30 Companies You Don’t Want to Work For

Applying for jobs? Looking to start a new career? Ever been curious as to the companies most people definitely shouldn’t work for? Almost everyone’s been there. There are plenty of articles out there about the best companies to work for, but what about the ones on the opposite end of that spectrum? The ones that employees deplore and wish they’d never applied to in the first place.

Glassdoor, a job application and review website, looked into finding the worst possible companies to work for, and they definitely delivered.

Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. These 30 companies might make you take a step back and re-evaluate what you’re looking for in a new job or career. So, here are the 30 companies you definitely don’t want to work for and should avoid at all costs.

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Hertz

Employees on Glassdoor gave Hertz a pretty dismal 3.1 rating out of five. Reviews showed that Hertz employees often deal with low income, bad hours, understaffing, and super inconsistent management.

As one of the largest car rental companies in the U.S., you’d think they’d have figured out a better business plan by now. They won’t remain at the top if they run off all their employees.

Family Dollar Stores

On average, employees gave Family Dollar a rating of 3.0 out of five on Glassdoor. This company is so bad it even made the news! Doesn’t sound too family-friendly…

Workers have been forced to stay at the store overnight because of excessive hours, and some employees were working more than 60 hours a week (those overnight shifts were unpaid, by the way).

Steak n Shake

Steak n Shake has a dismal 2.8 Glassdoor rating out of five, too. The reviews state that the company focuses more on customer satisfaction than its employees’ well-being.

Employee morale is super low, and only 29% of employees would recommend working here to a friend. There’s also a pretty bad view of upper management, and the approval of CEO Sardar Bigari is only at 22%.

Speedway LLC

Another company with a 3.0 rating out of five. On the website, Speedway claims to offer “offer a wealth of opportunities with significant advancement potential.” This sounds great, right?

Upward mobility is usually beneficial and good for employee morale, but employees on Glassdoor have lamented about a severe lack of work-life balance, insufficient break time, and lack of clarity and sympathy from upper management.

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The Children’s Place

With a rating of 3.3, The Children’s Place is one of many customer-facing retailers that ranks among the worst companies to work for. Employees often complain about low pay, poor growth opportunities, and little approval of upper management.

Though it ranks slightly higher than what we’ve seen on this list so far, job-seekers should still probably steer clear of this company. Don’t become another disgruntled reviewer!

Regal Cinemas

Working at the movies sounds like fun, right? I mean, you get free admission to movies and concession discounts! However, it’s apparently a major headache.

After the company was bought by the UK company Cineworld Group, things took a turn for the worst. Employees often complain about poor working conditions, understaffing, and low wages. The Glassdoor rating for Regal sits at 3.4.

Union Pacific

With the lowest ranking yet, Union Pacific has a measly 2.1 out of 5 rating from employees. Reviews on Glassdoor show that employees complain about poor wages, but that’s far from the only complaint.

Poor work-life balance, long hours on call, limited opportunities for progression, and only 12% of employees approve of the company’s CEO—seems like one of the last places you’d want to submit your resume.

The Fresh Market

The Fresh Market has a Glassdoor rating of just 3.1 stars out of five. Employees say that there’s insufficient training, inexperienced department managers, and the CEO only has a 28% approval rating.

While the company boasts of being a “specialty grocery retailer focused on creating an extraordinary food shopping experience for its customers”, its view toward its employee experience is vastly different.

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Walmart

Walmart is considered the worst in terms of employee compensation, according to the National Employment Law Project. Employees complain of dismal wages and sweatshop-like conditions.

Considering the number of lawsuits from employees, Walmart had to be on the list. Although not the lowest rating, it still only has 3.3 out of 5 stars to show for itself.

McDonald’s

Maybe it’s one of the highest-grossing restaurant chains in the country, but that doesn’t mean employees are being paid fairly. Employees spend upward of eight hours on their feet, and they lament poor pay and inadequate benefits.

Although one of the higher-ranked companies on this “worst companies” list, 3.5 out of 5 stars is nothing to be proud of. Ranker, a crowdsourcing website, has listed McDonald’s as the second-worst retailer to work for.

Rent-A-Center

On Glassdoor, work-life balance and senior management are the biggest issues at this company. Employee morale is incredibly low, and there’s been some severe financial strain on the company for years. The Glassdoor rating for this company sits at 3.2.

When you work for a company, you would hope you’d be able to recommend it to a friend. Less than half of employees would recommend working at Rent-A-Center to a friend.

Forever 21

Ever wondered why Forever 21’s clothing is so cheap? It’s because of sweatshop-like conditions and failure to pay in-store workers their wages. There’s actually been a class-action lawsuit filed against Forever 21 for failing to pay their employees.

Not to mention 50+ copyright allegations against the brand for selling designer knock-offs. This company is lucky to be rated as having 3.2 out of 5 stars—it should probably be a lot lower.

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Belk

The clothing retailer has a Glassdoor rating of 3.2 out of five and is a new addition to the list of worst companies to work for. Employees claim to feel underpaid and that there’s a major disconnect between the retail employees and senior management.

While they did make the list, it should be noted that this company’s rating has improved by 4% over the last year. Hopefully, things continue to get better, and they’ll be promoted off this list!

Alorica

Regular complaints about management, poor communication, and terrible senior management–it’s unsurprising that the company only has a Glassdoor rating of 3.2.

However, Alorica has definitely improved over the years. In 2017, the company only had a Glassdoor rating of 2.3, so at least there’s that.

CompuCom

The IT services company and Office Depot subsidiary has over 11,000 employees, and less than half of them approve of the company’s CEO.

However, it looks like the company is going to great lengths to improve employee work conditions. It’s gone from a Glassdoor rating of 2.6 to 3.4.

Frontier Communications

At the end of 2018, Frontier Communications had the second-lowest score of any major American company on Glassdoor, with a total rating of 2.5. Less than a quarter of employees approved of the CEO, and employees mostly tote a negative culture, especially due to the poor relations with upper management.

However, the company has improved those ratings to a decent 3.7 out of five—not bad for one of the worst-ranked companies just a few years ago!

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Dillard’s

Another 3.1 score. Employee morale has suffered for years, mostly due to dissatisfied workers who have to deal with unrealistic sales quotas and poor management practices.

Less than half of employees would recommend working at Dillard’s to a friend and the company’s rating is following a downward trend. Not looking good for Dillard employees or the clothing store!

CVS Health

The drug giant CVS faces a 3.0 out of five score, with most employees complaining about unreasonable expectations, understaffing, and dissatisfaction with the company’s top management.

For a company concerned with dealing with the public’s health, you’d think they would take better care of their employees. Less than half of employees would recommend working here.

Kraft Heinz Company

On a five-star rating scale, many employees have given the company a rating of one star out of five! Yikes. The main complaints from staff include poor work-life balance (one employee claims that 11-hour days are the norm) and that the view of senior management is mediocre at best.

Things have improved lately, however, with the company rating raising to a 3.4 out of five. Apparently, they got tired of employees’ 1-star reviews and decided to make a few changes.

Dish Network

Cable and telecommunications companies usually struggle to win customer satisfaction, and it seems like Dish fails their employees, too. Dish field agents and customer relations employees both have severe complaints about dealing with customers. Dish is also considered one of the meanest companies, and with a score of 2.6, it’s not hard to believe.

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Sears

Sears does a fairly pathetic job of attracting employees, and it’s struggled significantly in making a profit. Hundreds of stores across the nation have closed because of the falling profits.

Job insecurity, horrific working environments, low pay, terrible hours, and slightly dubious ethical practices have all landed Sears on this list. Glassdoor has Sears at 3.3 out of five.

Kroger

Kroger made the list with a total score of 3.1. There’s legitimately an online forum for Kroger workers to talk about how awful it is to work there.

There are also reports that the grocery giant pays its workers’ below-minimum wage. So unless you’re looking to get paid a severely low paycheck, just skip applying to this company.

Tyson Foods

A dangerous work environment and horrific working conditions, Tyson has some employees wearing adult diapers because they deny workers bathroom breaks—we are not making that up.

Additionally, an assembly line in such close quarters has sent many workers home with knife injuries. Conditions are beginning to improve, however, and the company has a 3.6 rating out of 5 at the moment.

Kmart

Kmart has had a long and uphill battle, and the company’s employees take most of the battering. Widespread store closures certainly don’t help things—wonder why that is.

Poor employee compensation and poor workplace culture have created a 3.5 score for the failing Kmart—a surprisingly decent rating for such poor work conditions.

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TJ Maxx Companies

TJ Maxx has seen a major surge in profits recently, but the company still only pays its employees some of the lowest wages in the United States. Workers complain about the low pay that barely provides enough incentive to deal with the never-ending lines.

With an overall rating of 3.5 out of 5, TJ Maxx is lucky to have such a mediocre ranking. It’s hard to keep workers dealing with long lines and impatient customers, even with decent pay.

Genesis HealthCare

Employees on Glassdoor have given the health care service provider a 3.0 score and lament that morale is incredibly low amongst the company workers.

Reviews have regularly mentioned limited upward mobility, infrequent raises, short-staffing, and super inflexible upper management. Less than half of employees recommend getting a job here.

U.S. Security Associates

U.S. Security Associates offers security services to clients and employs over 50,000, many of whom are severely unsatisfied with their company. Only 40% of employees would recommend working here.

With a 2.8 Glassdoor score, Security Associates employees’ reviews constantly mention low pay, infrequent raises, and little to no support from upper management. Steer clear of working for this company!

LA Fitness

LA Fitness is one of the many customer-facing companies that rank among the worst places to work. Glassdoor reviews consistently mention low pay, long hours, and disconnected upper management.

The Glassdoor rating for LA Fitness sits at 3.0. Only 42% of employees would recommend working for this company—and that’s probably the upper management speaking!

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Charter Communications

Charter Communications, a telecommunication and mass media company, has been slapped with a shockingly poor 2.7 score on Glassdoor in years past. However, that score has improved to a decent 3.6.

Employee reviews highlight overbearing management, instability, poor wages, rigid workplace politics, and an insanely stressful work environment. CEO Thomas Rutledge has also failed to receive approval from even half his staff.

Amazon

You’ve almost certainly heard about the absolute nightmare fuel that comes with working for Amazon. Employees have taken to Reddit to talk about the borderline abuse they’ve suffered.

Just to name a few reasons people hate working for Amazon: micromanagement, little to no respect, long and intense hours, not to mention there’s an app that will anonymously let you tattle on a coworker for any little misstep.