Pros
Sterling reputation as a company, and the company fought to keep it that way. This made it easy to do the right thing as an HR pro. The company strongly preached work-life balance, and the headquarters jobs reflected that. Jobs in the supply chain didn't always allow much balance, but it wasn't because of corporate values. General Mills is chocked with great talent and bright people. Corporate processes were good, and there were functions where great work was being done. We had opportunities for good personal development, whether that be classroom training or rapid progression to higher-level opportunities when you were ready to move up. Diversity was a constant area of focus for us, and the company was working hard to create a very diverse and progressive work environment. It was very fun to work in an environment where you were surrounded by great brands and brand mascots, and I was always proud of the products that we produced and the quality of those products. The company is growing globally, so opportunities for global experiences were available.
Cons
Despite the company's commitment to talent and leadership development, there were still pockets in the supply chain where old-school management was holding on strong. This made for inconsistent experiences for up-and-coming talent. Slating and talent management was weak at the HR Director level, and you always had the feeling that the HRDs were scrambling whenever someone left the company. Also, while the push for diversity was the right thing to do, it was executed so aggressively that the non-diverse, high-potential leaders were becoming frustrated at obvious over-indexing toward diversity when any higher-level position came open. This resulted in leaders being put in a position either before they were ready to handle the requirements of the job (which creates a bigger issue) or without true support from those they were leading.