’re looking at making a very little amount of money as they take back that $36,000 .

There is a little to no resources in many of the communities you’re paid a salary but you may need to work 60 or 70 hours a week instead of the 37 1/2 you’re paid if you ask about that and say that you’re not paid enough you’re told that that’s the highest you can get paid for your store level if you can prove that your store level should be higher because your sales and volume are higher than stores with a higher store level in the same company and with more auxiliaries you’re told to stop asking about it .

When I started in this company, there was a lot of very long serving managers and long serving head office execs since the president changed as did the vice presidents. The company has gone a little downhill and is not looking at a work life balance, but at profits and a lot of managers and head office execs are not lasting nearly as long as they used to.

If you were in a bind and need a place to stay and wanted a chance to save money to go do something else later on it’s a great job. If you have kids, probably not for you, as the schooling is not great in many communities, some are not very inviting, and you were going to be working quite a lot. But again, if you’re a workaholic, looking to save up for a house or something else, this is a great job..

Most of her office has never worked in the stores, most of only set foot in the communities for a few hours at a time and don’t understand the stress, drama and unexpected life explosions you can deal with, but you will see places most people will never see.

There is a member of the head office, making YouTube videos about how much of an adventure this is. most of you will never live that adventure., as most communities need you working extremely long hours just to survive..

Keep in mind that there is a few or no amenities as some communities have some things to do or restaurants and some have absolutely nothing. Most communities have sewage tanks in your house and water tanks so if the sewage truck or water truck isn’t running, you don’t have sewage your water if Something Happens you don’t have either. If there’s a four-day blizzard you’re running out of sewage and water so if you’re a person who likes the creature comforts of the city, it’s not for you if you’re an old country boy or girl you might be able to do it OK.

I recently had the unfortunate experience of being associated with NWC, and I cannot stress enough how utterly disappointing and frustrating my encounter with this organization was. The lack of concern for people and the abysmal management practices were enough to make me question the company's ethical standards. From the moment I joined NWC, it was clear that the management was more interested in their own agendas rather than the well-being of their employees. There was an overwhelming sense of disregard for the concerns and needs of the workforce. Employee morale was low, and it's no wonder why—there was no effort made to create a positive and supportive work environment. Communication at NWC was nothing short of a disaster. Important information was either withheld or delivered haphazardly, leaving employees in a perpetual state of confusion. Requests for clarification or assistance were often met with indifference or brushed aside entirely. It was as if the management team took pride in their inability to effectively communicate with their staff. Incompetence seemed to be the defining trait of the management team at NWC. Decisions were made without proper consideration of the consequences, resulting in significant setbacks for the company and unnecessary stress for employees. It became clear that the management lacked the necessary skills and experience to lead effectively. The overall organization of the company was a complete mess. The management's complete disregard for work-life balance was appalling. Employees were expected to work long hours with no recognition or compensation for their efforts. Personal lives and well-being were sacrificed in favour of fulfilling unrealistic demands set by a disconnected and out-of-touch leadership. The disregard for the mental and physical health of the workforce was disheartening and indicative of a company that cared more about profits than the people who made them possible. It is abundantly clear that NWC prioritizes profits and self-interest above the needs and happiness of its employees. The lack of empathy, transparency, and competence within the management ranks is truly disheartening. I would strongly advise anyone considering joining or doing business with NWC to think twice and look elsewhere for an organization that values its employees and operates with integrity. NWC is a prime example of a company with a toxic and uncaring management team. Their complete lack of concern for people, coupled with their gross incompetence, make them a disastrous choice for any individual or business looking for a positive and supportive environment. Save yourself the headache and disappointment—steer clear of The North West Company at all costs.

I am going to write this review in a way that I would have appreciated reading before applying, because it would have made me think twice.

So first, I will admit, most of my negative opinions of this company are directly related to the place in which I was posted. However, from my time with this company I have come to find out that these problems exist everywhere a Northern or Northmart are, and you will find many more unhappy employees in the arctic, than happy ones. So here are a few issues.

1.) Pay. 
You will be expected to work above and beyond the hours you get paid for, which is 37.5 and not a penny more. Too bad you might actually be working 50+ hours and never get time to enjoy the beautiful location you now live. Also, while they pay your housing and most of your food, you still get deductions and after paying all of the extra shipping costs for anything you may purchase/need, you're saving a lot less than what you imagined. This becomes exceptionally less if you have a family and/or pets.

2.) Management.
What you will come to realize about working in the arctic, is that people with crooked intentions tend to be the ones who are most successful. I had to watch exploitative and illegal behaviors happen from upper management, and be unable to do anything. 'That's how business is down in the North' will be something you hear FAR too often. 

3.) Families
If you have children, turn away right now. This is not a job to take if you have children, because the company does not care about the wellbeing of your child. You will be stuck working ridiculous amounts of hours while your kids suffer at home. If you put your foot down and say no to benefit your family, you're 'not a team player because everyone else is', or they will just shame you during team meetings. 

4.) Pets.
Definitely do not go if you have pets. The expense of pet food is incredibly high and if something happens to your animal while up there, you're looking at an expensive plane ride to accompany your vet bill. 

I hope this review was helpful. I would only recommend this position to single or couples not looking at having children anytime soon, who already have a bit of money saved. While I worked with the company I saw so many people up and leave before their first year there because they couldn't take the stress or work environment, and that costs a serious amount of money. Don't screw yourself over by moving for this company to just come home to nothing.

Overall the environment is positive.  Hours are flexible, pay is fair.  I have been given great opportunity to learn, and be part of a process that matters.  The open office concept is challenging as it can get quite loud.  NWC has a notorious culture of many meetings, with little action coming out of them.  The culture within the building is to book meetings at times that are convenient for the planner, despite the availability of others.

Systems and data are somewhat backwards compared to other major retailers, and this makes gathering reliable useful information challenging.  New systems are being rolled out with poor training, and were first rolled out without considering the needs of the operations teams or the support group that works with them.  

Leadership preaches "Personal balance" as it is a core principle.  However, like many retail operations theory fails to match reality or principle.  Timelines are intense, and Top management seems to walk all over the principles and guidelines they put in place to promote personal balance in the name of getting stuff done as it works with their timelines.

Performance reviews are hit and miss.  Often have i gone through a year only to find out during the last business quarter what my annual bonus is based upon, despite making requests  throughout the year.  Bonuses are paid out fairly.  

There are a lot of great people that work here, and that have worked here.  Every couple of years there seems to be a "purge" of individuals as structure has historically changed on a 3 year cycle.  Knowing this makes it difficult to focus at times given the instability.

Equal opportunity is not given to internal candidates that apply for positions.  And a lack of respect is given to them to give them insight why they were not chosen, nor is a development plan set to help the employee meet their goal.  NWC seems somewhat addicted to hiring external candidates vs. promoting within.  And when someone takes on new roles, or is new to the company it feels like little thought is given to training new candidates.

Overall I believe NWC wants to do good by the people that make it great, but sometimes the individual silos within the organization seem to compete and get in the way of any meaningful improvement.

If you are ambitious and hard-working, self motivated and goal driven then working at NWC will be a challenging, but rewarding experience. NWC is unlike any other retailer in North America, due to the remoteness of store locations we often find ourselves finding and making solutions to problems most companies don't even know exist. People in the communities we serve will always need merchandise and it's our job to deliver in the best way we can.

As a long-term employee (10+ years) I have worn multiple hats, I've seen many different sides of the business and I still feel like I am constantly learning. More than half of the time there is no "typical day at work". You must be adaptable to change working for this company (this would stand true for any major retailer); any complexities you would encounter in a normal corporate retail environment are compounded by the knowledge requirements ahead of time and all the work that goes into finding the answers (Will it work? Will it ship to our remote locations,? Does it meet the needs of our customer base?). This is especially challenging as often times one is required to go outside their comfort zone/area of expertise to find the answers to these questions. But if you aren't afraid of asking these questions, going the extra mile, connecting different parts of the business together, then the payoff is extremely rewarding.

The hardest part of the job is sometimes the lengths we go to make these things work are just to get to a base level of operations, and the political hoop jumping can become tiresome, but the best part is that the learnings and connections you make along the way can shape your career beyond your expectations.

NWC sugar coats the entire hiring process.  They tell you that you will make so much money... no rent...no food expenses... Well, that's is true, to a certain extent.  It is added on to your pay as taxable income and you don't get much back at the end of the tax year..  So because your gross income is so much, you are taxed so much. 

Another point: if you aren't working at the moment, you will be.  

Expect very long hours.  High turnover rate for regular part time and full time employees.  Nobody shows up on time.  Be expected to work short staffed and do the work of 4 people.  

Mental health wise, you really should reconsider it if you have some issues.  You will be alone. You will be homesick. You will be sad.  

Health services is very scarce and most of the time in the communities, they only will see you if it is an emergency only. If you are not a local or a band beneficiary, you will not be able to see the physician or dentist.  

If you do make a request to the company for something, expect a very long delay in getting an answer.  And also expect to get a vague, probably diverted answer. 

The workplace is also a major factor in this.  What a lot of people do not realize, is that a lot of the more mature management with the company have substance abuse issues (i.e. alcoholism).  This company disregards its employees and does not have any trust in them when they are in need of medical services or for personal reasons. 


The good things about working with NWC is that you will make money.  If you are SINGLE, NO CHILDREN OR DEPENDENTS, ARE OKAY WITH BEING SEPARATED FROM FAMILY, AND ARE OKAY WITH HAVING LITTLE TO NO SOCIAL LIFE, this is a job for you. 


Good luck to you all...

Signed, an employee who is trying to get out...

Took training in Winnipeg and once at the store it all went out the window. The culture they want doesn’t exist in real life. Sent to a store with no training. Crooked managers were there who did illegal activities and eventually got fired. Our housing was abysmal, at times broken water, intermittent power for months and then power cut off for a couple of weeks, broken furnace at the store in work area. The house was HEAVILY smoked in, even though Winnipeg drilled into our hears to not smoke. Once home all our belongings reek like smoke from living there. We are non smokers.

Community disliked the store so hard to get help within the community. Felt like we were dumped there, high and dry, Winnipeg tried to help but the logistics are so bad eg. we waited months for proper bedding. I had to crochet us a blanket for the bed since we were cold and blankets ordered from housing took months...sick of sleeping with our coats etc. Over us. There were no blankets at the store. One example of so so many. 

We stuck it out for months but could see that the company was simply unable to find honest managers who would stay and cultivate the things the company hoped for. There was no housing or store preventative maintenance and no one seemed interested in starting.  I was not willing to stay another winter with broken furnaces and seemingly little help.

 It was all a bad dream and we left after 8 months.

I would totally do this all over again! However I would have asked for much more money as I found myself very underpaid for the area I was placed. I should have asked for at least 10k more. My store manger was very lazy and expected his team to pull double time while he came to work late, and left early nearly every day. Most of my training was "figure it out myself" When I did ask for help my management team only stepped in once I was drowning and only by getting others to help me not themselves.Had I been in any other community this may have been an amazing experience but I was bullied by more than one of the department managers and the store manager was more interested in watching the drama than doing anything about it. 

In short, I had no choice where I would end up. the people and the culture was amazing. Working for the company means that I had to learn how to "Play Games" as well as do my job. Once there I was basically stuck there. So I either had to make it work or go home. I chose to stay and make it work. i learned a lot and grew in ways that i never would have had I not gone. Every job comes with good and bad. The good is just that good, but the bad is what helps us grow and become more. Don't be afraid of the bad just learn how to be better than it. if I could do it all over again would I? ABSOLUTELY YES!!!!   I would just have asked for much more money....

NWC is a massive company to say the least!  With retail banners literally across the world from the high arctic circle to the summer side Cost-U-Less locations in the Caribbean.  As a member of the Norther Canadian Retail- General Merchandise Dept. there are highs and lows to the job, just like in any other corporate setting. 1 fail would be that due to the amount of people at head office there is a "high school click" mentality- that can become toxic with gossip and bullies.  But the wins out weigh the juvenile actions of a few immature bad nuts by far.  
The NWC management Leads; support there employees, provides extended training in numerous manners and prioritizes work life balance to keep one's mindset level and energized.
Another amazing aspect of working for the NWC is the travel opportunities depending on your role.  Having traveled to 20 out of the 25 communities just within  Nunavut( some several times a yr) NEVER gets old.  The nostalgia of the north and friendly community members we service, always welcome me with such hospitable open arms.  This alone is something I will cherish and carry with me for the rest of my life.  IF your on the fence about applying with NWC …don't be- it's a wonderful organization with numerous Dept. where you will find "YOUR" fit I'm sure of it.
Look forward to meeting you at the water cooler - you soon to be Norwester!!

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