Glassdoor.com

As some you may know we closed out 2008 by highlighting the Best Places to Work, an employee’s choice award. General Mills took home the number one spot and to help show why this company rates so highly in the eyes of the employees we took a look at the many reviews current and past employees have submitted on Glassdoor. Interestingly enough, this month’s winning review from the #1 Best Place to Work does not come up entirely smelling of roses. 

The following review was selected as the December Review of the Month for its candidness toward what works at the company and what doesn’t. One of the reasons we ask for pros and cons and advice to senior management is so that we can present a balanced perspective.

The winner of the Review of the Month, a financial analyst for General Mills in Minneapolis Minnesota, kicks off the review by saying:  “General Mills is a great place to work, but not perfect.” 

Here is what this one current employee likes about General Mills…

“Being apart of a rotational program has made General Mills a good place to work. Analysts within the program switch jobs about every 1.5 to 2 years. I enjoy this since I am able to work in several different departments and functional roles to see what I like best.”

“The people are another reason I enjoy working at General Mills. We have a good mix of people (different schools, races, and ages). I am impressed with how smart our employees are. I have worked in investment banking and consulting, and have found the employees General Mills to be at a much higher level.”

“Perks: drying cleaning, half-day Fridays, car maintenance, start with 3 weeks vacation plus 3 personal days, along with 9 company holidays, get to take home many new products, etc.”

 And here are some things that this one employee views as the downsides of working at General Mills:

“Reward for performance: General Mills needs to reward its highest performing employees better. In terms of bonuses, the dollar amount between the highest performing employee and the lowest is very minimal. Also, they need to have the employees have more of a say in which area they would like to rotate to.”

“Pay: The pay for new employees is decent, but after it lags behind other companies. I have seen several highly talented employees leave for higher pay for similar job duties.”

Competition among employees: A competing culture is slowly developing among new employees, which is leading to a lack of knowledge sharing and inviting culture

All in all, it appears that the employee doesn’t think the leadership team is doing all that bad. In advice to senior management, the reviewer writes in “Keep up what they are doing. They are very knowledgeable and personable.” 

Stay tuned for next month’s winning review as it may just happen to be you!

Filed under: Review of the Month