Knife River Reviews

I have been working at Knife River full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Pay and benefits are generally good, with occasionally more overtime than you can handle. Generally, we are working with good equipment, and until the recession hit it was well taken care of - still not too bad. Normally, you can decline duty that takes you out of town and away from family. If you have a decent attitude and knowledge, you can expect others of your work rank to support you and throw down their best most days. We generally take a week or so off during the holidays so everyone can be with their families on Christmas. We have no paid vacation or sick days/pay, but overall are able to have days off on the bigger holidays. Generally, you can always voice concerns and problems.

Cons – In my experience, management is big on talk but short on action. If you are used to an involved problem solving interaction, likely you will be frustrated at having to deal with long term issues which are always talked about but seldom confronted and solved. If you happen to be an employee who is experienced and cognizant of company efficiency and financial matters, you might be frustrated at the waste that occurs in a larger company, often because your management team refuses to listen to any opinions but their own. As with most construction companies, your personal time evaporates a good share of the year. Lack of sleep and bizarre work schedules can and do raise serious safety issues. Lastly, if you are a person who remembers mistakes and looks ahead trying to dodge bad situations and problems, KR is equal to most others - we see the same issues year after year with little cooperation from management in effecting positive change.

Advice to Senior Management – Try and realize that your rank and file employees may have knowledge and experience which will help a great deal with working conditions and your bottom line. A condescending attitude towards them, along with the idea that a title somehow infers infallibility in decision-making and knowledge, is pretty arrogant. Those of us who get dirty for a living are daily pushed for real productivity; we get frustrated with poor decisions and long timelines being pushed downstream. It has been my experience in KR that it's better to tackle the problem and hope for a good outcome than to wait on a direction that never comes. Lastly, most times there is no reason to work extremely long hours or bizarre schedules - you're basically running a vehicle on flat tires when everyone's exhausted. Better to work smarter than harder.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Knife River full-time for more than a year

Pros – money isn't bad and some eployees

Cons – the management on the top in northeastern ND need some major help. In over there heads.

Advice to Senior Management – They will get it sooner or later.

I worked at Knife River

Pros – The company is part of a larger utility group and therefore can withstand the bumps of an unsteady economy. Some managers are good people.

Cons – Senior management is completely unaware of the skills and abilities of its own people. They insulate themselves almost completely from what's going on. The new President loathes technology and is one of the few executives in the world that doesn't recognize the importance of technology and sees it only as a way for employees to waste time. He'd rather we all used abaci

Advice to Senior Management – When making decisions about who to promote and who to RIF, actually talk to employees who work with those people. Make decisions based on merit instead of who your friends are.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Knife River

Pros – Company Vehicle
Casual workplace
Great overtime opportunity

Cons – Long work hours in the summer

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Knife River

Pros – Fun place to work with pretty good pay especially if able to work on overtime. Good benefits and a big company to work for.

Cons – Work is dependent upon the construction economy and therefore unstable and job security can be at risk when business is slow.

Advice to Senior Management – Notify and educate employees about oportunities for professional development and possibilities with moving up in the company and promotions/ work expectations

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Knife River

Pros – Great employees. Thats about it

Cons – We work 5 months a year. Employees at burger King make the same as us yearly.

Advice to Senior Management – We get no Boneses our vacation is taxed as a Gift 49%

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Knife River

Pros – If you want to make money as a hourly employee, this is a great company. The pay scale is very bottom heavy. It takes a few promotions to make as much as you would as an hourly employee. If you work hard and are competant, there will be opportunity for you to advance. The company is increasingly concerned about safety which is a good thing.

Cons – like many other companies in the industry, somehow a few idiots have managed to be promoted to a point of incompetency. Summers will be very long hours and little chance of getting time off.

Advice to Senior Management – Affirm the blue collar guys often. If they feel appreciated, they will work harder.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend