Givaudan Reviews

Pros

Internation and interculturral networking. Possibility to learn state of art technology following latest market trends. Fair company.

Cons

Not very flexible. Difficult to evolve in the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Become more agile and flexible.

Pros

Givaudan has many smart, passionate people, who are ambitious for themselves and want to create new ways of doing things and make a difference. People work very hard and have a lot of expertise.

Cons

It has an individualistic culture - not much team-playing across functions; political and abrasive with everyone (on the 'business-side' at least) having an opinion which some people share to put you down and others just back-stab you with a smile. When you meet and work with good people it is all the more appreciated and there are some real gems at Givaudan at all levels below top management, but there is insufficent trust between people and a cultural clash between US (individualistic, competitive and often arrogant - think they should be the HQ) and Switzerland (dull, aloof and reistant to change) with Holland (straight-talking but off at a tangent - mostly ex-Quest staff) out on a limb. The matrix management is overly complex and there is also a tension of regions vs business units and functions. Givaudan is over-complex when it needs to be simpler to understand and navigate. It is an inward-looking company where you have to work five years before anyone considers you an employee with an opinion worth listening to. People management is a real weakness in many areas, but not all.

Advice to Senior Management

What is your vision for this company? I have no idea where this company is going. Is 'passion' really the core value? Why do you not ask staff? The strategy could apply to almost any manufacturer in the food industry but you think it is somehow different but you are just going through the motions. Your branding is half-baked and you make no attempt to create an inclusive culture which people can sense when they walk through the door. Givaudan's focus is about investors first, customers second, competitors third and employees a very distant fourth. Your communication is top down and not two-way because you cannot be bothered to listen. Stop treating the company like a management consulting case study and start working through PEOPLE to achieve success and you will really start to build value.

Pros

interesting business with lot of people that are passioned about what they are doing. good and healthy company

Cons

political, limited focus on employees, no rewarding for high performers

Advice to Senior Management

your employees are key assets to deliver tomorrow's growth!

Pros

Well known in the FMCG sector
Good exposure to new tools that delights the consumer satisfaction
Knowledge on technical aspect

Cons

Weaker increments against the profitable margins
Weak scope on promoting to a new level

Advice to Senior Management

Better remuneration at par with industry stds for Employee retention

Pros

a stable company with decent benefits but who knows any more with sap or should i say stop all production

Cons

if you are not one of the favorites you will not get promoted they say they are taking someone with more seniority or they will hire a temp.

Advice to Senior Management

get a decent management that wil listen to the people that live this seven days a week instead of pointing fingers

Pros

Great people who are passionate about what they do and are some of the best in the business. Great mentoring and job opportunities. Fair compensation.

Cons

Company has grown a lot in the past few years and headcount has not kept up, so in some situations departments are spread thin.

Advice to Senior Management

Management team is doing a good job and the fiscal policies minimized impact of recent economic crisis on headcount. However, there were unrealistic expectations for gained efficiencies from the Quest acquisition and more resources are nowneeded in some areas to support continued growth.

Pros

One of the best in the industry. Company benefit are OK

Cons

Chaotic. Keep changing directions & strategies. Management has too much control and are short-sighted. Incompetent co-workers and low morale.
Very small industry and people are either from IFF or Firmenich. Hard to find people with real talent.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire better people; maintain the stability of management team; empower the middle management;

Pros

Having worked at 4 companies prior to joining Givaudan, I was blown away at the remarkable level of inter-departmental and inter-regional cooperation at this company. I've had a valuable experience meeting and working with employees from Europe, the US and in Asia and was a truly valuable learning experience here.
The work-life balance was great with a culture that encourages a healthy personal/family life. Higher managers often did travel a lot and employees worked hard during business hours but everyone enjoyed a good amount of vacation time every year.
Everyone genuinely seemed happy to work there and the employee turnover rate seemed very low.
Givaudan is a leader in its industry of flavor and fragrances so there was a sense of prestige working there as well.
It was a wonderful experience working at Givaudan and if I didn't have to relocate due to family matters, I'm sure I would have stayed with the company for years on after.

Cons

The office technology in terms of programs and softwares can use some updating.

Pros

Good collegues interaction, fun place, proud of leadership position, continuos discovery, good salary and benefits (but low salary increases), global interaction, opportunities to learn (not so much to develop), stability and some job security. Finally catching up on systems and processes but still lagging behind on technology usare and training. If you want to work for the same company all your life and are happy to keep a low level of change, this is a good place for you, but don't expect fast promotions or development.

Cons

Senior Management (FLMC/FRMC) not equaly prepared for leadership. A fer are extreamely good and inspiring but most are quite poor at people management, only looking at short term goals and holding their positions either because of seniority or politics. In this company, the "yes.man" and the "politician" set the terms of the game, which is damaging the long term potential (both for people and for the company overall).

Advice to Senior Management

Take the correct desitions faster (when need to change senior management /FLMC/FRMC) and be transparent about the process. The general employee pool is not fooled by politics, only dissapointed, so stop playing the game.

The Board (LB) has a great sense of leadership and is guiding the company in the correct direction, but is simply too slow at taking people desitions, and the growth inertia will not last forever. Remember IFF & "How the migthy fall"...

Pros

Very profitable
Industry leader, true global company
Relatively good compensation and work-life balance
Relatively stable company , no many turnovers except human resource staff
Matrix company, new comer will feel be valued

Cons

Many incompetent persons hold middle-level management positions only due to seniority
No much room for energetic, capable newcomer to grow
No clear career path to follow
Communication share among divisions is almost nonexist
Very complicated organizational structure

Advice to Senior Management

Change or gradually Givaudan will lose its competitive edge. Develop systemic career development plan for capable new comers and create enough opportunities for them to grow with the company.