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    Unilever Reviews

    Updated June 25, 2017
    2,482 reviews

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    Full-time Part-time
    3.8
    Star Star Star Star Star
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    Approve of CEO
    Unilever CEO Paul Polman
    Paul Polman
    1,148 Ratings

    2,482 Employee Reviews

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    Pros
    Cons

    • work life balance might be tough (in 161 reviews)

    • Matrix structure can slow down decision making as does need to build consensus for all major decisions (in 89 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to work"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - QA Tech in Covington, TN
      Current Employee - QA Tech in Covington, TN
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Giving a great opportunity to retire to a wonderful place

      Cons

      They really should do more back ground checks on the managers they place on the production floors, some are not really manager material.

      Advice to Management

      To put yourself in your team force place and help out more on the line to understand our needs and concerns on doing our job to our ability.

      Unilever Response

      Jun 20, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thanks for your review and comments. We really appreciate you mentioning Unilever as a great place to work. We'll ensure your points around management and understanding needs. We wish you all the ... More

    2. "Deduction Analyst"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Analyst in Raynham, MA
      Former Employee - Analyst in Raynham, MA

      I worked at Unilever full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Fair, Good work life balance

      Cons

      Only want to promote younger candidates

      Unilever Response

      Jun 16, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Thank you for your review. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and we'll ensure they are passed on to the team.

      3. Join the Unilever team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. Helpful (1)

      "Challenging organization and culture - US FTEs reduction"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Bridgeport, CT
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Bridgeport, CT
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      View of a large global organization
      Broad cultural experience
      Good pay scale compared to other companies of the same size

      Cons

      Reducing US jobs for several years in exchange for regions with cheaper labor costs.
      Limited to no opportunities for US employees who want to move up.
      Early and/or late US work hours depend on global teams time zone coordination
      Challenging cultural ways of working
      Slow to move to new technologies for production due to vast differences in regions - One size does not fit all

      Unilever Response

      Jun 27, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you for your review – we appreciate the feedback, both positive and constructive. It’s pleasing to see that you mention our broad cultural experience and renumeration scales as particular ... More

    4. Helpful (4)

      "Customer Service Analyst"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Customer Service Analyst in Shelton, CT
      Former Employee - Customer Service Analyst in Shelton, CT
      Recommends
      Negative Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Unilever full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Ability to work from home; flexible hours; new, modern building with game room and free ice cream; sit/stand desks with ergonomic chairs; friendly co-workers; half-days on Friday during summer; end of year bonus; good company values; holiday party

      Cons

      End-of-year calibration where managers are required to assign each worker a ranking that operates on a bell curve, resulting in good workers being let go for "low performance" and causing employees to work against each other to get ahead; usually a round of layoffs every 2-3 years; shifting focus of company objectives from year to year; only paid for 37.5 hours a week when usually working 40+, inconsistent training/onboarding for new hires; cancelling holiday party or other social events due to budget cuts; difficult to get promoted to management level unless part of Future Leaders program or ex-military

      Advice to Management

      Promote from within instead of hiring externally for management roles; improve worker morale through more social events; have more consistent training programs for new hires; have managers collaborate more with workers on decisions instead of top-down "no questions asked" policy; change end-of-year calibration system

      Unilever Response

      Jun 2, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you very much for your review and comments - your feedback is very much appreciated. It's great to see that you mention our flexible working approach and company values as particular ... More

    5. "Procurement Manager"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Procurement Manager in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Current Employee - Procurement Manager in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Employee empowerment; diversity; training opportunities;employee performance management system (is not perfect) but works

      Cons

      High turnover of employees; having Unilever on the resume is a selling point!

      Advice to Management

      n/a

      Unilever Response

      May 22, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thanks for your review and feedback. It’s great to see that you highlight employee empowerment and training opportunities as particular positives of your time here. We’ll ensure that your comment ... More

    6. Helpful (5)

      "Long Term Trend is Negative; Do Not Believe all the Hype"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Director in New York, NY
      Current Employee - Director in New York, NY
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      There are still a lot of smart, passionate people at Unilever who are great to work with and learn from.
      Many people actually believe in Unilever’s social and sustainability strategy, and act accordingly. The majority of people behave ethically and politely.
      It’s a great place to build up your skills quickly, and in some parts of the world, having Unilever on your CV is still meaningful

      Cons

      1. In many roles, the amount of work and hours required is overwhelming. Headcount is always being reduced, but the work required is always increasing.
      2. Unilever’s compassion does not extend to its employees. In some areas, layoffs and restructuring are constant. Employee turnover is high, for example, in Unilever’s global business services, 80% of the management team has left in the past 6 months. Most of next level of the organization is being laid off as their roles are eliminated or shifted to low cost countries.
      3. Pay is average, bonuses are decreasing, and the company continues to cut benefits. Almost all the offices are open seating, so the work environment is noisy and frequently filthy.
      4. Unilever has a huge amount of outsourcing, offshoring, contractors, and consultants. In some areas, the shadow organization is so strong, Unilever has lost control of the company.
      5. Management knee jerk reacts to every consultancy recommendation. Lately, they are all running around worried about travel costs and colored printing instead of the structural defects in their business model. The board is invisible.
      6. Unilever moves slowly, it takes forever to make a decision (if it ever even gets made). Processes are complex and brittle, and everything being outsourced makes it more difficult to get even the simplest thing accomplished.
      7. Unilever relentlessly markets their “save the world” mission to employees, with an equally strong message of "save money wherever, however possible." Customers and consumers are an after thought.
      8. Unilever discriminates against anyone who doesn't meet the current correct "identity." If you are in the developed world or white or male or over 40, expect to be laid off.

      Advice to Management

      Senior leaders believe their own marketing, and are blind to the fact that the company has lost touch with people who buy their products. There is a lot of hypocrisy at senior levels -- in public people support Unilever's mission, but they do not in their day to day operations.

      Unilever Response

      May 23, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you very much for your review and comments. We always appreciate candid feedback - both positive and constructive. Firstly, we would like to suggest setting up a meeting with your HR ... More

    7. Helpful (2)

      "Good Company...BUT... Poor Pay"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Project Manager in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Current Employee - Project Manager in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Recommends
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (More than 3 years)

      Pros

      Agile working, Great benefits, Good location

      Cons

      Low Pay, too much red tape when trying to get work accomplished, no career growth opportunites

      Advice to Management

      Get rid of these low performing managers that cause unncessary churn.

      Unilever Response

      May 18, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you for your review. It's good to see that you highlight agile working and benefits as particular positives. We'll ensure your comments around renumeration and growth opportunities are ... More

    8. Helpful (2)

      "Lacking Leadership"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Manager in Kansas City, KS
      Former Employee - Manager in Kansas City, KS
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at Unilever full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Pay was within range, has good employees.

      Cons

      Leadership was nowhere to be seen. No support of middle management.

      Advice to Management

      Support all of your people.

      Unilever Response

      May 23, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate your comments, including your points around renumeration and leadership, and will ensure they are passed on to the respective teams.

    9. "Unilever"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Englewood, NJ
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Englewood, NJ
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Unilever full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Work life balance
      Lots of career opportunities
      Supports further education

      Cons

      Lower average salary compared to regional and national averages

      Advice to Management

      Continue to give challenging opportunities to your team members to allow them to grow and develop

      Unilever Response

      May 18, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Thank you for your review. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and we'll ensure they are passed on to the team.

    10. Helpful (1)

      "Needs Leadership Training"

      Star Star Star Star Star
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
      Doesn't Recommend

      I worked at Unilever full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Wide reach - brands used all over the world
      Very flexible hours - encourages work from home

      Cons

      Poor leadership from Directors - low EQ and insecure, not able to support star performers adequately because of these

      Advice to Management

      Train and coach your leaders. The ones who need it most will never ask for it. Your HR Group will have to initiate it.

      Unilever Response

      May 23, 2017 – The Talent Team

      Hi. Thank you for your review – we appreciate the feedback, both positive and constructive. It’s pleasing to see that you mention our brands and flexible working as particular positives of your role ... More

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