Pros
-Almost everyone you work with (excluding top management) is really nice and willing to help. Truly great people to work with -You get to see the creation of what gets sold from start to finish and know you've played a role in making it -The stuff that's made there (particularly art pottery) is very beautiful and cool -Management occasionally does cool things for employees, such as get an ice cream truck on hot days or take employees to Rhinegeist (which is around the block from the factory) -Extremely easy to get a job here with no experience
Cons
Minor: there's no heat or a/c in the factory and you really feel it. The kilns add heat for better or worse, depending on the season. Summer is tolerable at best. Will make you come in on Saturdays a lot to make the factory appear busy or to finish big projects, but that isn't awful because you get time and a half. Work is very repetitive Major: while the supervisors are nice and know what they're doing, the upper management is horrible. They often seem like they have no idea what they're doing. Constantly watching over employee's backs and are quick to throw a fit if things don't go exactly how they want them to (which can happen often with the volatile nature of pottery). They play favorites and decide early on whether they like you or not (without even trying to get to know you). Horrible communication about anything, unless it's something bad, and will seldom give employees written or verbal warning if they're unsatisfied with their work. Instead, they'll use employees they don't like to get through big projects or busy seasons and then fire them for arbitrary reasons when the project is done. Turnover rate is extremely high.