Cargill Meat Solutions Reviews

Pros

Good benefits (not compensation)
Nice people
Organized around big picture
Great training programs for management
Good corporate stewardship
Community involvement
High ethical & quality standards

Cons

Cargill is a collection of plants and remote locations. Division management varies in strength and quality. There is a disconnect between the strong ideas and intentions at the corporate level and to what extent this is pushed down thru the plant locations. There are great plants and bad plants, and no one is being pushed past their comfort zone.

Pros

If you put the time there are many global opportunities.

Cons

They are experiencing corporation-wide restructuring, leading to a loss of positions.

Advice to Senior Management

I enjoyed my position with Cargill and I thought the leadership did what was necessary in this time of economic hardship.

Pros

good pay and good benefits

Cons

Have to wear a hard hat and sometimes the smell is unbearable

Advice to Senior Management

Say job well done more to the employees.

Pros

Cargill is a reputable company is very respected in the industry. Cargill is still a private company which is a plus!

Cons

There a couple factors that influence your career at Cargill.
This is strictly based on from my experience and my network within Cargill
1. You must graduate from a Mid-Western University. For example: Texas A&M, Kansas State, Oklahoma State..etc..
2. Your career at Cargill must start right out of college and you will have to be very flexible as far as relocation.

The compensation is below average. I think Cargill can get away with lower pay, because Cargill is a name brand and is seen as a prestigious company.

Advice to Senior Management

no comment

Pros

Flexible/understanding with individual circumstances/needs, strong job security, great deal of emphasis on development and training, lots of room for upward/lateral movement and growth, great core values, good people, freedom to spread wings, good exposure to business in general and an industry in specific

Cons

Compensation below market value, chronically understaffed (low-margin industry makes it difficult to justify extra labor), inability or unwillingness to change even amidst failure, talent and human capital management can be spotty, HUGE silo effect, work experience can vary greatly depending on business unit and/or department

Advice to Senior Management

Learn how to fire someone when they are not meeting standards (as opposed to keeping them until they move elsewhere on their own accord, shipping them to another department just to be rid of them, or putting them on a 30-60-90 that lasts for months after they have proven to be unfit for the job), recognize and nurture talent better (including compensation and flexibility to meet their needs), change management skills

Pros

Benefits
Coworkers
Health/wellness focus
safety focus
food safety focus

Cons

Little to no recognition
All the focus is on "talent" and not on the people who actually keep the business running

Advice to Senior Management

Growth is great - but sustaining what you have is equally important. Recognize the people that actually do the dirty work with no recognition.

Pros

If you work and show up every day on time you will always have a job.

Cons

The wrong people make all of the decisions and who cares about the workers.

Advice to Senior Management

Be a little more open minded to the lives of the hourly employees. The bottom dollar is not always everything.

Pros

Strong employer in the area. Lots of room to grow if desired. Easy commute and things to do downtown. Great management.

Cons

Some departments are not flexible. Just like anywhere there are good managers and not so great ones. Generally have to be in a job for at least 1 year before you can move on if it's not a good fit.

Advice to Senior Management

Spend some money on helping employees be comfortable on equipment and amenities. Offer more opportunities for flex jobs and ways for alternative work solutions.

Pros

Cargill is such a large company and it offers International opportunities, it is a private company, and has a very diversified portfolio of businesses.

Cons

Some of the management is "old school" in their thinking and approach. Not very progressive in understanding the younger generation and their needs to find job satisfaction.

Advice to Senior Management

The leadership team should not always look at their own situation as the only way to be successful. There are many paths to success and they won't look the same today as they did 20 years ago.

Pros

If you need money and you are willing to work 60 hrs or more per week you may like it.

Cons

Management are not following the corporate guidance regarding employees relationship. They are using people like machine with unrealistic expectation.

Advice to Senior Management

The top management is good but there is a gap between them and the plant. Top management should not accept g