General Mills reviews

Here is where it gets complicated, however. GMI’s corporate culture is hindered by a fundamental dishonesty that permeates the through all upper management levels of the corporation (director and above). Harsh, certainly, but a statement evidenced by empty rhetoric, meaningless platitudes and easily compromised values statements. GMI can easily be categorized as a stiff and immobile company that struggles with true diversity. An apparent contradiction to the kudos above, where GMI falls shorts is diversity of thought, diversity of scope of vision, diversity of opinion and other “below the radar” attributes. GMI is a consensus driven company that that is slow to deep dive into the world of true innovation. This has become an increasing concern – much like the grad student who delays thesis defense because of a fear there may be one slight gap in his/her research, GMI has allowed itself to become a company where innovation and honesty become casualties of a self-imposed functional paralysis. Rather than move decisively and boldly, projects get delayed or watered down by commissioning another study, holding another series of meetings or just simply finding (or inventing) a reason to kick decision making further down the line. I am not sure this is easier, per se, but it does provide a temporary cover while a rationale is constructed to validate decisions, right or wrong. Finally, individual success is dependent on one’s ability to adapt to a “good ol’ boys” style of personnel networking, augmented by a byzantine performance appraisal system where preferred candidates for advancement often receive several promotions in a short period of time while many others may see promotions delayed or non-existent. For much of the GMI decision makers, experience and competence are less valued than the promise of some great future reward and one’s ability to manage up.

General Mills used to be a superb place for marketers to work. Due to company struggles and massive layoffs, what remains is a culture of fear in a mature company in peril. Turnover within marketing is the highest I've seen in any company. Employees are extremely unhappy, not just a little discontented or worried. The negativity is warranted and really toxic to be around on a daily basis. The work environment has become hostile, especially toward people lower on the pecking order. GMI is no longer dedicated to training new employees but rather expects you to "fast start" and "learn on the job". If you are hired off-cycle to replace someone who quit, all the worse for you. There is no process at all for onboarding "external hires" as they call them, an illogical title that serves to brand these employees shamefully and never fully integrate them into the system. Managers are intolerant of mistakes, making it difficult/nearly impossible to overcome negative impressions. There is a two-day training class managed by a central marketing center that you may or may not get in your first months on the job, and that is it. You are on your own to figure the rest out. Your manager will not help you and it is perceived as a sign of weakness to ask for help. Their own jobs are stretched thin and they are drowning themselves, so why would they bother offering you so much as a life boat. They are disorganized and don't provide as much as a checklist or bare bones 30/60/90--you make it yourself or never get one. They fundamentally do not understand/believe in the laws of onboarding as described in "The First 90 Days" and other well-documented studies that prove the value of a transition period and process. GMI keeps eliminating so many support jobs each year that you simultaneously have less administrative support and access to your manager, meanwhile everyone who is left has a job stretched so wide and thin as to make it unsustainable. GMI claims to value diversity of background and thought, but are intolerant of out of the box thinking or people who don't fit the mold. The daily grind has become a pageant to impress the Director or "BUD" as they call it. Subordinates are afraid to contradict the all-powerful BUD, and directors will often treat you with favoritism, apathy or shaming depending on how your business is performing. Even if your business is doing well, managers will make a fuss out of "how" you say and do things. If they decide they don't like you, they will throw you under the bus in front of peers and superiors and passive-aggressively sabotage you in the review process. There is no mechanism for AMMs to provide feedback on their managers, or on anyone for that matter. The very non-transparent HR feedback systems are set up for everyone to secretly review the AMM, but not the reverse. This is not the case in other companies and it contributes to the hostile environment aforementioned. Marketers are constantly looking over their shoulder in fear, pointing blame at other people when things go wrong, and unwilling to offer help/support to newbies. In sum, this is the worst environment I have ever worked in and I do not recommend it to other marketers.