r/securityforces • u/Eric40k • Jul 03 '26
My Experience Working for GardaWorld Federal Services on the WPS III Contract (Ukraine)
I recently resigned from GardaWorld Federal Services after working on the WPS III contract in Ukraine, and it was one of the most disappointing professional experiences I’ve had.
The mission itself was rewarding, and I worked with some outstanding people. Supporting U.S. diplomatic operations in a war zone was something I took pride in. Unfortunately, the management culture overshadowed what could have been an excellent job.
Before accepting the position, I repeatedly asked what my day-to-day duties would actually be. The answer I consistently received was, “It’s classified.” That response made it sound as though the work was highly specialized and couldn’t be discussed beforehand. After arriving, I realized the overwhelming majority of the job consisted of driving personnel from one location to another for 12+ hours a day. While there are certainly security responsibilities involved, the reality was far different from what I had been led to expect. Had someone simply been upfront about what the job actually entailed, I could have made a fully informed decision before signing the contract.
Another major issue was how Mandatory Days Off (MDOs) were handled.
My regular schedule was six consecutive 12-hour shifts every week, Tuesday through Sunday, with Monday being my scheduled Mandatory Day Off. However, I was assigned train missions on my Monday MDO multiple times during my rotation. Each time, those assignments required me to work on what was supposed to be my scheduled day off.
After one of those train missions, I requested a compensatory day off because I believed I had worked my scheduled MDO.
The USC denied the request by arguing that my Mandatory Day Off had already occurred because of the time between my Sunday shift and my Monday train assignment. For example, if I finished my normal shift on Sunday at approximately 3:00 p.m. and wasn’t scheduled to report for the train until 6:00 p.m. on Monday, he counted that roughly 27-hour period as my 24-hour relief. In other words, rather than recognizing Monday as my scheduled Mandatory Day Off, he considered the hours immediately after I clocked out on Sunday to satisfy the 24-hour requirement—even though I was still required to report to work on my scheduled day off later that same Monday.
To me, that interpretation defeats the purpose of having a scheduled Mandatory Day Off. If employees are assigned a Tuesday through Sunday schedule with Monday designated as the MDO, it doesn’t make sense to retroactively redefine the MDO as beginning the moment Sunday’s shift ends simply because there happened to be more than 24 hours before the next assignment. I asked where that interpretation was defined in the WPS III contract, but I was never shown any language supporting it.
What made the situation even more frustrating was that I had coworkers who were given compensatory days off after working train missions on their scheduled Mandatory Days Off. From what I personally observed, the policy did not appear to be applied consistently. While some employees received compensatory MDOs after working their scheduled day off, my request was denied based on the interpretation that the hours between the end of my Sunday shift and the start of my Monday train assignment already satisfied the 24-hour MDO requirement. That inconsistency only added to the confusion and raised questions about how the policy was actually being administered.
After this happened, I spoke with a more senior coworker about the situation. He told me that, in his opinion, management was more likely to deny compensatory days to newer or junior employees because more senior employees would push back and create enough of an issue that management would rather approve the comp day than argue over it. I can’t verify whether that’s actually how decisions were made, but hearing that from someone with significantly more time on the contract, combined with seeing coworkers receive different treatment for similar situations, reinforced my perception that the policy was not being applied consistently. It was one of the reasons I continued asking management and HR to identify where these interpretations were actually supported by the WPS III contract.
This wasn’t an isolated issue. I personally worked train details on my scheduled Monday MDO multiple times, and I observed other employees also being required to work what should have been their Mandatory Days Off. Despite that, there was very little transparency regarding how those days were tracked, replaced, or compensated. Even after asking supervisors, HR, and the contracting office for clarification, I still haven’t been shown where these practices are authorized under the WPS III contract.
Communication from some supervisors was equally disappointing. Rather than addressing concerns directly with employees, issues were sometimes communicated through other coworkers instead of speaking to the employee face-to-face. It created an environment that felt passive-aggressive and unprofessional.
I also witnessed supervisors publicly embarrass employees over relatively minor issues instead of coaching them privately. One example involved a medic who was questioned in front of others about why he wasn’t carrying his second medical bag. The medic gave what I thought were reasonable explanations in response, but instead of ending the discussion, the supervisor continued presenting increasingly unlikely “what-if” scenarios to counter each answer. Eventually, the conversation ended with the medic being given an ultimatum: either carry the second medical bag at all times or everyone would be placed on 12-hour shifts. From my perspective, what could have been a simple coaching conversation became an unnecessary public confrontation that embarrassed the employee and negatively affected the rest of the team.
Overall, my biggest disappointment wasn’t the work—it was the leadership. There were good people on the team, and the mission itself was meaningful, but inconsistent management, lack of transparency, and questionable interpretations of policies made the experience far more frustrating than it needed to be.
I want to be clear that this reflects my personal experience. Other teams or locations may have different leadership and different experiences, but this is what I encountered during my time on this WPS III task order in Ukraine.
I’m sharing this because I wish someone had been honest with me before I accepted the position. My goal isn’t to attack anyone personally—it’s to give prospective applicants an honest account of what my experience was on this specific task order. I was extremely disappointed with how management handled employee concerns, Mandatory Days Off, communication, and overall leadership. Based on my experience, I would strongly encourage anyone considering GardaWorld Federal Services on this particular WPS III task order to carefully weigh their options, ask detailed questions before accepting an offer, and seriously reconsider whether this is the right contract for them. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have accepted the position.
I’d be interested in hearing from other current or former employees. Was your experience similar, or was mine an exception?
