Hi everyone. I am hoping to get some guidance regarding ongoing issues I encounter at the facility I joined last year. I inherited an SQF system that was not properly reviewed for at least 3 years since no QA manager stayed at the role for more than a few months. I rushed to make updates and corrections as the audits were happening almost immediately after I joined. I was clear with management that this is not the usual way to handle the system but it was what needed to be done at the time.
After the audits and corrections, I finally have time to look at the gaps and implement actual change. Unfortunately, the management team is lacking in certain departments. The corrective actions I started in 2023 remain open due to lack of staff or cooperation. I have tried to work with the team, provide trainings and assign backups for the missing members of management. The lack of cooperation comes from an enormous push from the CEO to produce produce produce. This causes any follow ups, meetings, trainings, requests that come from food safety to be 'pushed to the side'. My monthly food safety meetings were even cancelled by the CEO since they are considered a waste of time. I have brought up my frustrations to my direct boss but this appears no go nowhere. In addition, I hold the highest position in Food Safety along with all the responsibilities but get reprimanded for not being on the lines all day (like a QA tech).
Lets say for example that the open corrective actions include no work orders, no daily records of repairs, no PMs being done since last year. The existing PMs scheduled appear to be falsified since they include sign offs for equipment that does not exist at the facility.
I am also faced with equipment that is not properly cleaned, and when brought or 'caught' by QA at prestarts, the team and myself have suffered verbal abuse from management. The sanitation issues are also brought up by contractors. Some lines are being ran without documented checks, untrained personnel etc. I have requested sanitation management to review cleaning procedures, the ones I found are older than 2020, several pieces of equipment do not have procedures and there are no training records for the cleaning staff on specific pieces of equipment. When I follow up on the progress of these reviews, I am met with an 'I haven't done it'.
I would like to add that my background and degree is in food safety, I have 10+ years experience and have also worked on the regulatory side with FDA. The industry I am currently in is baked goods/snacks.
This is not an all inclusive list of the issues that are being encountered, and did not provide additional details as I need to maintain anonymity. With the issues, attitude, and culture I am seeing, I would walk away if I could. I would like to get an honest opinion from my peers as I am at a point where I do not know if I can keep working here.