Pros
I’ve been working at ETS for quite a few years and wanted to shed some light on what a great company it can be. After reading some of the other reviews and knowing that I’ve worked at ETS longer than all of the commenters combined I pinpointed quite a few blatant fact errors. I know not all companies are a good fit for everyone, but it’s sad that people use their anonymity to troll companies just because they had a bad experience.
There a many employees that have been at ETS for over ten years and some that have been working there for 30 (the company throws a big party somewhere in the Napa Valley to thank those who have been employed for 30 years!)
So everyone wants to know the benefits so let’s start there:
Healthcare: Management had to switch up the healthcare plan a few years ago because we were on one of the “Cadillac” plans that was done away with when Obamacare went into effect. However, every full-time employee still receives a really high level of coverage and the company pays 100% of the premiums. It can be a little expensive to add dependents, but I’m happy knowing my family has good coverage. They also cover vision insurance. They don’t offer full dental, but put enough money in and untaxed flex plan that I’ve been able to comfortably get two cleanings every year for years. You just file the receipt after the appointment and the money goes back into your account.
401k: they offer a 401k program, but don’t match your contribution because they’d rather offer end-of-year bonuses based off of performance, which I appreciate. It’s nice knowing your work is valued. They even brought in someone from the investment company to give a presentation on the ins and outs of our 401k program and demonstrated the app and website. This was all done during the workday, it was optional to attend and didn’t cut into anyone’s personal time.
Harvest: everyone knows harvest can be hard, but if you’re interested in working in the wine industry it is a fact of life. Long hours and increased work is the reality, but ETS provides lunch at the St. Helena lab every weekend day that employees have to be at work. It’s also fairly common for them to provide breakfast snacks or burritos for the morning shift and pizza or something for dinner if we have to stay late to finish work during the week. And we all get a harvest bonus, which I see some people have complained about, but I prefer to be thankful we get it at all.
Thanksgiving gifts: Yes you read that right. The owners of the company give everyone a Thanksgiving turkey or ham or a generous gift card to the grocery store of your choice, plus two bottles of wine! I’ve never worked at a company that did anything for Thanksgiving, but I always appreciate being able to provide a large part of my family’s Thanksgiving dinner with these gifts
Holidays: This is new to ETS and has only been in effect for a few years, but everyone gets a full week off at Christmas or New Year’s that doesn’t use up any of your PTO. Which week you have off switches each year based on what shift team you’re on, but the week that you’re working the lab is running on condensed hours, so you still get lot’s of family time. Plus, we all get a huge basket of gourmet food and treats to take home. My family looks forward to this basket every year. We’ve also received gift cards to Napa Valley restaurants in addition to the baskets. Then after the holidays, instead of keeping all the wine that clients bring in, the owners share it with the staff. I’ve taken home 4-6 bottles of high end wine every year that I’ve been employed.
Spirit Days: Every Friday one of the staff brings in an afternoon snack. When I first started years ago it was a breakfast, but with the introduction of the shift schedule the whole lab took a vote and decided to move Spirit Day to the afternoon during the shift change. It’s a time for everyone to see their co-workers, catch up before the weekend, make happy hour plans and grab a quick snack before we get back to work. There are employees from all over the world so you get to try a lot of food you might not normally get to eat. Don’t want to take on the expense of bringing in food? No worries, you just play fair and don’t eat what’s brought in.
Farewell party: No matter if you are leaving the company for a new opportunity or because it wasn’t a good fit the management provides a farewell cake and invites everyone into the lunchroom to say goodbye (sometimes it’s cupcakes or pie) they also have everyone sign a card full of well-wishes to take with you.
Baseball Tickets: The company has a set of four tickets to the Giants that employees can use to take their families or friends to the games in San Francisco. Every summer ETS charters a bus and takes the whole St. Helena/Healdsburg staff and any other employees that are in the area, plus everyone's families to a Saturday game. We all sit in the bleachers and watch the game and then the charter bus takes you back to Napa afterwards.
Training: When you start out you get a lot of training, which I appreciated. The lab is really fast-paced at times and it is nice knowing that you are proficient on the instruments. Plus, you get to spend time with Maria, who’s worked at the company forever. If you know Spanish then you’re in luck and if not you’ll definitely get to learn some! They've also started inviting us to presentations in the conference rooms put on by some of the people who do the company's seminars which we aren't usually able to attend. So now we get to see the powerpoints and learn something extra.
Student Loan program: I don’t know much about it because I’ve paid for my education already, but my co-workers who still have loans seem to like the option.
In addition, I’ve seen the owners send people home when staff members aren’t feeling well, pay for international flights so employees can visit very sick relatives and cross country flights for people to attend funerals of loved ones. To say that the owners don’t take care of their employees and don’t care about them just isn’t fair.
The company has grown a lot over the years, but is still owned by the same couple that started ETS in St. Helena and has grown the business to five locations up and down the West Coast. I won’t lie, there are growing pains, frustrations, and sometimes really long work days, but ETS on your resume in the Napa Valley really does mean something. And you can bet that the owners are working just as much as you are! They are there every weekend and sometimes all night long, all year round. We complain about Harvest hours, but I’ve heard about them going in on the days the lab is closed for holiday to make sure that things are still running smoothly. They even brought in a consultant to interview everyone and help figure out how they could increase employee morale, so they don’t just ignore our complaints. In my opinion they are actively trying to help fix them.
Cons
The shift can get pretty frustrating and I would prefer to stick to one schedule (all morning or all evening), but for new people joining the team, they are informed about the structure before they take the job. It’s not like there’s a surprise on your first day. Hours aren’t perfect and sometimes you have to stay late, but I’ve experienced that with most jobs. I’ve never had a job that you clock in a 9 and leave at 5 every single day. Yes, sometimes I've worked through lunch. I've usually been able to take a quick break and eat something after I finished my task.
We are asked to wear uniforms in the lab or a lab coat, but the uniform shirts are from Land’s End so they aren’t uncomfortable and you can pick the styles that you prefer.
Tensions can run high and sometimes you catch management on a bad day. I’ve seen people who don’t want to approach them after a bad experience or after hearing about someone else’s. I would recommend to management looking into some kind of training for this, but I’m personally not thin-skinned and tend to brush off any less than desired reactions. In my experience it’s been a timing thing and when I’ve talked to the same person later in the day or the next day it was if nothing happened.