Colgate-Palmolive – “Colgate Marketing: no work-life balance and grind away at presentations and endless overbooked meetings”

Pros

Most marketers are attracted to Colgate due to its Manhattan location - not many CPG companies are in the city. That means you get bright ambitious, fast-paced people to work around you. It's also an international company and there seems to be some, limited opportunities to move around globally. It also provides a strong brand name for your resume. Because it is such a lean organization, you will be given lots of responsibilities and exposure.

Cons

I wasn't prepared to work 80 hours a week - as an ABM, you get thrown in - sink or swim - you are expected to perform without any real support. (Although if you come in the global program, you get more measured time to adjust). It is a lean organization with both retention issues and continuous shifts within, which means lack of transitions. It is a traditional, conservative company that is steeped in 'processes' which means you're continuously working on the next presentation cycle and do not have time or focus to be proactive about furthering the brand. Your day is filled and overbooked with meetings and you don't actually start working until the rest of the world goes home starting around 5.

Advice to Senior Management

Value employees more - keep with industry standards and provide 3 weeks vacation, not 2 to people with experience and Master's degrees (- it's abusive). Make managers more responsible for the development of their subordinates instead of task masters who are always trying to cover themselves. Reassess all the processes - many of them are hampered by vital cross-functionals that have no incentive to help marketing and lack accountability. Why after so many iterations for each process, does everyone start painfully over again?