account manager

production worker

local driver

skilled laborer

yard worker

Turkstra Lumber

A regular day, depending on where you work in the factory, is filled with repetitive and hard labour. By the middle of the week you'll start to feel more and more exhausted as the work you've done catches up to you.

However, if you want to stay in shape and build up muscle, this is a good job that will allow you to get into great shape as long as you diet right.

And while the work can be hard, management allows you to self-manage your work station and take short breaks between the main 15-minute breaks when necessary as long as you're meeting production quotas.

Another great thing is that even if you're new there, you'll receive regular bonuses at least once every other month. This comes from quarter bonuses, bonuses for doing extra jobs, holiday bonuses, and the bonus you get for signing on and staying for 6 months.

With that being said, there's a lot that's wrong with the company.

For one, the pay you receive at the base level is justified as "above the average across the truss building sector", but that doesn't mean it's a good wage.

In detail, if you're making $18.50/hr full-time, you'll be making $600 as week or $2400 a month after taxes.

Considering that the average rent in Ontario is anywhere between $1200-1700 for a one-bedroom apartment, your full-time wages will only cover half your rent.

Not to mention that since their locations are far away from most main residential areas, and the cost of gas has been skyrocketing these past few months, it's honestly not affordable for most people to work here even with the regular bonuses.

So yeah. The pay really isn't good here...

And while you get bonuses, they're really only worth it once you've been working for over 5 years with them. You'll usually get $250 for your first year, $500 for your second year, then an additional $500 on top of your second-year bonus for every year you've worked. That, and they'll be taking the senior staff on company vacations and not the actual workers who made them the money in the first place...

However, those bonuses don't catch up with the cost of living or the actual value of your labour; especially when the CEO of this company can afford to be driven in a six-figure custom Mercedes SUV...

Its ironic that the higher ups are willing to spend so much on themselves and not on their own factory which has a major malfunction every other week. Electricians and engineers frequently come in to fix the machines because they always leave it alone until it completely shut downs despite all the warning signs that its going to have a serious malfunction.

And while this place offers benefits after 6 months, they've been infamous for severely delaying giving out benefits to their employees. Some didn't even get their benefits after 1-2 years of working for Turkstra despite bringing it up frequently with management. 

The final problem with this place is that while they emphasize the need for people to work hard and improve production quotas, they don't actually do anything about it. Heck, they have an entire night shift that is infamous for under-performing and even not getting any work done. This has been the case for years, yet nothing is ever done about it.

In conclusion, this place is still better than most for working full-time; especially considering that it is construction/factory work. However, unless you're planning on making this job your forever career, you're better off using the job as a means of making money and getting fit until you can find something better.

I started in an entry-level position 10 years ago with no knowledge of building materials. I learned everything I needed to know from the more experienced people in each different position. It becomes very obvious fairly quickly who the employees are that you should learn from and emulate. If you come in with a positive attitude and you spend your time trying to learn and be helpful there will always be a place for you. They provide many opportunities to get additional training and give you the tools to excel in the company if that is your goal. The work is generally not difficult. There are times when it may be labor-intensive or require focus/attention to detail, but it’s by no means rocket science and there are always people around to help you in every position. They are the type of company that gives bonuses when they can, they’ll sponsor your kid’s baseball team, and the host employee events that you actually look forward to attending (and inviting your spouse).  They are very transparent in terms of where the company's focus is. The president visits each location at least once a year to lay out the companies plan for that year and he gives every single employee in the company an opportunity to give input or ask questions.

Working at Turkstra Lumber has been a mostly positive experience for me, though there are a few areas that could use improvement. Here are some key points from my time there: Friendly Work Environment,Employee Discount,Learning Opportunities,Flexible Scheduling,Safety Standards.
however, Understaffed at Times,Inconsistent Management,Physical Demands,Limited Career Growth,Pay Could Be More Competitive
my experience at Turkstra Lumber has been largely positive. The friendly work environment, learning opportunities, and focus on safety make it a good place to work. However, addressing the staffing issues, improving management consistency, and offering more competitive compensation could enhance the overall employee experience. If these areas are improved, Turkstra Lumber would be an even better place to work.



As an employee of close to 10 years now, i couldn't be more happy to know i made the right choice for myself and my family to choose Turkstra as my employer. They never fail to amaze me by their community support and the support of their staff. This is a company that gets it right. They care about the health and safety not only of their employees but their employees families, and customers. They give back to their employees the same way they give to their community. My only regret is not coming to work here a decade and half sooner. The senior management staff is beyond supportive giving us the tools and guidance to get better at our jobs. For the first time in my almost 3 decades of being in the work force, management comes to me and asks what they can do to help. I have never had this experience and the trust they have in me and others to do our jobs well makes me feel right at home. Thank you!

Perhaps my position at Turkstra Trusses is a bit unique where my only connection with other Turkstra staff is by email or phone. My job is to visit job sites and confirm roof trusses for manufacturing. I go to construction sites as directed by our truss designers when there is uncertainty about some on site details. My pay is adequate and there have always been bonuses, which are based on the profitability of our team and of Turkstra Lumber.  I observe and learn from builders and framers whom I enjoy connecting and relating with, as that's my previous background. I derive satisfaction from builders and homeowners taking my advice to improve on the build. 

Why work for another company and make a lot of money? Come work for turkstra, where many long term employees (5-10 years +) make minimum or slightly over. Like raises? At turkstra, some employees never had one for years. 

Benefits? After 2 years or more, if your lucky. There is a comitee that decides that.

Store management down is ok at times, but its the upper echelons you have to fear. They will try and fire or layoff someone that looks at them funny, or has a bad day on front of them. You must be appricative of the gifts they give you. Employment at turkstra should be considered an HONOUR.

Sure, every year Turkstra donates to charities, but they neglect their employees everytime. Go and look at food banks, or money lenders at how many are wearing their turkstra uniforms.

This company is all about the money in their pocket and making sure the Turkstra Family is well taken care of while their slaves work for them through extreme heat and cold with sub par equipment and inadequate support and staffing to maintain a well run work environment.  The trucks I drove were unsafe and should have been pulled from the roadways, was pressured to avoid scales and drive unsafe vehicles and use unsafe equipment within our lumber yard.  Management was more concerned about their bonuses then they were about the employees. It was a horrible work experience and I advise against working for this company unless you like being overworked and underpayed and risking your life for a very small paycheck and some poor benefits.

This company was very bad to work for as mostly a yard staff in college. The management doesn't seem to know what its doing most of time. And never gave me and many other people their benefits even when promised in contracts. Some people took 7 to 10 years to get theirs and in contract it says between 3 to 6 months. Also they don't follow most of their own procedures and almost never prioritize their staff. I worked there for over 2 years and saw many people come and go in that time. I only recommend this job to get your foot in the door and then look for something better when you can. Only real perk is a discount on materials.

A typical day at work is estimating multiple drawings answering phones and any questions that people may have. eg. Beam calculations, EWP questions types of material that might be available. I also have to deal directly with private home builders for example review there drawings making necessary changes to the drawings. Also up selling windows, doors, trim. I will do takeoffs for all lumber, trim, windows, doors, siding, shingles and steel. I will also do EWP designs and layouts and size any beams that are needed for the project.

Great company to work for, excellent management that takes care of their employees and their needs on day to day and through COVID 19 pandemic especially. Everyone is treated like family, Christmas parties and many perks throughout the year. Competitive wages would be more suitable for the amount of responsibility/liability required in some of the jobs. Work culture is great, very professional. you learn a lot about the construction industry with key players, and the processes of home building and renovations. Highly recommended  

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Account manager 3 salaries reported	$55,735 per year
Production worker 55 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Local driver 5 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Skilled laborer 35 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Yard worker 13 salaries reported	$20.12 per hour

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