Saw highturnover of employees for a reason - Laboratory Technician 3M Employee Review

1.0
Nov 21, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I guess its nice to get all your shifts out of the way cas of the 6-6 work format

Cons

Many years ago I worked at 3M and 'failed' my work probation. They offered me the job and I said yes but I had recently broken my knee so I was still in a brace but I could walk around and so, which I informed them of. I turned up and they seemed surprised and did not seem to want me to be there. Its hard a job with long hours and for two of the days I worked there (in two weeks) my trainer was hours late because of her car breaking down. I did the best I could without supervision and with no instructions on what to do while I was waiting. One day we were finished early and my trainer said we could leave the lab early, however, after I clocked out I was told off and not to do it again even though she told me it was ok. I then had a few days off because of the shift pattern, I noticed I had been removed from the group chat, I then messaged my trainer to ask what happened with no reply. A few days later I got a call by the recruitment agency telling me I had been let go, when I asked why they said they would get back to me. After some time I was told I had made mistakes which caused some issues down the pipeline, probably when i was left unsupervised with no instructions on what to do ( it was like my second day too), and that I showed bad work ethic because I clocked out early even though I was explicitly told by my trainer to do so. Considering the crappy wage and awful hours, in hindsight I am glad it happened because my next job was alot better paid and training was fully provided. At the time I was the third person they employed in a few months for that position, I think they expect people to be very good straight away with little guidance and resulted in a high turnover of employees.

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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