Alcoa reviews

3.8

75% would recommend to a friend

(950 total reviews)
avatar

Bill Oplinger

74% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

Alcoa has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 950 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Alcoa employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

950 reviews
2.0
Dec 13, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits are awesome. Perhaps a bit on the overgenerous side. You also get to work with a diverse group of operators and engineers, not just diversity in terms of ethnicity, but also in personalities. When business is going well, there is also a lot of Alcoa's capital from a corporate level that the company can tap to make big improvements. Howmet is a relatively recent purchase for Alcoa, so there has been lots of investment in the company. That investment slows down a bit in tough times, but the big projects generally still get approved, more likely if that project is also important at a corporate level.

Cons

Management communication of the important things is pretty weak. Depending on which area you work, you may not get an idea of how the company has been doing month to month. No advance notice when they need to make a workforce reduction. The management heirarchy has been flattened to the point where a promotion often means going from relatively bottom-rung straight to senior management. Difficult to see a path upward through the company if that is your goal. Progression in responsibility is always there, and will likely come whether you were looking for it or not. As a result, it seems like a lot of the people get pushed beyond their limits. Corporate parents means corporation-wide initiatives, so there is the occasional trouble associated with trying to fit a diverse bunch of businesses into the same initiative mold.

3.0
Dec 1, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Learn about the commodities industry. This company is in the aluminum industry but you will learn how in general commodities work including oil, metals, foods and other commodities. You can also learn about the 'old school' way a company is ran. They try to do a good job, but still ran in an old fashion way.

Cons

Very heirarchial company, hard to move up based on skill rather on time put in. If you expect to move up the ladder based on your skills, don't expect it. You need to put your time in and they make it very hard to get hired externally as it is a highly desireable company.

4.0
Nov 29, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good work/life balance and opportunity for growth and career advancement Alcoa encourages employees to rotate jobs every few years to continue to build a variety of different skill sets and understand all aspects of the business. Most people find a permanent job at Alcoa with good benefits and never leave, which is good if you are after job security and want a comfortable living. The corporate culture is fairly laid back, with consideration given for outside of work activities. But, there are deadlines that people are expected to meet depending on the department. As long as you focus on getting work done, there is no need for face time.

Cons

Alcoa is a large corporation. Therefore, there is a lot of bureaucratic yellow tape to get through in getting things done. It is also easy to get lost in the shuffle, and outstanding work can sometimes get overlooked. Career advancement within Alcoa will most likely occur through "paying dues" either by working in a remote location or at a variety of different jobs to gain a broad business background. I know many current employees that have had to take jobs in far flung manufacturing facilities to gt the background before returning for their ideal corporate position. The company has some evidence of meritocracy, however, there is a definite sense of seniority throughout the organization.

Viewing 943 - 945 of 950 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,559 Alcoa reviews submitted anonymously by Alcoa employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Alcoa is right for you.