Working at MYSTIC LAKE CASINO — Reviews by Employees

I worked for this company for over 5 years. If you have a "friend" with any of the tribe or managers, you are immune from doing anything actually related to your job. Some of my co workers have been around forever and dont seem to be interested in doing jack shit. Many of them watch TV, gather in groups and stand with guests for well over 20 minutes while leaving the work to those who actually care. All of the aforementioned are severely punished. Discipline does nothing. Management are more interested in punishing an entire department for the actions of the elite few, who regardless do it anyways even though they are supposed to be punished. Most managers are managers because they know somebody and it is impossible to dislodge them for anything. Many of their supervisors are hand picked so that you cant follow any progressive chain of command. Plus they're all chummy with select employees so that there's little you can do if they dont like you. Any retribution will most likely lead to your early termination and calling Human Resources is a joke. Everyone in my department and outside my department (like 20 people) had the same complaints about a particular manager. We couldnt get anything out of HR, other than "Its the first time we've ever heard of this." Thats crap! Many had complained in the past and present over the same issues and they choose to ignore it.

If management doesn't like you, they will nitpick the crap out of you in order to get you to quit if they cant find any real dirt on you. Anything that may be taken the wrong way or misinterpreted as a larger issue, they will seize on and prosecute in extreme. They have this stigma that because they work or exist on a reservation they are immune to the law. THIS IS A LIE, DO NOT BUY INTO IT. They may say that the casino cannot be held liable, but they have to operate within the boundaries of Federal Law and the IRS. They are careful to pick are reason to write you up and make you think that you have to sign the written warning paper. THIS IS ALSO A LIE. You do not have to comply. What they will do is compile every write up you have ever had so that when you get terminated, they use it against you should you have to file for unemployment.

These dirty, selfish, underhanded tactics are designed to screw you over.

Much of their attitude is, "If you dont like it, quit." During their initial training for new hires, you watch a video about how to make the workplace fun and enjoyable. Right. You cannot speak to anyone unless it is on a designated break or they write you up, even if it is casually saying something in passing. They will even use Surveillance footage against you if they feel like really sticking it to you. The Gestapo like tactics do not create a safe and fun work environment. How can you enjoy your job when you watch many of your co workers walk around being buddy-buddy with management and get away with everything when you cant even say hello to a fellow whom you actually like?

The pay is at least decent and they're benefits are good. They are of little solace for bullshit you have to endure. In the past, the company had huge troubles keeping a full staff so they started to beef up what benefits they had and added complementary fringe benefits to retain a full staff. In recent times, they have begun to rescind many as either a cost cutting measure or a way to ensure the docility of the staff. We used to be able to purchase a discounted meal for breaks and take whatever you didn't finish home. Then they began to limit what your discount was good for. Then they capped it saying you could only use it once per day. Now they saw you cant even take any of your purchase home with you.

Now, you can change you job after 90 days if you can tolerate it, but many jobs are either "specialty" in which you need a deep background in or deplorable. One of which is "Environmental Services" aka custodial work. They have the highest turn over rate in the company for good reason. They have the nasty tendency to chew you up and spit you out. This crew has the lowest job rung and the lowest respect. You cant even speak to an EVS worker or they can be terminated. So not only do they scrub toilets, they can't even make eye contact with you. If you are ever interested in working at the Casino, DO NOT ACCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES.

Overall, you can survive with place with a few simple rules.

1. Accept whatever your position is as if it is the only job you will ever have. Most likely it will be.
2. You can prolong your inevitable termination by hopping from department to department.
3. You need to not stick out like a sore thumb and literally keep your head down and shut up.
4. Be opportunistic as hell. Something crops up, act on it immediately. It will not be there again.
5. NEVER EVER EVER Trust what management says. They can easily screw in a pinch if you make them look bad.
6. Identify you co workers who are the Exemptions to the rules. Try like hell to believe that you are no better than them.
7. Anyone who looks native may not be part of the tribe. Many of the community do not look native so be careful of what you say. The blonde girl you just gave change to could be a senior member's daughter and can get you fired on a whim.
8. If you are native, you are granted some priority in the hiring process. If you can prove that you are, you can probably escape the persecution for a while longer than you Caucasian collegues.
9. If you disagree with a "corrective action" written or otherwise, you DO NOT HAVE to sign it. They compile everything and periodically take notes on you and keep them all in a filing cabinet.
10. Take advantage of every benefit you can. If you get "employee of the month" awards. Save them. Get your 401K maxed out, get the best medical you can, and use the hell out of it. It may be the only time you may be able to.

I have not had any good experience with Mystic Lake. Management is nothing but a buddy buddy system.

SLOTS

The pay is decent, in addition to the benefits. This is the only reason people would stay in such a hostile work environment.

First off, the tribe refuses to expand the non-smoking section. Every time an attempt to expand it is put forward, the tribe kicks back with force.

RESPECT: The supervisors treat you like children. Many micro-manage to extremes and don't know what the word "delegate" means. Their assumption is often guilty until proven innocent in many situations.

Job Security: Unless you cozy up with supervisors and above, your job security is moot. The department is automating and is slowly shrinking its size. Most full-time jobs are to be replaced with part-timers, and many weekend off positions are being eliminated. But you might make 5 years, if you are lucky.

Work/life balance: The point system they have for attendance is very strict compared to other employers. Miss 5 days in a 6 month period and you are gone. They are also strict about giving leave of absence.

Career Potential/Growth: The Twin Cities is not Las Vegas. There are few potential careers outside of Vegas and tribal casinos for employees in the Slots department to go to. But I do not see Las Vegas growing if oil prices never fall.

Location: Scott County. It is 45 minutes from downtown Minneapolis! But again, people will drive from Mankato or Forest Lake to work there. The pay is decent and so this can make the location less important.

Co-worker Competence: Most co-workers will do the right thing. There are few who would not go out of their way to assist guests.

Work Environment: Did I mention it was harsh? The particulate matter from all the smoke is already awful. We are NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK to our co-workers,unless on break. (This does not count supervisors, but you must work there a year to apply for this position ) I had a co-worker tell me in front of management that he wanted me dead and he was STILL not terminated for doing so. Another co-worker was recently fired because she complained to Human Resources about sexual harassment. Unless you have "Native Preference," your likelihood to persevere in this environment is quite improbable.

Black jack dealer - most all of the pay comes from the tips, so the casino actually pays very little of your wages. A lot of the Mgrs do not even have a high school education, and got where they are by basically kissing up. I witnessed people being fired for having cancer or a family crisis. If one of the "Mgrs" doesn't like you, even though you are a great worker, it will be out the door for you. The women and minorities are frequently harrased, and the employees have no employment rights, as it is a sovereign nation - they do not have to abide by employenet laws, and they take advantage of it. If you like working in a dark smoke hole, on holidays, weekends and at night this is the job for you. There is good career growth if you are a young male, or if you are a tribal member, otherwise forget it. If you are nostalgic and would like to work as if the year was 1945 - then you will love it here. If you complain about harrassment or any other issue, they will retaliate and you will be fired. If you get hurt on the job, they are covered by their own comp. policy, and will nix any claim. It is a nice drive to the casino to work everyday, if you like to drive miles to the sticks on unsafe roads in a snow storm, only to get a "point" for being late. Too many "points" such as being sick or attending your mothers funeral will result in termanation. They love to fire people, so they can start all over at the bottom of the pay scale and benefits. Good luck in collecting your 401 - that isn't covered by any laws either. If the state would open a casino they wouldn't have an employee left out there. So, if brown nosing is your game....go apply, you probably will be part time w/out benefits for the rest of your life. There is a reason the employees call this place Mistake Lake.