Dow Chemical Reviews

Pros

Work with many of the best in the industry. Dow Chemical has good reputation of excellence and people are usually willing to help out and collaborate on projects.

Cons

Compensation is of a chemical company ... does not compare to a petrochemical company like Exxon or Shell or Chevron. Freeport location not very pretty ... but that's true for any plant environment.

Advice to Senior Management

Take in feedback from employees on company decisions and communicate path forward better. Employees sometimes feel in the dark or like their opinions don't matter. This isnt all the time, just sometimes.

Pros

With a company this big they are able to almost custom make a internship/ co-op experience. If you are looking for a company which is supportive of employees working towards finding their own role and interests Dow Chemical is the company for you.

Cons

As with any chemical company often times plant locations are not too desirable. Also if you are looking for a small company feel Dow Chemical is not for you, even-though plants themselves may be tight-knit the company as a whole is very large.

Advice to Senior Management

The management I had experience with was very hands on and informative. I would suggest maybe more directive advice on scope of projects.

Pros

Technical satisfaction
good career growth
recongnition for the work

Cons

not competetive pay
less attention to employee development
management is okay

Pros

Commitment to EH&S is real and serious.
Communication of vision and goal alignment is reasonable.
Very strong technical bench and colleagues though Dow is doing it's best to throw this away.

Cons

Very Poor accountability for management.
Politics are beyond bad and on into ridiculous.
Work processes focus only on the process and not the work ensuring that the lowest common denominator is applied in an oppressive ineffective bureaucratic mess.
Inward focus is so bad it is laughable.

Advice to Senior Management

Dow has a large pool of highly talented people that are mostly wasted. If Dow could even get to the point of treating their people as assets rather than opportunities for cost cutting it would be truly transformational. Find a zealot to run the company who can break-up the mafia families of leader cliques who self promote themselves throughout the company; good luck as the rot is almost universal and ensconced to the very top of the Board.

Pros

Good Remuneration.Good Enviroment. Good Company.

Cons

The seleccion process is really hard.

Advice to Senior Management

Do it Interchange between employes.

Pros

Benefits and time vacation time

Cons

To many policies and procedures.

Pros

some great managers, some wonderful learning experiences. On paper the company has a culture of respect and ethical behaviour as good as any I have seen

Cons

some terrible managers, purely concerned with self promotion and politics. Promotions rarely seem to depend on how well a manager relates to his employees or how much respect he shows for his peers or subordinates. It is all in appearance to the top levels

Advice to Senior Management

ask people on the ground for feedback regarding upper managers, do not rely purely on the image they present to you.

Pros

Room for growth and good management

Cons

BPSC has no room for growth

Advice to Senior Management

Keep it up

Pros

Dow is a great place to work because there is an extensive support network within the company to help you get started. The company is well-established and is the second largest chemical company in the world. There are plenty of diversity networks and respect and responsibility is a huge part of the everyday work environment. Safety, environment, and health remain Dow's top priorities and I genuinely believe that Dow does their best to keep its employees safe. There are lots of leadership opportunities and Dow moves you around every 2-3 years (if you want) to give you a breadth of experience in different roles, geographies, and businesses.
We get every other Friday off, vacation time and other leave time is generous.

Cons

For someone with a chemical engineering degree, the total compensation package is not nearly as attractive as it is with some of Dow's competitors.
Being in a large company, there is plenty of bureaucracy which can slow down some of your ideas.
Burnout is a common phenomemon in some job roles where it is expected that the engineer work well in excess of 40 hours per week.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide regional pay to the engineers working in California! Cost of living is much higher here than in Midland or the Gulf Coast, yet we are paid the same as them!

Pros

- responsibility provided early
- many different jobs available
- challenging environment
- self-paced career advancement

Cons

-limited locations
- inbred business mentality
- difficult to move between/advance between businesses