laborer

poseur

insulator

construction laborer

Great Northern Insulation

I was recruited to the company to take over CSR and scheduling duties on a day to day basis. While I was given nominal training on the database (not an issue due to my background) I was given next to no training on products and services and on how long these would take to perform. For example, if a home was being insulated, how long the job would take and possible roadblocks faced. I was promised during the hiring process that I would go on site and be given hands on experience. This however never materialized and I was left with only abstract concepts of the work I was scheduling. Furthermore, work and sales targets I agreed to meet were doubled a week after I started. This was done in a year when the orders coming in were far below the previous year.

Communication and support from management was minimal or non existent. Many of the installers had repeated warnings for behaviour or had been fired then re-hired. This created a situation where the office staff was at the mercy of the workers on the truck and what they felt like doing on a given day. It is very difficult to call a customer, schedule work and not be able to depend on anyone around you to complete or even show up for the job. It was not uncommon for staff in the various offices to be terminated without warning or being offered a coaching opportunity. To summarize, pay and benefits were good, the 'old boy's club' mentality is counter-productive and very off putting. Not reccomended.

Communication from sales to management and the crews is horrible. No one is double checking work or location or making sure crews are properly prepared. 
There was no communication on there covid protocol on an app that no one does and has openly admitted too.
Also no communication for an app to check on work hours and pay. So it's just a guessing game. I still don't know how much I was paided hourly. 

Safety is just a joke. They give you a mask say it's good for this then don't tell you when you should be wearing it, or what jobs.
The truck are constantly broken ac doesn't work in multiple trucks (for people who work in attics and hot boxes of the trucks that should be a given). No safety bars for open spaces in the trucks. Some trucks don't even have safe ways in even tho they have stickers that say maintain three points of contact. 
They also have no way of protecting or checking the saftey of the workers when a job is commencing. Both in hot environments with nothing to protect or save them a worker could be dead and no one would know. Also good luck finding any med kits or fire extinguisher in trucks. 

Daily inspections of trucks isn't done walk around nothing. Witnessed a truck driving aways from the shop without a taillight working. 



A typical work day for my position is standard work hours of 8-4, with the occasional hour here and there - working form home. GNI has provided the "tools & materials" I need to do so.

Management is very supportive, responsive and most of all - approachable. The encouragement is given to employees in many forms, incentive bonuses, gift cards and options to better education through online courses etc.

My co-workers are a great group at this particular branch. However I work closely with many other admins across all of the branches. We are able to cover each other for holidays, sick days etc.

The challenges I face in this position, balancing my time (especially during busy season) between my direct manager, sales reps, to the crew members, and most importantly the customer/client.

The greatest part of my job is speaking to the Homeowners before and after our visit to complete the services in their home. I also enjoy creating a schedule that allows the crew to cover the entire GTA, in an efficient manner.

I have enjoyed my time here at GNI, and look forward to my future here moving forward.

Truly a pleasure to work for.

Company is owned by an equity company who only care about numbers, NOT people. The original owners were great to work for, but the culture of the company has changed dramatically since. Sales for this company is difficult due to high prices. You  cannot sell work from their pricing and have to make your own pricing. Higher prices relates to no sales, therefore they are on you case for sales. Drop the price to sell work, then they are on your case for low margins. Commissions are based on margins. You cannot win with this company.  

Management is a joke.  No help when needed, they just lie and are secretive.  This branch has been through many branch managers over a short few years.  Staff turnover in all positions is a constant battle. Scheduling is also a joke. Customers dont hear from them for weeks or longer to schedule their job. Every day sales staff get calls from numerous irate customers and contractors complaining about scheduling, workmanship, etc etc. 
I do not recommend this company to work for in any position. 

I've worked at Great Northern Insulation full-time for 6 months. During my 6 month tenure here, management has been both accommodating and supportive to my requests as an employee. As a recent university graduate, I came with a limited background in insulating homes and the building envelope. However, through paid training programs and learning incentives, Great Northern has provided all the tools necessary to develop professionally and prosper within the construction industry. 

As Ontario's largest full service insulation contractor, and a company of this size, I was impressed by the corporate culture within the company. Whether it be through acknowledgement of employee contribution, monetary employee incentives or frequency of employee feedback - Great Northern has done an excellent job of keeping me appeased and optimistic for the future.

6am-3pm - I had a crew of 30 guys that I made sure paperwork was prepared for, that the contract was reviewed and approved for by me to proceed with work. I learned that it is possible to have fun and still be productive and successful as a group (ICI division). My direct managers were great, however, upper management needs some work. There was a lot of micromanaging, and confusion because of different orders given by multiple bosses. My co workers were amazing people to work with... we put in a lot of "volunteer" hours as we were salary, but still ended up working many 16 hr days just to make sure that we got done what needed to be done. The hardest part of the job was leaving all the people that I had built a personal relationship with. the most enjoyable part of the job was all the great people that I got to meet, work with, and know as more than just a "crew".

Job Work/Life Balance.  This depends on the day.  It gets busier in the fall and winter but easier in the spring.  No complaints

Salary/Benefits.  Annual reviews come with raises, depending on how well you perform and how much positive feedback you receive from customers

Job Security/Advancement.  Depends on the skills and capabilities.  There is room for growth if you are capable.  Handouts aren't given freely nor is seniority a factor over performance.

Management.  The managers are pretty good at their jobs, attentive and understanding of employee concerns.  Installers are trusted to do their jobs and aren't micro-managed, but GNI runs a pretty tight ship and always find out if an employee is working against the company.

Job Culture.  As an installer, the culture is pretty rough.  The guys are decent for the most part, but definitely not politically coreect...

Worked here for a few months and then was laid off. To be fair it was a really long winter and no new foundations were getting put in so it was bound to happen being the lowest in seniority at the time. While I was here I got along with everyone great, easy going but get the job done type of mentality. The boss in Comber, Chad, was easily one of the best bosses I've had. Always willing to do whatever he can to accommodate employees who have Dr's appointments and kids to take care of. Always enough hours given each week and some days were long and some a bit shorter. When I was hired I was being asked if I would like to drive the 5 tonne truck and get my license, along with spray foaming license eventually so the company definitely wants you to be with them long term. All in all a solid place to work.

The people I worked with were supportive and amazing. I was able to work from home even past the pandemic and had a great work life balance. I enjoyed collecting data, running reports, booking training courses for crew, and interacting with people across the company via email every day. However, there wasn't much training opportunities provided to advance or increase skills. The new CEO works for a company that buys small companies, makes them more profitable, then resells them. So there was a process of restructuring and letting go as the focus turned from valuing people and business to more of just a numbers focus. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning the trade. I started with no prior knowledge of the industry, but the installers took the time to thoroughly teach and guide me through every step. On top of that, the company offers a very fair starting wage, making it an excellent place to begin and grow in this field.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Days start pretty early and lenght of your day is always unpredictable but good part is there will be lots of work and more than enough hours 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very chill team of installers, most of them been working there 5+ years 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Early start at the shop
Clean, load unload work trucks
Head to jobsite(s)
Lunch
Finish day

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Laborer 5 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Poseur 6 salaries reported	$36.00 per hour
Insulator 5 salaries reported	$35,000 per year
Construction laborer 1 salary reported	$28.00 per hour

Working at Great Northern Insulation: company overview and reviews

Great Northern Insulation

Great Northern Insulation ratings

Popular jobs at Great Northern Insulation

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected