1960 style management, not a great choice for millenials in R&D - Engineer PepsiCo Employee Review

2.0
Jan 15, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits and pay are good, relative to the Food and Beverage industry (I have no data, but I'm guessing in highest 80-90 percentile). Indra is forward thinking, looking outside of selling sugar/bubbles and is spending more for R&D than most companies. Diversity (gender, race) across the business, from entry level to leadership, is probably the best I've seen; it's really quite amazing with respect to other companies, IMO.

Cons

The on-going joke amongst the workforce was the people who do the least get the most (in terms of promotions). Although there is in fact diversity, the diversity of thought is not appreciated and is most evident when you look at leadership; people who come from different walks of life who think the same are promoted, so diversity is really at face value. What was funny also was that the leadership, which had too many levels to begin with, were not up to par and HR was constantly hiring leadership whom the employees didn't like or respect. I could personally count leaders, who most felt were good at their jobs, on one hand. It's an extremely hierarchical management style, I personally felt like it was military (talking to higher level people was out of the question for some, but not all). When I think of companies like Google in terms of the workplace culture, Pepsi R&D is like in the 1960's desperately attempting to achieve year 2000 style but at best achieving 1980's levels. I could go on and on, but I've known personally 5 to 10 millenials who have left in the first three years, in spite of having a "promising" career trajectory (promotions every year or every two years).

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PepsiCo Response
10y
Thank you for your advice. We are dedicated to incorporating diversity, both in our representation of employees and thought. Though we are especially proud of our R&D teams, we strive to increase employee satisfaction across generations and appreciate your feedback.

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5.0
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Pros

Flexible Great teams Competitive pay

Cons

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4.0
May 6, 2026
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CEO approval
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Pros

Worked for PepsiCo for 10 years across four locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida. Gained experience in multiple sales and operational roles while supporting account growth, merchandising, and customer relationships. Florida locations were especially well-operated and efficient. PepsiCo provided competitive pay, solid benefits through Keystone, and a good vacation package compared to competitors in the beverage industry. The company also offered strong sales incentive programs, earning rewards such as Orlando Magic floor seats, Pro Bowl tickets, Apple Watches, and Yeti cups for exceeding performance goals and driving sales results.

Cons

While PepsiCo promotes internal growth opportunities, many promotions and leadership opportunities appeared to favor college internship hires over long-term internal employees. In some cases, newer college-based management pushed corporate initiatives without fully understanding local market realities or account volume trends. For example, innovation products were sometimes forced into low-volume accounts where sell-through was unrealistic. Operationally, certain delivery processes could be improved, particularly with Tropicana products being stored in coolers on trucks for extended periods, which could impact product quality and increase waste. Work-life balance could also be challenging, as sales representatives commonly worked 50–60 hour weeks. Expectations from corporate leadership were often unrealistic, especially when customer representatives and drivers were expected to fully stock stores while servicing 15+ accounts per day. Experiences could also vary depending on whether locations were union or non-union operated.

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