Pros
Shawn in HR was AMAZING. She did everything she could to help and was very honest. Potlucks every few weeks. Sometimes supervisors bring in bagels or donuts. Free coffee machine in the break room, that is literally 15 X 15 for 30 employees. One of the few travel sales that allows tobacco smoking. Starbucks in the lobby as well as a little deli.
Cons
Regarding the sales department / call center and my employment March 1 through the end of May, before I resigned: Supervisors and manager were friends. There is nobody to turn to if you need to speak with somebody other than your supervisor. You would have to go to HR, who would in turn speak with the manager, who would in turn (probably not) discipline the supervisors. I was lied to in the interview process about the high turnover rate already reported on glass door, as well as the ORCA card compensation, and the "average" pay check of their sales agents (by about $4,000 dollars per month, yikes). The turnover rate reported is very real. The interviewers told me the turnover rate on glass door was from before the new CEO Hans Berkholz, and that was a lie. Negative work environment. Leads are not helpful and supervisors refer you back and forth. A lot of frustration on the call center floor. Doesn't seem that any of the leads or supervisors really want to be there. Most of the time they are annoyed or at least portray so on the phone with agents. I was honest with my interviewers when I said I was not interested in pushing sales on people, and that I need to believe in a quality product to be able to sell it. They both reassured me I would do well in the position, and offered me the job. Though I had asked about the commission structure, they did NOT give me any information on it or tell me about the NGR... the total dollar amount of sales I HAD to hit in order to even receive ANY commissions, until two weeks in to training. Commission structure is completely dependent on customers pressing the right buttons on the recorded message before they talk to a human, and your conversion rate based on these buttons. They don't offer this information up front because it is a way for the company to keep their employee's money. They pay a small commission percentage and think of ways to take the money back. They enforce "E and O's", errors and omissions. They take money from your paycheck for mistakes made on bookings. Starting at $5..... up to $15. Again.. another way to keep the little percentage they are giving agents. $15 could be your entire commissions for one booking. Also know this is illegal unless they make you sign paperwork. They took money from my check for an "E and O" and I NEVER signed paperwork. I will be reporting them to Workplace Rights. There are quality people working on the sales floor at Windstar, but they are few and far in between. They hire very aggressive, possessive people. They require a personality test before interview. I'm not sure how I passed because I'm not aggressive at all. If you're still reading, there are no windows that open on the sales floor and the air is recirculated. There is a doggy daycare upstairs and some other agents who have allergies are constantly irritated at work. Not sure if it's connected (literally / figuratively). The dogs are in the elevators with you every day.
