General Mills reviews

4.0

80% would recommend to a friend

(3,880 total reviews)
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Jeff Harmening

81% approve of CEO

63% positive business outlook

General Mills has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 3,880 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The General Mills employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufactura industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews
3.0
Dec 1, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

General Mills HR Master Leadership Program is a matured development program and provides truly growth and leadership opportunities early on. Their HR Leadership team is a very talented group of well rounded HR professionals. General Mills also has very influential and active diversity/resource networks and makes it a true priority to mentor and sponsor minority employees. The job is very challenging and competitive, you learn a lot from working here. I recommend this company for the development program and then move on to a more interesting place.

Cons

Their main problem is very well known, General Mills' culture is very much Minnesota nice. There is a lot of passive aggressiveness and people try to work with each other in the least disruptive way, this means that innovation and creativity takes longer because different voices or opinions are looked with fear and surprise. This is not the most agile and fast pace place. People do not like to talk directly about the issues, particularly bad management. People hope you act like a stepford wife and don't question or point out the ugliness, just act like everyone else.

2.0
Nov 9, 2014

New Hire

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great peers. Fantastic buildings & brands. People want this company to survive, I am not sure the leadership is focused on winning.

Cons

Not challenging. Not enough $. Not empowered. No innovation. Needs to focus on healthy food options for consumers - will not survive selling junk food.

3.0
Sep 29, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people are what makes this company great - smartest in the business and friendly. Good perks if in Minneapolis, especially if at main office. Pay is generally good. Work-life balance depends on position and location and department management. Good medical, dental, 401k, other benefits.

Cons

If you don't fit the work style and behavior, you will be miserable. Meetings before meetings, passive aggressive, being up-front is not appreciated, and you can never have an off day. It's all relationship based, so it's tough if you're an introvert and need time to think or recharge. If you work internationally, in marketing or in a professional position at a plant, you will not have any work-life balance. Company is entrenched in being a big corporation and cannot get small, innovative ideas into the market because they won't make enough money to meet the market expectations. No CEO wants to be the one to reduce or quit paying dividends, so it's all about what "the street" thinks of the company. Company is slow to make decisions and risk-averse. If you can manage up and are identified as a "driver", you can do no wrong. If management doesn't think you fit that mold, you will never promote. It's hard to break into social circles outside of work if you didn't grow up or live here before.

Viewing 88 - 90 of 3,880 Reviews

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