Huntsman Corp Employee Reviews about "upper management"

Pros

-very good environment among colleagues -plenty of possibilities to learn

Cons

-lack of stability -lack of transparency -very short term vision. -very cheap company with poor benefits for employees. -Upper management does not invest in innovation and pretend to be competitive in a market where competition is high and better equipped. Europe closed 2021 with record results and a few weeks after management announced the shutdown of Everberg site firing over 400 employees just to save money and hire people back in Poland because it's cheaper.

Pros

First, let me tell you that there is no such thing as "Huntsman Corp" regarding the working atmosphere. Your impressions will be very different if you work for Textile Effects, Advanced Materials or any other division. They will also be very different if you work in Mexico, U.S.A. or Thailand. So, for the sake of clarity my oppinions refer to the Textile Effects division in general, and to the Atotonilquillo facilities in particular. Pros: good salary, car plan for managers, a chance to get experience before going somewhere else.

Cons

Plant is 60 km away from the main city (where most engineers live), so commuting time is an issue. Forget work-life balance. You are expected to work for long hours. The facility is old. Renewal of critical equipment is hindered by excessive bureaucracy; don't expect this to change soon. Every two years or so a new management fad comes in (six sigma, operational excellence, lean, 5's, you name it) and this takes its toll on your productivity. Horrible working environment with backstabbing, toxic people and incompetent leadership in middle-management. No coaching or feedback, aside from annual performance reviews forcing you to fit into a preset normal distribution. If you are a top performer and can work on yourown, there are chances that you will be ignored by your busy boss. Few chances for growth and development: you may stay for 15 or more years in the same position. Terrible, nonefficient production planning. No support from the local H.R. department - if you're in trouble with your working buddies, you're on your own. If you complain about an incompetent manager blocking everybody else's job, then sit and wait: nothing will happen. High levels of stress because there is no common direction to follow and everyone is putting out fires instead of working together with a common objective. Most valuable people has been fired or is retired, leading to a lack of know-how. In the old Ciba times we all new whom to ask, we had experts, we had knowledgable people, we had support from Basel, but this is gone now. Indifference from upper management: in seven years, the CEO never visited the site.

Pros

Benefits and 401k are great.

Cons

*Will not get 'promoted' if you are a woman. If a woman has been promoted, it's because she's been with the company 20+ years to 'prove' herself. And no, they aren't going to replace you - you have to carry those previous responsibilities with you AND do the job you were promoted into.... ALL with a smile and a heart of gratitude for even being considered for the role... *The only way a woman gets into a upper management role is if she is hired into it. *When coworkers leave, they are not replaced. the work (and stress) just piles on. *Upper level management has zero clue what really happens. *The 'good ole boy' policy rules... the 'what we used to do' policy rules... *There is zero work/life balance.... you are expected to work while on vacation ... people acting like all hell would break loose if an email when unanswered for a week. That is because they don't hire enough people to allow a back-up plan or proper coverage. *Upper level management does not understand why people want to work from home and HOW they can (even after covid)... poor WFH management skills.... they are willing to loose good talent because of their, 'you have to work in the office' mentality.

Pros

The location in the woodlands

Cons

upper management is no clue of direction

Pros

Equal opportunity Room for growth Diverse culture Friendly colleagues Open communication with the upper management Always working on corporate sustainability

Cons

Have the tendency to absorb extra work at times due to changes in organization and conservative hiring process Need to work on compensation

Pros

Great ground level folks Good benefits, although some decline in services in the past years Good work life balance

Cons

No clear direction of movement Upper management hard to engage Not a lot of room to grow in upward mobility More parts and groups are being outsourced

Pros

Huntsman provides its employees with great insurance, safe working conditions as well as a nice work environment. Upper management always seemed to know what the priorities of the company were and worked at informing their employees of these priorities.

Cons

Salary is below average compared to averages at other large polyurethane companies for technicians, chemists and engineers. Middle management has no "real" authority in regards to pay raises, firing employees, and hiring employees. Employees in technical roles are not overly valued and getting promoted in the company in nearly impossible. Lastly the technology provided is outdated in regards to both lab equipment as well as computer equipment.

Pros

The people you work around are great.

Cons

Huge disconnect between upper management and associates. Safety is promoted, unless it costs money to fix a dangerous issue. Then it becomes, just pray your not there when the equipment fails.

Pros

Gret work life balance. Great location and campus. Immediate management team shows excellent leadership, mentoring and integrity. Jon Huntsman (the founder) is a Christmatic leader and a dedicated philanthropist.

Cons

Nepotism runs deep at this 'public' traded company. Upper management is more concerned with stock price and paying dividends than developing new products and associates. Need to fully utilize their current assets (plants) before looking to acquire additional ones. The 5 divisions function in silo's and need to learn to work with internal synergies.

Pros

Huntsman is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to family time and the pay is good. They have great health benefits, pretty standard vacation benefits and for the most part, managers watch the backs of their people. Easy to be an overachiever in the current environment.

Cons

Promotions are based on years of service instead of actual quality/quantity of work. People also get promoted on work that they have done instead of their abilities to actually take on more responsibilities in new roles which leads to bad management and ultimately - complacency. It is incredibly easy to be an overachiever in the environment because many people take weeks, if not months or years to complete tasks given to them despite clear deadlines. Literally, managers will alter deadlines in a system so that they can meet their bonus requirements and look good on paper when in reality they are not doing their jobs in a timely matter or with any quality whatsoever. Accountability seems to go out of the window and sadly, upper management is aware of these things but doesn't do anything to stop it. Another thing is bullying, it runs rampant here. If you want to keep up with the big boys and advance in the company, get some thick skin and throw your colleagues under a bus. One last thing is that heads of divisions do not do a great job of motivating their teams. They actually excel at the demotivation aspect. In one division, R&D along with marketing and sales are so dysfunctional with one another that no projects come in and nothing beneficial gets done for the company.