Hi - I am a former RBS senior tech (26 years experience) from south Texas. The unfortunate writing was on the wall for Ricoh employee's years ago, so I spent time earning various IT certs and accumulated an ever wider array of technical skills and knowledge to improve my marketability. Finally made a calculated jump to a very large independent dealer near family in central Tn in early 2015: all the planning paid off - in spades. I'm working for a growing, vibrant and intelligently managed company that is well aware of (and has learned from) the many mistakes of Ikon/ RBS, etc.
At RBS, functioning within a continuously deteriorating environment induced a form of cognitive dissonance (slowly boiling the frogs) among many longtime employee's - which tends to desensitize one to the extent of dissatisfaction and frustration. After spending years trying to help improve our workplace expectations and environment... I finally faced the inevitable and gave up.
I am VERY thankful to have had the good sense to go proactive and get out when I could. My work environment now is FAR more constructive, pleasant and effective than it ever was at RBS - and I was a very productive and well regarded long-timer in excellent standing with customers, coworkers, management, etc. It is truly a blessing that I now have much more training, sensible expectations, more $$$ and recognition for excelling at my work to boot.
Advice to any Ricoh employees that happen to read this: as of now (8-2017), Ricoh is continuing a very quiet sell off of its branches, where in most cases you will either be liquidated - or rehired by your new employer for lower pay and/ or benefits. Identify a large independent dealer [NOW] with a solid, proven track record of excellence in dealings with both internal and external customers - then, GO! Soon now, there will be a flood of older, experienced service and support personnel looking for work elsewhere when they no longer have the choice - better to do it now, rather than competing 20 to 1 against every job opening - especially when most of the smaller independents want younger and/ or cheaper labor...
Posted in an old thread by @MGCMpfJ-1Uofv, I hope she/he does not mind me bumping it into a thread for more people to see.