14 Pros and Cons of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car

In the late 50s, Jack C. Taylor started a company called Executive Leasing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.

This was where automobiles could be leased at a reasonable price.

It didn’t take on the name of Enterprise until after WWII, in honor of the USS Enterprise, which Taylor served on.

From those humble beginnings, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has grown tremendously.

Today, it’s the largest company of its kind in the US and operates in 100 countries. 

What kind of life is that for the 80,000 employees?

Follow along with us as we take a deeper look at what it’s like to work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Pros of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car

1. Benefits

Aside from normal healthcare benefits, Enterprise has thrown in a few extras to keep employees happy.

Want to give back to the local community?

Paid volunteer days are available.

Ready to start a family?

Everyone is eligible for some type of parental leave. 

Don’t forget about adoption assistance!

Want to quit smoking?

There’s a program for that, too.

Employees get discounts, rewards, and a calendar of activities with the whole staff.

2. Diversity

Getting a better view of the world starts with those you interact with.

Exposure to a variety of backgrounds and cultures is one of the best things about staffing choices because it reflects the customer base.

The reality is, cars get rented by people locally just as often as they do by international travelers. 

The more familiarity you have with working with a diverse mix of people, the more empathy and understanding you’ll get dealing with customers.

Enterprise hires at each level with diversity in mind.

The likelihood of one department being mostly from one culture is very low.

This kind of effort is noticed by talents from all walks of life.

3. Upbeat Culture

A point many employees rave about is the work environment.

The people you work with here are great and go the extra mile to help out.

That’s honestly the only kind of personality that should be brought into the company.

Working in a car rental is a hard job and it takes people who are willing to wear a few different hats, when needed, to make that go smoothly.

Knowing that you aren’t going to be left in the lurch with a line out the door is reassuring. 

Can-do attitudes flourish faster than anyone else at a job like this. 

4. Thorough Training

In order to be prepared for those long lines of people in need, Enterprise wants you to be able to hit the ground running.

No matter what level you’re hired at, they want you to know the position inside and out.

Courses start after orientation and continue once an employee gets their feet wet.

Training doesn’t end after orientation, either. 

Learning is more like regular maintenance than a one-time-only course at this car rental.

Not only will you become an expert in your own position, but you’ll also become knowledgeable about other departments.

5. Ever-Expanding Skillset

Deep training elevates employees in their position but it also has an impact on an individual level.

Most who take the job at Enterprise have no real intention of being there for the duration of their career.

That means everything being picked up while working here should be transferred elsewhere when the time comes.

Getting to work in a variety of capacities is going to really help beef up a resume.

From customer service to decision-making, each interaction is like another of life’s tests to create a more marketable employee for other companies. 

6. Encouraging Management

As mentioned, any job at Enterprise can be physically demanding and mentally exhausting.

Having a manager with compassion for not only the customer’s experience but the employees is heartwarming.

Management knows, likely from being in your position already, life happens and you’re doing your best.

Need some help?

Have a doctor’s appointment?

Dealing with car problems?

Managers are more flexible than other competitors when it comes to stepping in or being flexible.

It makes sense, Enterprise invests so much in each new hire that keeping the talent is worth more than losing someone over insignificant parts of the job.

7. Job Security

Following the bounce back of travel and business trips recently, car rentals are on the rise.

That’s why it can get so jammed with people in the lobby throughout the week. 

The best part of a constant influx of customers is it would hurt too much for Enterprise to randomly perform layoffs.

There is no time for any branch to be understaffed, there’s just too much going on. 

Cons of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car

1. No Work-Life Balance

Some of the pros almost sound too good to be true.

Well, you know what they say, if something sounds too good, it probably is.

The hours are some of the longest in the industry.

That’s for everyone, not just management or body guys.

A 10-hour shift is routine and the days you do it are often all over the board.

That’s why this is especially great for someone fresh out of college.

There’s no little face you have to explain why you’re gone so long to, it’s just you dedicating yourself to enterprise.

2. High Stress

Being on your feet and working almost half of a day when you’re on the clock is hard enough.

Then, sprinkle in the litany of overly dramatic customers who swear you’re wrong.

Tie it all up with quotas from corporate and you have yourself the beginnings of a stressful situation.

Working hours that long hardly gives you any time to recover before having to come back in and do it all over again.

3. Low Pay

 For such a stressful job, it would make sense that the compensation outweighs the super long days.

Sadly, that’s not the case.

For whatever reason, Enterprise has decided not to even out the scales a bit but instead has come out on the lower end in comparison to other car rentals.

It’s hard to retain loyal employees when they aren’t compensated at least equally in the industry.

4. Limited Advancement

The powers that be at Enterprise haven’t learned the best ways to promote from within.

An overwhelming majority of management trainees are hired externally.

While that’s great news for the job market, it’s not all that helpful when you’re trying to move up the ranks. 

For example, if you’re brought on as a detailer and don’t get a degree, you’ll likely stay a detailer until you leave the company.

5. Physically Demanding

If you’re working directly with cars, the load might really weigh on you sooner than you think.

Long hours of getting in and out of cars, carrying equipment, and going from one car to the next as if you were on fire is going to have a negative impact over time.

Would be easier to deal with if schedules were better and the pay was higher, no?

6. Old Technology

At a company where a majority of reservations are made online, you’d think Enterprise would have the fastest technology for the employees’ sake.

Sadly, they have invested so much in having knowledgeable people that the process still gets dragged through the dirt.

Not upgrading systems to faster CRMs and handheld tech are what causes lines, especially at the airport.

The rental office gets swarmed so fast, especially at international airports.

It would save so much frustration if everything worked in a more timely fashion. 

14 Pros and Cons of Working for [COMPANY NAME] – Summary Table

7. Terrible Customers

Of course, it’s hard to work in any position that is customer-facing and not get your share of bad actors.

However, for whatever reason, it’s really difficult to get past the onslaught of terrible behavior from an overwhelming majority of the customer base. 

What is it about renting a car that puts everyone in a foul mood?

It’s hard to say.

Sure, the front desk employee who is setting up the rental has some things to push.

For example, when was the last time you rented a car without being asked if you wanted special insurance or extra protection on the road?

Yes, upselling is part of the job even if most customers decline.

Maybe people are just stressed in the first place, thanks to the irritation of having to get a car at all.

Whatever it is, they really enjoy taking out those feelings on the one person trying to help.

14 Pros and Cons of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car – Summary Table

Pros of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car	Cons of Working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car
1. Benefits	1. No Work-Life Balance
2. Diversity	2. High Stress
3. Upbeat Culture	3. Low Pay
4. Thorough Training	4. Limited Advancement
5. Ever-Expanding Skillset	5. Physically Demanding
6. Encouraging Management	6. Old Technology
7. Job Security	7. Terrible Customers

Should You Work for Enterprise Rent-A-Car?

Management trainees right out of college probably have it the best, as far as Enterprise opportunities go.

At that age, you don’t have a ton of extra responsibilities and can dedicate a period of time to advancing your career.

Other areas, such as detailers or higher management might not be as keen on being hired.

Despite being in business for over half a century, the company hasn’t really learned how to schedule people so they don’t burn out.

It’s all fun and games until your body hurts from too much of a bad schedule. 

Being aware of the pitfalls before joining can save you from a position you’d hate.