Dow AgroSciences Reviews

Pros

Employees do not compete but support each other to develop.

Cons

As a regulatory specialist in agrichem I may not get involved much in my educational background in biotechnology at the moment.

Pros

The pay is competitive with similar companies in the industry, and the benefits package is very nice. If you are lucky enough to join a good department and/or have a supportive manager then you might really like it. Just like any company there are pros and cons and with a company this large you don't know what you are getting into until you have been around awhile. Make sure that you pay attention during the interview process as to the behavior of those interviewing you, this will be your best indication of whether or not your future team and department is going to be a good fit.

Cons

The employee morale varies significantly from department to department and is usually dependent on the management behavior. There is a very high degree of skilled employee turnover, during my time there we were losing people every few months including management turnover. The employee review process promotes a very "cut-throat" environment with respect to promotions and raises. There are virtually no solid avenues for professional growth, the company prefers to hire from outside instead of promoting from within. Continuing education is discouraged as it "distracts from the job at hand."

Advice to Senior Management

There is very little transparency in the leadership of the company. This leads to low morale, especially in times of economic hardship.

Pros

Some of the best people you will ever work with.
Dow is committed to growth and DAS is one of their growth companies.
R&D based company, committing the $ to make it happen.

Cons

Sometimes people do not receive communication about how they can better improve with-in DAS.
Opportunities for advancement are not always clear.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate better to employees any and all opportunities that may help people develop, grow, and succeed in the DAS structure.

Pros

Company culture
Management
Work/Life Balance
Peer Employees
Training prior to entering work

Cons

Commute time
Cost of Living
Organizational structure
Limited leadership avaliability

Advice to Senior Management

Offer continuous feedback

Pros

Family focused with excellent work/life balance. Good opportunities for advancement and great team of people to work with. Open environment and good diversity networks.

Cons

There needs to be more career planning. Talk of a lot of opportunities, but not really a good understanding of how to get there, without being at the right place at the right time.

Pros

Good family life work balance, benefits are pretty good.

Cons

Need to work on more opportunities for career advancement for the first level salaried employees.

Pros

Great salary and benefits. The projects you are given are very challenging and you have the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects accross your department. Management overall is pretty good. There are also lots of opportunities for professional growth and the process for promotions and performance management are pretty clear (although some may not agree) compared to other companies. Negative competion is also not encouraged or rewarded. There is a strong emphasis on team work.

Cons

There are a lot of behind the scenes poltics, like with most large companies, that can affect your abilities to work on what you want but to be honest its no worse than any other companies. They highly tout career upward mobility, but the fact is it takes a long time and you have to connect the right dots, unless you can find your way into the high performer pool, however I believe there is room to grow for anyone willing to work hard. If you come into R&D with a B.S. degree, you have more promotions you can get,but it will take a while to climb up the ladder. It is easier for incomming PhD.'s to advance in career development as they are given bigger roles with more influence earlier.

Advice to Senior Management

Managers need to manage, scientists need to do science. Lets keep it simple folks.

Pros

Great job opportunities, particularly in the fields of science, biotechnology, sales & marketing, or manufacturing.... located in countries all over the world. Great pay, oustanding benefits. Interesting career path opportunities as management supports movement in and out of different functions to support your knowledge and growth. It will be particularly great for those younger in their careers as the maturing workforce exits over the next 5 - 10 years.... lots of upward growth potential everywhere. Company added several hundred jobs during the bust cycle of 2009-2010 when everyone else was laying off... think that is quite a testament to their growth plans. Lots of automony.

Cons

There is lots of autonomy here in your day to day job... some people like that; some don't.

As is common at many large companies, sometimes the wheels of getting something changed turn too slowly.

Pros

Your backed by a Fortune 50 company. The employee benefits are incredible.

Cons

Like any other job, it can get quite stressful.

Pros

Good people and interesting work.

Cons

Very reactive opposed to proactive. Not very transparent internally about business financials.

Advice to Senior Management

Learn how to run the business, and listen to your people.