General Mills Reviews

Pros

GM is a great company for developing employees and leaders. It is a very well run company and thus provides a great learning ground. Most leaders are very ethical and want to do the right thing.

Cons

General Mills is quirky culture, being based in Minneapolis. It is a classic example of what is called locally, "Minnesota Nice." It is a culture of conflict avoidance, non-candor and overly dependent on relationships to get things done.

Advice to Senior Management

I would love to see General Mills become a more candid culture. One of the biggest misses with the acquisition of Pillsbury was an unwillingness to confront a bad senior leader. Who knows how many hundreds of millions of dollars that ended up costing General Mills and its shareholders.

Pros

Surrounded by talented, collaborative, modest people who have a "can do" attitude.
Ability to work on many different iconic brands in different stages of growth.
Large group of people in the GMI marketing community but has a small feel b/c everyone gets to know one another.
Well-managed

Cons

Some unfairness in who is required to do non-traditional marketing roles. Some people work on established brand after established brand so they, naturally, become better-performers on established brands than their peers who have worked on new products, channels, etc.

Advice to Senior Management

Start promoting General Mills through PR the way P&G does - General Mills has just as much talent but employees who leave don't receive the same respect as P&G defectors. Mills doesn't carry the same cache.
I would also recommend that GMI work to practice the same "up or out" mentality on Directors, VPs and Presidents that it doesn't hesitate to execute on AMM and MM level marketers.

Pros

Strong management, teamwork, committed to quality, professional, opportunities for professional development.

Cons

Limited opportunities for advancement as Admin Asst., in part due to the nature of the small satellite office arrangement. Any advancement would require relocating out of state to join company headquarters in MN.

Pros

- Work/Life balance
- Retirement benefits
- Company car
- Meaningful work even for entry level employees
- Competitive salary

Cons

- At times, repetitive work

Pros

"The Mills" is a great place to learn and after 2 years I feel that I can look back feel good about what I have accomplished. Many of these accomplishments were the result of some very strong managers whom were comfortable to let me lead a conversation and grow from experience.

Cons

The downside to General Mills is that the Work / Life balance is not what they say it is during the interview process. Putting in 10-12 hrs days, and booking meetings at 6 & 7pm at night are not uncommon. A culture sadly has developed over time where you are rewarded for how long you can stay at the office, and not always how efficient you can become.

Equally, the innovation aspect which the company is currently driving towards is also misguided. If you were to ask anyone in the company today, "Is General Mills innovative?", the honest answer would be: "No, but we are great fast followers". While the company is taking great steps to become innovative and bringing in the right people to present on the idea, in the end there are still the same roadblocks and hurdles that have stalled many a great idea in the past.

Pros

People, development, communities, leadership, transparency, first Wednesday, job rotation, Hispanic community, brands, Amazing HR, facilities, flexibility, benefits, recruitment involvement and much more

Cons

The only potential issue I see are for people who really want marketing experience. At General Mills you will be an amazing business manager and marketing is part of that.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing the great job you have done! Grow the business internationally and make some acquisitions to grow the business and become even better known globally.

Pros

Outstanding pay and benefits, work can be physical but not extremely hazardous. The more experienced floor supervision is actually a pretty good group to work for. As an hourly, a person's earning potential is limited only by their physical stamina; overtime is constantly in supply.

Cons

Unusual staffing policy, vacancies are covered by mandatory overtime in 4-hour increments with less than an hour's notice. The policy can make for some hefty paychecks, but not without causing disruption in the personal lives of their employees. Turnover among hourly hires is outrageous.

Advice to Senior Management

Understand that there is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. The plant has no shortage of bosses, but is starved for leadership.

Pros

Substantial training for new hires. relatively good compensation campared to other companies same size.
flex time--
easy money

Cons

No room for promotions
Too much politics

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest and truthful when reviewing employees for promations
Promote employees based on what they can do and not on who they know

Pros

Work-life balance, compensation package, people, brands

Cons

Bureaucratic, thankless, not challenging, elongated career path

Advice to Senior Management

Re-think the sales career path. Specified time in role for every position for the first 10-12 years of your career is outdated. Opportunity to be more meritocratic.

Pros

Good pay if you really want to work overtime.

Cons

Alot of overtime, and you will get fired for very small things. They know they can kick you out and replace you fast. They are 100% company and .0001% employee.

Advice to Senior Management

Get off the high horse and treat people fair.