Avfuel Reviews

- Be fully aware that you'll have a yearly performance review, but they'll only give you a raise every two years. It's a shamefully obvious way to keep labor costs down. You are not an asset. You are a cost. If you stick around for those two years, it's a terrible feeling to get a glowing review, but a raise that doesn't even cover the cost of inflation. Coincidentally (or not), many people end up quitting sometime between their first and second year once they realize their starting compensation doesn't match the increased responsibility after the first review. - You'll also be paid below market rate. That's just a fact. They purposely exclude compensation data from bigger cities in the area (Southfield, Novi, Ann Arbor (yes, you read that right), etc.) when deciding how much to pay because it "skews" their compensation data. Essentially, you'll be working in Ann Arbor, but you won't be able to afford to live in Ann Arbor. When I finally jumped off this sinking ship, my salary magically increased nearly $20,000 and my benefits were more generous with similar job duties. If that doesn't scream to you how poorly underpaid you'll be, then nothing will. - Training basically consists of a shiny marketing brochure plus your standard HR manuals and, if you're lucky, someone will walk you around and introduce you to people. There's definitely no honeymoon period at all because the person you're replacing quit recently and they too had little to no training and the work has piled on. - Emphasis is placed on maintaining outward appearances, which is why the landscaping is always immaculate and the building looks beautiful from the outside. Here is where it's important to not judge a book by its cover. Sure, the building is aesthetically pleasing, but the culture is completely reactive and the values are rotten. Certain members of upper management preach a high standard of decorum, while being utterly vulgar themselves. And I quote, "That was so easy. Just like [female low-level employee, sitting next to him]" in a full meeting to laughter from other people in management. You know how you get an approximately 95% 5-year attrition rate? By having a terrible culture where you don't respect your employees. - Mandatory "ice cream socials" and similar events. Yes, attendance is taken and your absence is noted. You sit through a presentation with a message that consists of "You guys need to be nicer and care more and work even harder because Avfuel is super totally awesome!" by the marketing department. And then you're given ice cream or other food to dull the inner rage you feel from being treated like a dumb kid. - You'll quickly realize that Avfuel is most certainly not innovative or forward thinking, no matter what their marketing materials say. As far as 2016, Avfuel was still using accounting software from literally the 90's that no modern company uses now. Tax returns were prepared on Excel instead of dedicated software. AP was largely paper-based. So was AR. Actually, most departments were. You'll also be expected to use proprietary software that Avfuel comissioned someone to frankenstein together and works as well as you'd expect it to. It will freeze up and lag and flicker, inevitably when you're on the phone with a customer and they're upset about something. If I were a betting person, I would bet on something being wrong with their invoices. Read on for more details. - Certain departments are basically revolving doors of people (Billing, Credit, Billing, Taxes, Billing, AP, Billing, Contract Fuel. I hope you can spot the trend.). Although generally kind in their small talk, old-timers don't even bother learning your name unless they have to deal directly with you or you happen to be higher up on the food chain. What's the point when one of you will inevitably end up quitting? - The company is privately owned by the CEO's family, helped along by a small group of people in the inner circle (basically all the VP's) that have been with the company for 20+ years in addition to members of another family that has also worked there forever and holds juicy spots within the company (like in HR). Good luck affecting positive change in an organization primed for Groupthink where no one can challenge the status quo created and supported by the CEO, who is treated like a demi-god who can do no wrong among the inner circle. Just read some of the too-obvious PR reviews before mine for examples of the Groupthink. Technically, Avfuel is a family-oriented family. Unfortunately, it's not your family that they're talking about. In summation, if you're hoping to join a company to provide your fresh ideas, hard work and effort, or innovative thinking, Avfuel isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're hoping to be an underpaid cog in a wheel, then jump right in and don't say I didn't warn you. Be aware that they actively look for fresh college grads (like I was) who don't know what a professional, good company truly looks like or people down on their luck for whatever reason (divorce, unemployment, etc.) to join. It will take me years to recoup from the lack of effective career development as well as the loss of wages from being underpaid. Not only do I recommend NOT working here, I highly discourage it.