customer service representative

custodian

equipment operator

programmer

laborer

LAC LA BICHE COUNTY

Municipal government in Alberta is rarely done well, and Lac La Biche is no exception. CAOs are lucky to last two years, and the turnover, even among managers, is extremely high.  At least one "full-time permanent" employee left or was laid off for each month that I worked at Lac La Biche County. A "full-time permanent" job at Lac La Biche County should definitely be bracketed by quotation marks, because it is full-time and permanent in name only, not in fact. 

Part of the high turnover rates may be the cold winters, but another part of it is definitely the local culture, or lack thereof. Locals love to hate government. Elected officials who promise to cut government are popular, and CAOs who follow these sentiments are more likely to make it to 2 years instead of 12 months.  Elected officials can be observed in the paper openly maligning government workers and vowing to instill a culture of fear in the county workplace. 

Before you take a job here, read the Cuff report from 2005.  Alberta Municipal Affairs is the branch of the Government of Alberta responsible for investigating maladministration in municipalities. Alberta Municipal Affairs had an independent consultant conduct a study of the Lac La Biche region in 2005 and the study recommended that the Mayor and every council member resign, and that the CAO be terminated.  Those people are out, and the County has changed its name, but the close relatives and friends of those Council members and administrators with the same inconsistent values inevitably take the reins of power.

Due to my forthcoming medical needs I wasn't invited to submit candidacy for a future perm. position in the dept. Had i not gotten ill/hurt, I would have.; which by the by, they were quite empathic & understanding of. Missed work but they let me work as I was able through to contract end date. 
My team was great but one. My Mgr. coached me for my dealings with this extra sensitive, self important person. However all in all other co-workers polite, respectful & friendly when interacting. My Mgr was excellent! Knowledgeable & professional while still kind. She gave instruction, guidance and encouragement as well as praise. Even supportive when pushing me to be faster in my productivity. (Though I was doing more than expected and it was excused when she seen the results of my initiative, and she was open minded to get the highest quality results & wrote into the positions duties/tasks the procedure I began!) I was sad to have experienced my first drop into mental illness (nervous breakdown) while working there. They coped with me best one could expect actually and accommodated me as I sought medical care appointments as my issue(s) unfolded during that period. I was looking forward to applying for permanent employment prior to developments with my health! 

HR and managers are bias on who they hire. They will hire someone they know over someone that is more qualified. Your coworkers are good to work with but anyone with any power will not help you (leads, managers) they lack supporting you, standing up for you and helping you move up and try to be better. Many departments are pretty unorganized, lots of time gets wasted doing stupid stuff. You are supplied with proper PPE but only the bare minimum. If you need it replaced it’s like pulling teeth. Common sense is not common here . They will hire you and then bring in curtain clauses to the job AFTER you start working. If you start working here when you are young, you will start at the bottom of the pay scale and you will do the same work as someone who has been here for years and you’ll be making way less. This place is only really good for students looking for summer work. Most of the time they are too cheap to get you the right tools/materials to get the job done that you need to do. Big cutting corners. You will be constantly watched right from the time you walk in to the time you leave. 

  


If you are a apprentice automotive or heavy duty Technician I highly recommend not working here. They will tell you about how they pay you to go to school, the tools they provide you but what they won’t tell you in your interview is that they want you to stay for 6 years after you become journeyman or else you owe them money. It’s expected of you to do CVIPS by yourself even if you don’t have a licence. If you have 2 tickets, oh well you will never get paid more. If you can weld/fabricate they will use you for your abilities and not compensate you one bit. The manager will stand around and watch you work for half the day, making stupid comments, trying to be funny. It’s just unprofessional and annoying. Don’t waste your time thinking that you will be coming to a workplace that will respect you, or appreciate you. You will never be able to advance in your career here at Lac La Biche County if you want to be involved in the automotive/heavy duty technician trade. 

Management and HR too biased on hiring local friends who are under qualified, thus requiring training on the job. Meanwhile the qualified internal candidates are rarely even given an interview. Municipal affairs has tried to  resolve situation several years ago, but didn't make much difference. It is common to see 2-3 family members working for the same organization. The seasonal staff are almost exclusively relatives and/or friends of staff, thus shutting out anyone living outside the county. The various departments work in 4 different buildings making internal collaboration and team spirit culture weak. A few longer time serving managers are grossly over paid and have a light workload, thereby creating inequity (and strife) compared those with heavy workloads and lower pay. The pay and benefits are good. 

Not a good experience. In fact, it was the worst job I have ever had. The county is not managed well yet they either don't know it or don't care. Superiors do not at all motivate staff to better themselves or advance. Unless you are born and raised in the area you will not advance in your career, as certain families are favoured when it comes to hiring and promotions, regardless of, well....merit or competence. I saw long-term employees fired without cause to be replaced by incompetent simpletons from the "right" family. Pay is ok but the work culture is simply awful. People that take jobs there but aren't from the County last about a year (including me) max because it is just so bad. Do NOT work here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pay is competitive but nepotism has been an issue for years and very cut throat environment

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Constantly looking over your shoulder as they leaders and Council cannot be trusted. Decisions are not made in the interest of the public but  more self serving and self interest.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
On a scale of 1-10 they would rank on the low end around 5

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Varies from day to day but hours of operation are 830-430

Lac La Biche County is a young municipality but it has come a long ways from its earlier pre 2014 days. Lac La Biche County has positioned itself as an employer of choice in the region due its excellent pay, benefits, work culture and work life balance. There were a lot of supports in place for County staff during COVID and the County put in a lot of work and effort to avoid any lays off during those difficult times. 

It's been nearly 8 years since I worked there and I left to follow my spouse's career...
Firstly my manager, (K.G. - Mgr EcDev.) was well organized and easy to communicate with too.  She was clear in her expectations and direct.  I knew exactly what she expected, she was supportive and allowed autonomy.  I have been lucky to work with some great managers and she was one of the best.  My other colleagues there were welcoming and helpful.  The team spirit was fun.

Job duties varied, as the term position went on.  Co-workers were excellent and very helpful.  Management can be sometimes hard to work with in various areas. 
As I was on a term position, the unknown of job security was always a question. Wages and benefit package were very good.
Overall, work environment was enjoyable.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 4 salaries reported	$27.49 per hour
Custodian 4 salaries reported	$27.80 per hour
Equipment operator 10 salaries reported	$31.00 per hour
Programmer 2 salaries reported	$26.48 per hour
Laborer 7 salaries reported	$24.30 per hour

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