Cargill reviews

Dichotomy between the old guard and the new - lots of "lifers" that want to do things the way they've always done them, and they are impossible to fire - Cargill is BIG on tenure, and even newer employees they won't fire, they just push them off on other departments so their incompetence travels. If the older team members don't like or understand a technology, good luck getting it. If they love a bad idea or something poorly rated, if they've given it the Go Ahead, you better drink the kool-aid and get on board. Consultants are bottom-rung and there is a VERY CLEAR distinction between whether you're a Contractor or an Employee, and you WILL feel it, moreso than anywhere else I've experienced. Get used to hearing about a perk and then hearing, "...but that's only for Employees." Some companies treat consultants as assets who bring their expertise to the team on a limited basis, and therefore are even more valuable. Here, contractors are expendable, temporary, and worth little, regardless of what they bring to the table. Due to their Promote From Within philosophy and the abundance of employees getting pushed off teams, it's nearly impossible to be hired permanently if you start as a consultant. They'll give the job to an incompetent employee just for applying before making a talented consultant perm - you'll be saying Goodbye to your gifted contractors and scrambling to find fixes, being told to Make It Work. Employees are golden children, regardless of talent, experience, or intelligence. Don't get me wrong, there are very talented employees who earned their positions, but they're more the exception than the rule. Speaking of "rules," those change often. REALLY often. Definite consensus culture, which is great when you need immediate change to a small team policy, but makes it impossible for department-wide decisions to get pushed through. Lots of hoops to jump through. Compensation isn't outstanding, considering the revenue of the company. More incremental raises based on tenure versus performance.

For seasoned HR or L&D professionals, it is a dead end unless you are in the "clique". They take care of each other and there is this select group that continues to receive all of the opportunities. It is quite dysfunctional. While they speak a lot about "development" they do not practice what they preach. The rest of us are never given a second thought. I am a seasoned HR professional that thought I had a lot to offer this company. It was apparent after a few years that it did not matter because I was not in the "clique". Within my team, I was told that I was the most professional and accountable. There was one person who had a chronic problem with LOAs and another that was placed on a PIP. We had a manager that was young and just serving her two years so that she could move on to her next promotion. She did move on and the manager that was to oversee our work, gave us little or no time as he was having an affair with a colleague. I worked hard to find a new role within HR and L&D, but I was not successful. My job was eliminated while the rest of the dysfunction in my HR team remained. I started my job at Cargill feeling so pumped and excited. I left the company feeling quite diminished.