OK if part of the office/management clique - Sales 3M Employee Review

2.0
Jun 24, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work life balance (as long as you are not in sales), 3M uses a time management system (Kronos) which gives days of rest when long hours have been worked; it is frowned upon for sales to use this facility Brand name carries a lot of weight staff care in terms of facilities on site is great, for sales the policy on expenses is poor Good car scheme

Cons

Your career is only likely to progress if you live near a major office like Bracknell and if you are part of the office clique. Appointments/promotions are seemingly made based on location and frequency of being in the office and being seen. Sales staff are routinely missed out on promotions to other part of the business or within their group. There is no sales mobility into higher management. Career progression is also based on longevity. you have to be here 20years to see movement and when you do 3M policies restrict large uplifts in salary or position. I got promoted but told pay was restricted to a few % increase despite the job being nationally advertised at a much higher rate. Extremely Bureaucratic with all decisions by committee taking too long for distributors and end users alike. Sales teams are treated like drones rahter than business people, all prcing decisions are made by product/marketing teams who have spent none/little time in the field meeting end users - generally graduates who have entered the company on a management scheme. This means 3M is very un-competitive in the market Inherent arrogance that 3M is the best and clients will come to 3M and that the 3M product is the best on the market. Critiquing or showing issues with the products are frowned upon 3M have a talent development team.... but its not proactive. you can score highly in reviews regularly but no-one reaches out to learn how they can retain or help you develop. they are focused on "well being" or other holistic issues rather than actual talent development. People then questions why the good people have left

Explore other reviews about 3M

5.0
Dec 11, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work for what you get. Rewarding work and great management structure

Cons

Management can be vague sometimes

3.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company investing in new products and higher growth markets

Cons

Over the past five years, there has been a significant decline in employee loyalty and incentive programs. Equity compensation, such as stock options and RSUs, was previously accessible to mid-level managers but is now strictly reserved for directors and above, reducing long-term incentives for a large portion of the workforce. Additionally, an increase in micromanagement and administrative red tape—particularly regarding strict scrutiny on all spending—has hindered productivity. The frequent practice of cutting budgets to meet short-term quarterly Operating Income (OI) targets is ultimately compromising our long-term revenue growth.

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