Diageo Reviews in United States

I have been working at Diageo part-time

Pros – Diageo is a great company to gain real experience especially for those seeking a marketing career

Cons – Sometimes there is a lack of communication between management and employees

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Diageo full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – It is a social company with a good product stand in the marketplace. Flexible end of week ability to work from corporate or NY office as meetings allowed.

Cons – Diageo pretends that diversity is important,but there are no true diversity leaders and they will not invest in training, supplying resources, or increasing functions in diversity. This company is predominately run by white men in leadership roles and women leadership amongst black and hispanic women does not exist at the company. The Director level is not a big deal in the support functions so they should stop trying to skew the numbers that way for the media. There is very little growth support Diageo in terms of building on industry and functional learning. They need to invest in their people. Memberships, conferences and educational support in lacking for everyone. As non-minority it sickened me to see across groups Trade,Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply, PR how this value was not real.

Advice to Senior Management – Invest in 360 reviews of your " leadership" VP levels are complacent and often too long standing people who do not have the new way to drive the business forward but will take the credit. The company needs to invest in diversity and not just through ERG parties at a bar. The company is doing a horrible job with Hispanics and women which are two of the largest consumer segments. There should be watch outs for the nepotism and " jewish only" mentality that one of the Marketing directors level people there on a major brand touts.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Diageo full-time for more than a year

Pros – Internal Mobility, Market-level compensation and benefits, work-life balance promoted throughout the company, a lot of highly skilled managers from which to learn.

Cons – Lack of accountability for higher level executives who exhibit inappropriate behavior, sometimes can feel like a "boys-club".

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Diageo full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – High company standards for marketing responsibly to consumers.
Work/life balance & scheduling flexibility. Great focus on getting your work done and not so much about when.
Truly global, opportunity to learn about other regions and meet those who have your role in those regions.

Cons – There is a strong people agenda, but it is not followed consistently by all line managers. HR is there to support the line manager & company, and the employee doesn't get support to make sure performance reviews, stakeholder feedback & stack-ranking processes are consistent.
Little input to annual performance goals; very top-down. Very performance driven culture (which can also be good)
If you hit your numbers, you get a good review, usually.

Advice to Senior Management – The annual employee survey doesn't ask all the right questions. If you're really interested in employee feedback, get it directly. Stop and talk to us during Happy Hours.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Diageo

Pros – Pay is excellent. Annual bonuses are usually over 100%. Company is investing a lot in North American packaging upgrades which can be both a blessing and a curse. Better equipment requires less workforce. Liquor allowance. The company likes to hire young for 1st line managers.

Cons – Company is held hostage by the union, at least at the Baltimore facility. Impossible to get rid of less than stellar employees. Very little to no training for the equipment for operators and machinist. New equipment upkeep is poor. Team leaders do everything but get none of the credit for their work. I have yet to see a team leader promoted to the next level in the company as a result of good performance, and their are a lot of team leaders that deserve to be promoted to the next level. Work life balance is poor. Lines run three shifts all week including Saturdays. Team leaders have to work every other Saturday. Plant has said multiple times that production on the weekend is only going to last for a while. Three years later we are still running on the weekend.

Advice to Senior Management – Get rid of the hourly personnel that are not performing. Make a legitimate effor to promote from within. Take better care of your new equipment by cleaning and maintaining and provide proper training for your operators. Assess operator and machinist performance.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Diageo

Pros – Great brands, good comp and benefits.

Cons – Little upward mobility outside HQ, lack of clear direction, frequent Mgmt turnover and org restructures.

Advice to Senior Management – Demonstrate respect and empathy for employees.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Diageo

Pros – Diageo has a great work life balance. For the majority of roles, there are great perks that are not quantifiable, such as leaving early on Fridays, working from home, time off flexibility and overall stress free work environment. Additionally, as much as you would like to drive your career, Diageo can support you.

Cons – It is sometimes very difficult to navigate. There is a feeling of a larger corporation and sometimes a lack of impact you can make in the future of the company.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Diageo

Pros – Great HR Processes and talent (outside US) and great brands. Lots of International Meetings to exotic places with first class hotels and flat bed international first class air travel. The management throw awesome parties for days at a time!

Cons – Very political and inconsistent. People not treated equally. Double standards (drinking excessively and fraternising (exec romantically involved with staff). It can be a bit of "who you know and if UPI went to the right school.

Advice to Senior Management – Live the Values. Exec should lead by example. Watch the excessive spending Address the real issues of alcohol in society. Don't preach responsible drinking - educate consumers on dangers a d realsl issues of alcoholism and other drug problems.

I have been working at Diageo

Pros – Makes a great effort in promoting diversity in the workplace. Prides itself on having the leading brands in the industry. Can be a good place to work depending on the location.

Cons – The historical leadership position within the industry has bred arrogance in many employees especially within the UK. Has its fair share of company or consultant generated buzz words that are looked for in the language that employees speak. Functional global matrix organisational design has meant that there is not complete clarity within markets and that budgets are covetted as personal money stores. Lack of decision making by senior managers who tend to remain in situ for too long creating a lack of promotion opportunities. Much of the strategic thinking driven by embedded consultants.

Advice to Senior Management – Take the long term strategic decisions for the company and don't throw the vision plans away in order to meet short term profit targets. The culture is not just words, it needs to walked with conviction.

I worked at Diageo

Pros – Growing company that will develop very strong brands via new emphasis on solid branding

Cons – Passive agressive management style with hidden agendas

Advice to Senior Management – Clear feedback to employees regarding performance so they can gage their work. Avoiding honest feedback, or having personal agendas that disuades solid performance by staff does not help folks move forward.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend