Mars Chocolate North America Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Mars Chocolate North America full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – earlier years .... pay and benifits were tops, compared to all local businesses.
so many oppurtunities to self promote advancements, job advancements were always available to those who wanted to move around different positions.
Bonuses whenever the company excelled expectations.
Treated fairly always.
Job Pride very strong.
Upper management treated all associates equally, and were always available.
Mostly a fun work place.
Associates became more like family to each other.
Made hundreds of friends there.
Mars provided a lifestyle that would be hard to match anywhere for the average person.
I can't say enough about how Great it was to be a part of the Mars Family and to have had the best 33 years of my working history there with them.
no one ever lost their job because of new methods or machinery run by automation.
The entire complex is kept so clean, its amazing how much attention the facility gets... Tops in their Field.

Cons – people who stayed with Mars who were unhappy with the company. ( why do people stay where they are unhappy ? ) They cloud the real ,positive, aspects that the company has.... don't believe the comments from them.... They are the smallest portion of the associates.
These days, Mars has changed a bit trying to be more like the latest "Fad" companies such as Google...
They should stick to the original designs that made them what they are today.
not as much advancements from within the company. ( its still there though )
not hiring as many full time associates.
Outside temp agencies doing the hiring now - no promises for full time jobs.
Outsourcing many jobs that used to be internally done.
new managers should have more hands on, working experience before they are put in their new position.
associates have to now self promote themselves to their managers...and develope their own progress goals and justify them. ( when it should be the manager who suggests advancement oppurtunities )
compensation has been on the decline in the name of staying competative to other companies.
Benifits still remain ok, but are not what they once were.

Advice to Senior Management – learn the processes well, and review the original principals that built the company to what it is today.
make an effort to not just become a " puppet " - speak up against wrongs, to your supervisors and upper managers...
realize the common associate and their positions - you may make ten times they do, but we all have the same basic challenges in dealing with real life

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Mars Chocolate North America full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Company is organized. You can learn from this company.

Cons – You develop your successor. Then, you are gone. Mars moved from the "forced distribution" (Jack Welch ideology) to the "What and the How" with respect to mid and end of year Associate calibrations.
Mars uses the "How" in a subjective manner to design their workforce. Lets put it this way.... If you are young and look good, you get promoted. If you have your head up someone's ___, you might survive past 50. Good luck. In short, you get around 50 years old and your days are numbered.

Advice to Senior Management – Treat you tenured Associates who have worked so hard for you with respect and give them a chance.
I seen so many people around 50 shown the door for no other reason but their age. Yes, use your power and take these very true statements off of this website. I am ashamed to have worked for this company where I did everything I could and in the right way.
In short > one of these days, I hope to see a lawsuit against Mars around age descrimination. Your time will come.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Mars Chocolate North America full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Open environment and open-door policy.
Flexible working schedules and good work-life balance.
Relaxed atmosphere.

Cons – Behind the times in pay and compensation. No where near the competition.
Losing the family focus and moving more towards cold corporate atmosphere.
Lack of security with constant reorganizations and lay-offs.
Hires externally when there are skilled and qualified internal candidates that long overdue for promotion.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Mars Chocolate North America

Pros – Tons of movement in the company is available, even into a different function area if you have a passion to try something new.

Cons – The company location is somewhat random and not near much else

Advice to Senior Management – The accessibility to them is awesome

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Mars Chocolate North America

Pros – Pay and benefits are above average. Opportunities to cross over traditional discipline boundaries are quite good with the right skill set and performance history. This includes both lateral moves and promotions.

Cons – Organization has become quite flat in recent years. Many must be content with lateral movement for quite some time before being promoted.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Mars Chocolate North America

Pros – Depending on group, teamwork can be great, along with people who really want you to succeed. Open office atmosphere (can also be a con) is cool also.

Cons – Location, pay, and often the ability to move around can be cons. Not all group are big on team work and lot of competitiveness that can be a bit much, probably due to year end review structure. Can be extremely political. Work life balance is also not great. Also not much training provided generally.

Advice to Senior Management – fixing work - life balance instead of just lip service will help keep people motivated

Current Employee – been working at Mars Chocolate North America full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – A lot of freedom and responsibility the minute you walk through the door.

Cons – It's all about who you know, sometimes you can miss out on good career opportunities if you don't talk to the right person at the right time.

Advice to Senior Management – Get more in touch with the human side! It's not all about the numbers.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Mars Chocolate North America full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – You own and drive your career. What you do and how you do it are equally important. For those that can build relationships, collaborate, build teams and drive business results will be rewarded with opportunities. No functional limits. Mars likes generalists that can jump from function to function and perform.

Cons – Associates at Mars are given a high level of responsibility and autonomy. The culture is not very disciplined, processes are loose, documentation trails difficult to follow and work load very high.

Advice to Senior Management – Preach work life balance but continued added responsibilities makes it difficult to perform to a high level without sacrificing on life outside work.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Mars Chocolate North America

Pros – - Good Salary & Benefits
- Great Products
- Safety and Product Quality are Top Management Priorities

Cons – - Can be demanding.
- Annual ranking system could be improved.

Advice to Senior Management – It would be great to see more internal promotions to top positions.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Mars Chocolate North America

Pros – Mars is a great place to work with regard to employee engagement and developing associates. It is a company based on integrity and aims to hold steadfast to this principle everyday as business is conducted.

Cons – Sometimes, communication is not always proactive with regard to business changes. The culture has also changed throughout the years. Associates seem to be treated more as employees rather than as associates as they were treated in the past.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend