People come first...a rare concept in today's business environment. - 6Sigma Black Belt I Caterpillar Employee Review

4.0
Jan 15, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company fosters long term opportunities for growth. Succession planning is the best of all employers where I have worked. The people come first, and management supports this paradigm. Working across numerous functional areas at any given time is a great way to learn people's different work ethic and behavior for your own self improvement. Being exposed to the different business units allows you to easily explore future career opportunities or to find the niche in which you want to focus. Engineers within specific areas of the company are truly fortunate for their ability to explore possibilities to create breakthrough products for end users.

Cons

Middle management is very transient in decision making. The almost weekly changes in direction creates waste and frustration among staff. While there is very little that can be done about this mode of operation, discipline in the development processes will enable faster, more accurate decision making. Some areas of the organization have the potential for protecting "old habits" (i.e: "we have always done it this way"). It can be an overwhelming challenge for staff-level engineers to break these barriers to do what is right. The most significant challenge is to work with the people who stifle and disqualify the input of others.

Explore other reviews about Caterpillar

5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

great wlb and great benefits

Cons

none that i can think of.

2.0
Apr 30, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You are treated with autonomy, dignity, and respect. It is assumed you know how to do your job and are given the trust and means to do so. Compensation is above market value. Uncapped professional growth if you know how to play your cards right.

Cons

Working at Burger King and living from my car in Northern Michigan during the middle of winter was preferable to working on-site in Peoria. Project work was inherently meaningless and dictated almost entirely by the caste system this company has in Central, IL. My relocation had absolutely nothing to do with the role at hand and was a power play by management to get me to become a bleed-yellow Peorian in the CAT-corporate social club. The company loyalty here is absolutely disgusting and has nothing to do with the viability of the brand or product. Everyone is enamored with the status and wealth they've attained on account of not performing hard, manual, life-threatening labor. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually cares about what goes on in the defense division or addressing the geopolitical anomalies between the former headquarters and the new business direction of the company.

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