Decent company with awful management - Mechanical Engineer TOTE Employee Review

4.0
Nov 3, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great service provided to customers, good safety track record, minimal negative environmental impact, upgraded to new LNG ships which are ecologically better than the steam ships were. Value service to the company highly, with many people being with the company for years and years- signifying its a decent company to work for new build ships are harder to run than other ships so there's a high turnover of people, making advancement opportunities available only one ship sank so that's good.

Cons

ship sank in hurricane Joaquin, check USCG findings for faults, mostly the company's schedule and pressure. Office personnel aren't really top of the line. the ships are in port twice a week and apparently can't get replacement parts or safety gear, which is an issue with purchasing and ship management. Crewing personnel are blatantly incompetent and play favorites There's an ethics policy however it seems like a lot of backdoor dealing and cronyism still occurs. There's a lot of contractors and personnel who are friends of one of the directors who get huge contracts to do little to nothing.

Explore other reviews about TOTE

5.0
Jan 29, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great culture Good bonus structure dependent on company performance Growth opportunity if you work hard and make connections with other departments

Cons

Growth opportunity can be limited as this is a lean company Some holiday hours are required Poor performers are not addressed quickly enough forcing high performers to take on heavier workload at times

3.0
Sep 23, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I really enjoy working with my direct team. We may be small, but we’re highly capable, focused on getting things done, and always make sure to keep our partners well-informed. It’s a supportive group where collaboration and follow-through make a big difference.

Cons

The culture was a shock to me. I’ve always been trained that leadership means leading by example, but that isn’t the case here. Some managers and supervisors will “reply all” to call out mistakes in a way that feels harsh and unconstructive—sometimes even masking the message with a smiley emoji. There’s no guidance on how to fix the issue, no context on what’s been done before, and no real support offered. If something goes wrong, the reaction tends to be overblown, but no corrective action or resolution follows. Many “suggestions” or “great ideas” are floated, but they rarely turn into actual solutions. Instead, they’re brought up once and then never mentioned again.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All