autocratic - Anonymous employee POET Employee Review

1.0
27 Apr 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Usually located in rural areas with few employment opportunities, it is a job. They do have health insurance and some vacation hours. You are not likely to be injured. but you will hate them for it.

Cons

Oh so many. Ridiculus non-compete agreement, which the lawyer I showed mine to said that the way the language was on it, they could try to go after you anywhere in the entire world. Not saying they could. Been there a long time, seen a devolution in the treatment of employees. Poet has three mantras plastered everywhere. " We are all on the same team." truth: management are the bosses, they tell you what to do and you are expected to shut up and do it or you will be reminded. " We park our egos at the door"; truth: you are expected to park your ego at the door, the managements is alive and well, they have the power and you may be fired at any time. " We always over-communicate." truth: shut up and listen, we will tell you what you are supposed to know and only to the "right" people. Middle management people "salaried" are treated like slaves. Poet treats people more like things they own then folks working together toward a common goal who have something to contribute. Salaried employees are hired at the lowest possible dollar and given a ton of work, the expectation is far more than a person can even get done in a 50 hour week. Salaried employees are expected to give and give and receive no perks, no comp time. They will work 11 hour days at least, and if they want a day off are expected to use vacation hours and leaving early is like the devil. Moving up is decentivized due to what amounts to a pay cut for hours worked. Stingy vacation that tops out at 3 weeks per year which you have to accumulate. maximum of like 1 day per month of accumulating. doesn't matter if you've been there for 20 years. which is rare because everyone bails. Vacation hours have to be taken in 4 hour increments if you have vacation hours available you must use them, so you have to burn a half a day just to go to a dr or dental appointment (including salaried employees). Safety culture is something they shove down your throat which makes everyone want to hide any paper cut they might receive lest they will have to wear some new ridiculus ppe for their entire rest of their lives, due to overreaction. There are measures that have been put into place in the recent history which are going to encourage bad behavior, goals that are not dependant upon the reality of the worksite. Moral at the plant where I work is very bad, it would be unfair to say that it's the same at every site and this is just my opinion for what it's worth.

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5.0
23 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Best environment I have ever worked in, you can tell that Poet cares about its employees, I enjoyed going to work.

Cons

You need to be able to pick up on things quickly, the job involves a lot of going with the flow and figuring things out.

1.0
12 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Friendly coworkers at first Initial team camaraderie

Cons

Poor management practices Lack of organization and clear expectations Micromanagement Unprofessional handling of confidential employee information Job responsibilities frequently outside the stated role

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POET Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. At POET, we are committed to maintaining a professional workplace where team members are treated with respect and where clear expectations, accountability, and confidentiality are core standards across our operations. We also want to clarify that team member compensation and personnel records are maintained within secure electronic HR systems rather than physical documents, and access to that information is strictly restricted in accordance with company policy. The situation described does not align with the processes we have in place to protect confidential information. Individual experiences can vary, and we encourage team members to raise questions or concerns through the appropriate internal channels so they can be reviewed and addressed in a timely and constructive way. Our focus remains on supporting a collaborative, purpose-driven environment where team members can contribute, grow, and succeed. — POET
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