a remote surveillance culture - Anonymous employee Sunstate Equipment Employee Review

1.0
24 Aug 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

lots of required overtime if you would like to make additional money. there are healthcare benefits coworkers were helpful and camaraderie was good.

Cons

constant remote surveillance by Phoenix. No kidding, various people "watching" even the senior mechanics. phone calls from Phoenix, "why are you sitting down?" overtime not optional. you will be working the evening, the weekend on rotation. yes you'll be paid for that, but hits the work/life balance hard. emphasis on throughput, not quality. recurrent safety issues pointed out but management just casually interested. master mechanics spending surprising amounts of time scraping decals off of machines. is that really how you want to deploy your best people? HR orientation done with enthusiasm but how the company says it treats people is different from how it really does. seemed like there was a firing every few weeks, reasons were thin. management seemed to relish canning people "throw 'em away, try another one." management a bit culty. even very young manager would say "I hope to finish my career here." apparently that was the cool thing to say. leaving to finish my career elsewhere was one of the best moves I made.

Explore other reviews about Sunstate Equipment

5.0
16 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Company positioning itself for the future.

Cons

Tough road ahead but opportunities are endless.

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Sunstate Equipment Response
2w
Thank you for your feedback! We share your optimism about the future Sunstate is investing in the capabilities, talent, and strategy needed to strengthen our position in the market, and we're excited about what we can accomplish together. We appreciate your recognition of that momentum and your role in helping shape what comes next.
2.0
4 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Salary was very good for market, with decent work-life balance. Branch employees are great coworkers.

Cons

Hard times are back for the construction industry and the Sunstate tech experiment is over. After a couple years of moderate investment in trying to bring their internal and customer tools out of the Stone Age and compete with their major competitors' offerings, Sunstate decided to cut their losses and go back to business as usual rather than make the organizational changes necessary to let their teams do real work. Leaders and executives planning for months to produce vague, unmeasurable goals for the quarter that just flew by should have been the first sign that the end was near, but they limped on for a while before calling it a wrap with multiple rounds of layoffs. This affects roles across the company who rely on increasingly aging and broken tech to do their jobs, and customers who remain fully dependent on their reps to get any reporting or issues fixed. The only technology investments Sunstate is making now is increasingly intense performance monitoring of drivers and technicians in response to their industry-leading turnover numbers. The "we're a family" line was always nonsense but it truly ended after the Wattses exited.

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Sunstate Equipment Response
3mo
Thank you for your feedback and for recognizing the strength of our team, compensation, and work environment. We acknowledge the challenges facing the construction industry and the impact that recent changes have had across the business. Decisions around structure and investment are made with a focus on long-term sustainability and performance, and we understand they can create uncertainty. Technology remains a critical part of our strategy. While our approach continues to evolve, we are committed to investing in tools and systems that improve both the customer experience and how our teams operate day to day. We also recognize the importance of clear, actionable goals and strong communication from leadership. That is an area we continue to focus on as we strengthen alignment and execution across the organization. We appreciate candid feedback and remain committed to building a stronger path forward.
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