engineer

network systems operator

technical specialist

senior planner

reliability engineer

Queensland Urban Utilities

I was recently laid off during my probationary period due to a list of reasons which were NEVER communicated directly with me neither verbally or written and also DID NOT HAPPEN. 
I was accused of taking excessive "coffee breaks and phone use" during the training period. I never once took a coffee break and I never used my phone except on allocated breaks. 
They borderline harassed me about going to the bathroom and using "personal time" during my shift. They used my bathroom time as another reason for my dismissal which I'm pretty sure is illegal.
Another one of their reasons for letting me go was also i allegedly said things such as "dont bother doing that task, management will never know" which were apparently reported to management by another employee I never said such things and they could not prove that I said these things either.
They also said my "tone" whilst on the phone with customers was too aggressive and abrupt which I find hilarious because I had only ever received good feedback from the QA officer and they also use my phone calls in training sessions.
My dismissal came conveniently after I questioned HR and payroll when I found that I hadn't been paid my penalty rates for a total of 5 weeks. It was even brought up as one of the reasons for my dismissal and I quote "the way you went about asking for your backpay was an issue". 
While the people who work in the call centre are friendly, the same cannot be said for the women in leadership. They are lazy, incompetent and rude and extremely clique-y
I never ONCE had a one on one meeting with my team leader in my entire 3 months at QUU which would have been the perfect place to discuss my apparent misconduct, instead they fired me. 
I do not recommend wasting your time with this organisation. They promise you so much and give so little in return for the hard work you put in.

* Multi-task range of duties covering broad geographical area dealing with Managers, Supervisors, Workers, support Departments and a range of External Training Providers made this role an interesting, varied and very interactive.
* I learned that thorough planning, extensive knowledge of the work & related training plus great communication & interpersonal skills are essential for undertaking the job successfully.
* Experienced a range of management abilities & styles that were very confusing and lacked integrity in their implementation.I have worked for a Japanese Motor manufacturer who exemplified thorough planning followed by successful implementation and tried to exert some of that in QUU, unfortunately unsuccessfully.
* Many co-workers, particularly in the Field, were great to work with however some of the Service delivery employees fell into the `bureaucratic'  ways of operating and displayed poor levels of service and competency.
* Hardest part of job was influencing Management to commit to and follow through their processes and procedures thereby providing the necessary leadership and consistency to the workforce at large. 
Most enjoyable part of job was making a difference to those workers we serviced re. their training requirements and advice.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There isn't unless you are bypolar.
Treat there people like disposable straws frankly the most dangerous experience I have ever had  in my entire history. Do your self a favour and your family stay well away from this company. Someone or people will have to die before they start taking safety seriously.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The constant two faced lack of values 
The CEO has stated I quote " we would move a house to ensure your safety" 15 minutes later supervisors where doing an un-authorised confined space entry.
The stress of there short comings are not worth your time get a jobar 7/11 your life expectancy will triple 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Unless you are one of the "boys" don't expect to work there long or be treated like a human. The click runs that world and if you're not in it dont expect equal treatment 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Hellish, unless your in with the teams the supervisor or SFTL'S like you will be made of the same matter as the contents of a sewer pipe.

A fast paced environment requiring strict time management to complete tasks.
Working in conjunction with a construction company to complete the project, I learned that communication and document control is fundamental to successful completion of the project,
My fully autonomous role required little or no contact with management. Management have an open door policy and make themselves available when required.
My co-workers keep to themselves mostly.
I like to work in a friendly and supportive environment. I maintain motivation by staying focused on the end result, which for me, is completing my tasks to the best of my ability.
Being a small part of a large organisation is favourable for me as there is a flexibility to work hours that suit my lifestyle as ;long as the core hours required to work is completed. This requires good communication between staff and management. As well as verbal communication, I also communicate electronically by showing my hours in my calendar.

There are a lot of genuinely good people here but I do see a lack of experience in upper management and project management. Very focused on quick fixes. Will implement project after project without finalising integration of any of them causing a lot of confusion and project hangovers. Try to fix their issues with restructures that are so far yet to show positive results. Very reactive. Not proactive. If you are happy to stay at whatever level you started there, turn up to work then switch off, then you will likely be fairly happy. 

In 2010 Water and Wastewater services were separated out of various south east Queensland Councils. QUU is a new Utility that maintains planned and responsive maintenance activities to Water and Wastewater infrastructure in Brisbane, Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer Valley regions. The Business is still evolving and continues to go through restructures and continuous change. My role here was to provide financial and administrative support to the field operations Management and work teams. 
QUU supports a strong workplace, health and safety culture. The people that work there have a strong bond and enjoy their work.

Executive leadership is poor, inexperienced and indecisive.

Company talks a big game about vision, strategy and values, but these are not lived (reflected in daily operations).

Inefficient, with significant cost overruns, that are ultimately borne by customers.

A business that is trying to do too much. Looks to the future and innovation, but needs to focus on doing the basics well.  Infrastructure currently has significant compliance issues. 

Manipulating Brisbane water and sewage network. Being responsible for the repair and maintenance of said infrastructure. Dealing directly with the mayor on relevant issues. Deligating work to outside crew members and looking after the control room after hours. I learned a lot about reticulation systems and the customers we served. We were the managers. We worked in a small team of 6 and the team worked well. The hardest part of the job was trying to convince people that I worked with and people I answered to that change was a good thing. The most enjoyable part was at the end of the day knowing that you did something good.

Rampant cost cutting and out sourcing created a culture of uncertainty. Senior Managers with no previous experience working in the utility sector resulted in poor management practises. Focus was not retaining long term employees but recruitng younger less qualified individuals and reducing pay scale. 
The culture changed from a pleasant place to work to a place filled with contradictions and poor management.
HR is filled with an elitist group of individuals out of touch with the workforce and the culture.

Management especially would take decisions which will impact operations or the rest of the organisation without so much a change management plan. Processes which are not followed have no consequence to it - no one is managed for it. Faults repeated but nothing is addressed - new people cop the blame for a lot of things that they don't do and the existing people just shrug and move on. No real effort in changing the culture despite a lot of talk.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$92,667 per year
Network systems operator 2 salaries reported	$35.47 per hour
Technical specialist 1 salary reported	$59.03 per hour
Senior planner 1 salary reported	$66.95 per hour
Reliability engineer 1 salary reported	$2,886 per month

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