PepsiCo Reviews

Current Employee – been working at PepsiCo full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Strategically-focused management at corporate HQ. Divisions operate rather autonomously to deliver shorter-term results. Lots of really smart people, generally working together really well.

Cons – North American sales of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) have been declining for 7 years. PepsiCo is diversified into other food and beverage categories, and there is a huge potential for international growth, but that trend puts pressure on domestic profit growth.

Advice to Senior Management – Be smart about planning and operating the domestic divisions so you don't have to do lay-offs when CSD profits decline.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for less than a year

Pros – Everything provided to succeed as a professional

Cons – Salary growth consistent with industry growth

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

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Pepsi was a great company to work for in the beginning of my career. The pay was OK and the benefits were great. The people were great to work with and I learned a lot about account management.

Cons – Physical labor, amount of hours worked, gigantic corporate centralization, politics and pay did not increase very much. They would always find a way to restructure the commission so that you made essentially the same as you did the year before.

Advice to Senior Management – Just because someone is a good sales person will not make them a good manager.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at PepsiCo full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Perceived to be a good company to work for.

Cons – Pay and benefits are really poor considering the hours you are expected to put in. There is absolutely no work-life balance - those are all just talking points upper management uses to pat themselves on the back. The company has very unrealistic expectations. At this particular location, they manage by threats, write-ups and embarrassment. Most of the pre-sell reps here have 25-35 account calls per day and we get chastised for not making all the stops and not selling in enough new items and we are expected to open news accounts, in addition to doing a lot of merchandising and displays, which all have to be set up 100% perfectly to national corporate standards, regardless of local demographics and top selling items.

Advice to Senior Management – Give the sales reps more leeway on displays and let them use a little of their own discretion. If you want the accounts serviced and merchandised to your standards, you should consider adding more reps and giving us smaller territories, because it is unrealistic to expect us to go to stores extra times during big sales, work backstock, etc, when we already have a 12 hour a day job. Drivers should also have dedicated routes, as having a different driver every day in some areas gives them no accountability and no sense of team work. Also, I would suggest some better sales tracking software for the reps. The current handheld is archaic and borderline impossible to drill down on long term purchasing trends within individual accounts. That information would be extremely useful with the turnover being as high as it's been. When you are thrown into a new route and hiven virtually no information about the route, you are setting us up for failure.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Any where but Knoxville and you would probably love it, I know I did. Worked in a Michigan facility for 8 years and it was the best job I ever had. When your first hired at Knoxville plant they treat you pretty good. Pay is okay.

Cons – Management are two faced, with very few exceptions. They blindside everyone, if you work there and stir up any kind of noise at all, about working conditions, pay shortages, or just unable to handle the 70 hr weeks which are illegal by the way, you will be fired. As a driver here, you have no stability or job security. The average driver there quits in a bout a year if they don't get fired first from the poor training they received.

Advice to Senior Management – Get a backbone and treat your employees like people instead of a number. Honesty is non-existent at this facility. Investigate a little before you blindside someone, it could be a mistake on the DMV's part. Give the benefit of doubt once in a while, especially to your veterans. They have given you a lot more than you have given them.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Compensation is very good. Benefits are good.

Cons – Too many "stakeholders" slows decision making.
Mass layoffs are an annual event.
Stock performance has been weak for at least 10 years.

Advice to Senior Management – Simplify the organization, especially upper levels.
Quit reorganizing every year.
Eliminate programs and initiatives that don't enhance the P&L.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at PepsiCo full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Steady work, fair pay and benefits for the type of work

Cons – Sometimes not family friendly with work hours and time off. Work and family life balance is almost non existent for non-management employees.

Advice to Senior Management – Listen to your team. Build a great team through support not fear for your job,

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Benefits and perks are good.

Cons – New management is horrible! Blind leading the blind! Average raise is only 2%, even if you show initiative and work your tail off. No room for advancement. Revolving door of employees/managers, constant change leading to utter chaos, no solid direction in any of the departments. Organization, leadership, common sense and "the buck stops here" are NON-existent. Training, what training? It's sink or swim only. If you are a Union member, you are safe, otherwise watch your back! A lot of politics and favoritism. Company morale has been shot dead and buried, with no chance for a rising Phoenix.

Advice to Senior Management – Weed out middle management, there are some rotten apples in the barrel. Bring back managers that worked under PBG, before PepsiCo re-took over.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time

Pros – great pay and great benifits

Cons – bad management it really is awful

Advice to Senior Management – no comments

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at PepsiCo full-time for more than a year

Pros – Large company, many brands, many international opportunities

Cons – Long hours and not great bonus