Rewarding place to work, Family Friendly, - Research Engineer 3M Employee Review

5.0
May 5, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hours are accepted for most non-production positions. I am trusted to do my work and 'put in the hours" (45+) on average. No body is looking over your shoulder to make sure and this leads to an environment where people feel appreciated and willing to go the extra mile when needed. People of all types work here and I have not seen nor heard of any of the types of racial/other discrimination that a few other reviewers talked about. My guess is that if they are not advancing, they either have a poisonous attitude or are not performing as well as they think they are. One of my favorite parts of working in the technical community here is the copious amounts of learning opportunities, whether it be a Tech Forum class, a cold call to any researcher no matter how senior, or general networking. For one who likes to learn and build/contribute on others' knowledge, there is no better place to work than 3M that I know of.

Cons

If you think that just showing up is 80% of the work, this is not the place for you. Some people may slide by, but don't know how they live with themselves. Bureaucratic red tape is a fact of life in a large entity like 3M. Not fun, but one learns to work effectively within that framework.

Explore other reviews about 3M

5.0
Jun 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good company to work for.

Cons

Large corp culture for employees

4.0
Jun 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation is genuinely competitive — one of the stronger-paying manufacturing roles you'll find in the area. Benefits package is comprehensive and well above average. The retirement account and stock options are a real standout, especially for a machine operator role; 3M clearly invests in its employees long-term. Day-to-day, the people on the floor make the job. Coworkers were hardworking and easy to get along with, which goes a long way in a production environment. Upper management is what you'd expect from a large corporation — a bit removed from the floor — but that's pretty standard for a company of that size, Not a deal breaker.

Cons

The shift schedule is rough. Rotating between 12-hour days and nights on a swing schedule sounds manageable on paper, but constantly flipping your sleep schedule takes a real toll over time. Work-life balance is difficult to maintain when your "days off" are often spent just recovering and readjusting, and you can easily miss out on normal life things — social plans, family time, errands — simply because your schedule doesn't line up with the rest of the world that week. Upper management can also be a friction point. When people who haven't touched the machines in years (or ever) come to the floor with strong opinions about how things should run, it creates frustration. The folks actually operating the equipment day in and day out develop real expertise, and that doesn't always feel acknowledged from above.

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