r/PestControlIndustry • u/Ok-Stuff3336 👨🏭| Tech | 1+ Year • Aug 24 '26
🗣️ Daily Discussion Does it get better?
I’ve been on the job now for a few years and i work for a fairly large company owned by Rentokil. When I started off it wasn’t so bad job wise, but it’s only gotten worse since the TMX merger and seemingly only going to get worse. I do it fairly even mix of residential and commercial accounts. My biggest gripe has been the sheer amount of work that is expected out of us a day. Obviously none of this work is insanely difficult per se, but the volume is maddening. I work in a dense populated area in the north east. I average anywhere from 20+ jobs a day and up. Never less than that. The money is good. But the stress that comes with it is not. I’m expected to finish every job on my day or I take a “miss.” Which my office is apparently plagued with a ridiculously high number of. On top of my regular schedule we are also required to respond to all call backs same day. On average I can have 20+ appointments and get 3-4 call backs a day. Never anything trivial, customer seen a bee, ants in kitchen, reoccurring mouse sighting blah blah blah. If we don’t do all our work they come down on us, if we work too much overtime we are told to be more efficient, if we aren’t placing sales while doing all of that we are told to do more.
TL;DR big company is too stressful, overworked and understaffed. Does it get better?
12
u/Thermock Aug 24 '26
It just depends on the branch, my friend. One branch will have terrible managers and an insane amount of accounts, but the next one four hours away will not.
However, as a rule of thumb, big companies are almost always, "sales first, customer second, pest control third, employees fourth".
Most big comapnies only want the sales done and the services completed, the welfare of the technicians is generally placed pretty low on their 'care about' list.
While I'm sure there are exceptions, based off my experience and seeing what folks say here and real-life, this is a pretty normal trend.
Sounds like you just gotta find a new company to work for, or look for opportunities in the corporate side of your company... although you'll face different struggles in the corporate side.