Severe organizational dysfunction
Pros
The salary and benefits package are genuinely good, and I enjoyed the flexible working arrangements they offer. The office facilities are nice and well-maintained. You can have a lot of freedom in your role because honestly, no one knows what they are doing, let alone what you are doing. There's job security that comes with working for such a large, established company.
Cons
This is the most chaotic company I have ever worked for. Air Liquide is absolutely huge and no one knows who is responsible for what or what others are doing. If you need information, you will go through a chain of at least 5 people and still might not find the answers you're looking for. They have an internal system for everything with minimal human contact. I was once given a login to one of these systems but no one could tell me where I should actually log in to use it. The office environment is very hostile despite the nice facilities. Don't leave anything on your desk because it will disappear. People constantly come and go - you barely get to know anyone in the office because of the extremely high turnover. While I worked there for years, this is my least favorite company out of all that I have worked for. I have never felt more isolated in a workplace. The organizational dysfunction makes every day frustrating, and the financial compensation doesn't make up for the daily struggle of trying to get basic work done in such a disorganized system.
