Masters Home Improvement

I am still shell-shocked from my 10 months at Masters, as a Trade Sales Associate. I have never seen a company that has such a completely 'out of touch' management.
The Woolworths Group, is running a campaign entitled, 'Destination Zero'. This means that their safety procedures are at the extreme end of the scale. Use a forklift, need a spotter and barriers, use a walking-stacker, need a spotter and barriers, open the door to take rubbish out, need a spotter to watch the door etc. etc. etc. This creates a situation, where every job is a 2 person job. The other very strict rule, was never leave the register unattended. Management would roster on 1 associate. A customer would come in and want something, which required a forklift or walking stacker and the problems would start. Attempts would be made to find a spotter, AND find someone to watch the register. You would call on the store intercom and run around, like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to find someone. Many times, a lengthy, fruitless search would entail. If you are prepared to break the safety rules (and risk instant dismissal), you could serve the customer, if you are not prepared to break the rules, many times the customer was told, 'Sorry, you will have to come back later, when there is possibly more staff.' Due to the management's safety procedures, huge amounts of time are wasted, then management HAS THE HIDE, to write a report about you, that states, 'Appears to be busy, but doesn't get much done'. A lot of the managers have no idea, about the building industry. In one of the stores, the person in charge of kitchens and installation, is a lawn mower sales man. He got the job due to ego massaging the store manager. The management that I encountered, were also very 'childish'. What I mean by this, is that they act like a group of school yard 'cliques'. Their number one priority is covering each other's incompetence and finding someone down the line, to blame their incompetence on. I could continue on about management, but you get the picture. Then there is the customers. Many of them have absolutely  NO IDEA, what they are doing. They watch a TV show, on Thursday night, then walk into the store on Friday, thinking that they have 30 years building experience, they also believe that you can build a 10 metre x 10 metre gazebo for $100  and be having a BBQ in it on sunday afternoon. A quick explanation about reality and you have an argument on your hands. I even had customers threatening to kill me, because I wouldn't beat a price by 10%. Masters have chosen an incredibly incompetent and immature, management team. They truly are more of a bunch of school yard bullies, than an organising group. Workplace systems and SOP's instituted, micromanage every aspect of work culture, even down to where you park your car, and how you park (rear to kerb). If you can put up with constant customer abuse and the feeling that management are about to pull the rug from under your feet at any moment, you will be able to work at Masters.

During the course of a normal day at work there are a lot of smiles, hello's and the occasional joke. It is a very fun and light hearted environment to work in. 
The management team are all very kind hearted and don't mind having a bit of a laugh from time to time. 
The team itself are so amazing to be around. We are all friends and we get along so well, making for a fun-loving environment. 

In my job, I was able to learn the in's and out's of the paint department. I have worked through paint and decor since I started working at Masters and I couldn't have asked for a better department. I was able to learn how to tint the paint, what paint should go on what, and what is best to use for a certain job. 
The hardest part of my job is the physical lifting. Being in the decor department I am in constant need of lifting wardrobes and bookcases for either a customer or to replenish stock. I am more then capable of lifting quite a large amount of weight, however, after a duration of lifting the same heavy objects it starts to become strenuous. 

I love everything about my job. The people, the position I hold, the department I am in. I love being able to get up in the morning and feel excited to go to work.

A typical day at work would start with me signing in once I got to work, then upstairs to get on my vest and place my things in my locker, down to my department and then walking up the isles to see what needs putting back,tidying up and refilling, then I would get onto the machines and start to do those things, bringing stock down from top shelf and replenishing the shelves to look full and neat, then a 30min lunch break and then back out to the floor where I would help client from all departments. I learned a lot about plants, outdoor living and kitchen designing, my co-workers were always up for fun when the store was quiet from spooking other staff to throwing a few jokes around to make everyone laugh and have fun, great communication and always happy to help each other out. The hardest part of the job was getting used to wearing steel cap boots.Most uncomfortable things ever! I got to work with a great team and made a few friends along the way. always there for each other and the clients loved it too, having a laugh with the staff and a good chat always made the selling part of the stock easier, even if you did not know a great deal about the product but enough to answer the customers questions.

Working for Masters Home Improvement was an amazing experience.  In my Community Involvement Role I came into contact with many clients on a regular basis, building and maintaining relationships with a view to assisting their organisations in raising much needed funds.
Ongoing, regular projects were held in store, on site in the car park and off site at various different locations, which included a weekly "Animal Planet" project working with adults with disabilities from the Distinctive Options organisation in store, providing the venue, tools, equipment and expertise to build Possum Nesting Boxes, Bee Hotels and Bird Feeders.
A monthly Sunbury Women's Shed session was held in store to empower women to use power tools, as well as learn how to paint, tile, build and fix household items.
The Sunbury Store held a family vibe which always made coming to work a pleasure, catching up with my clients was always the highlight of my day, and the hardest part of my job was saying goodbye to all the wonderful people I had established relationships with!

I have to agree with everything "Don't Bother " wrote.  The management of the Canberra store is just appalling..... It consist of them threatening you with official warnings and instant dismissal daily.
Again with the management well lack of, it is all about personality and has nothing to do with hard work, if you work hard you just get more work to make up for the lazy people in the store, again nothing done with them that would require a manager to do something.
Your roster gets changed more that some people change underwear so any chance of a life balance is extremely hard.
No chance of advancement , and no chance of even discussing advancement. 
If you didn't know better , you would think they are trying to run store into ground.
Just awful place to work .... No morale, no communication just a lot of threats to employees by store management.

The staff are the blind leading the blind ask 6 staff members where a product was and none knew and they then turn away from you and right next to me is the customer.
The aisle planner is so minuscule even with glasses you still cant read the work sheet to set out the aisle.
You have a giggle when you work because no one knows whats going on.
My training/induction was go and get partnered up with a very busy and harassed staff member and follow them around and help where you can.
Find out your rate of pay and hours from the beginning and tell them when you can and cant work.
Dangerous that full pallets are brought out from the dock and left out on the shop floor with no place to go because the dock is overflowing or the aisle is none existent.
Its not busy with customers at all there are more staff on the shop floor than customers.

Originally starting at with the opportunity to start a new career was a dream come true.  I enjoyed my time up until the change of management.  Unfortunately the new manager was incompetent at running a DIY home improvement store and relied heavily on the staff below and frequently manipulated 'easy targets' to keep her job.  Masters has become a very 'in with the cool group' orientated business that current staff are unhappy to work for.  I do not recommend to work for masters unless you are based in Melbourne Sydney or Brisbane.  These store are the only stores to 'know what to do', the others are clueless especially north qld.

A typical day at work here is mind numbing - waiting around to serve someone as you're not allowed to leave your post. 
There is absolutely no chance at advancement AT ALL. They'd rather bring in someone from another store or look for new staff.
Most of my co-workers are nothing but nice, although the typical high school dramas are very much a thing here with a few!
Management have no communication or people skills - when they actually decide to speak to you, they speak to you like you're a 5 year old.
Rosters can change daily, although you're told they're done "3 weeks in advance", so trying to organise your week, let alone a day is almost impossible. 
I've been a casual since I started, yet I was promised full time in 3 months of starting which is what I applied for. It's now been over 3 years and I'm still on a casual roster doing the shifts that no-one else will do.

Part time position, shift work, every second weekend work, excellent staff, great management team. I started there when the store first opened as we filled the shelves full time for 8 weeks, then we had training and moved into our designated roles. Im in Customer Service which leads to many different sections. I could work out in garden on the register, work in the trade section on the register, assist on the aco;s work at the refunds desk, or front counter answering calls and helping customers,also a front door greeter and back door check receipts,assist in stopping shop lifters, Im am also the store photographer,event organiser of social dinners and also teach craft to kids thru the "Build and Grow " program.

- Serving and helping customers with products and questions, Lifting and carrying stock, returns and exchanges, using the register, helping customers via phone and taking quotes
- I learnt a lot of experience with customers and how to satisfy them with what they are looking for when they come to the store. How to use the register effectively and efficiently, How to use the drop saw to cut the timber
- Efficient management, fixed any problems we were having in the work place, understanding
- Lifting stock and dealing with rude customers 
- Living close by, meeting a lot of new people, the experience of working in a timer/hardware department

Working at Masters Home Improvement: Company Overview and Reviews

Masters Home Improvement

Masters Home Improvement Ratings

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected