Eastman reviews

3.3

55% would recommend to a friend

(2,478 total reviews)
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Mark J. Costa

42% approve of CEO

38% positive business outlook

Eastman has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 2,478 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Eastman 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

2K reviews
1.0
Mar 18, 2017

Good ole boys and yes men

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Kingsport is a beautiful area and a great place to live if you like small towns and enjoy the outdoors. The cost of living is low. Eastman allows a flexible work 9/80 work schedule with half days on Friday if the supervisor agrees to it and if you're lucky enough to finish enough of your work to feel that you may leave early.

Cons

Often it is not about what you know or what you contribute, instead those that know the right people and talk a good game (without even doing good work) are the ones that tend to be recognized and promoted. Many managers are more interested in advancing their careers than growing the individuals under them. This leads to them kissing up to their management chain, while those under them are doing the hard work and not getting recognized. Employees' true feelings and different perspectives are not encouraged; the executive leadership team and many of the managers only want to hear ideas from those that think just like them, or say what they want to hear. Managers also rotate out of their positions on average about every 3 years, which means they can't coach their employees to be more successful because they don't have enough time to get to know them. Many managers seem to treat women with less respect than men. Women are afraid to announce pregnancies for fear of being penalized for it. Some women have been accused of doing lower quality work because they have children. Eastman has too many layers of management. This leads to employees spending more time explaining/justifying what they do, rather than doing “real” work. It also encourages micromanaging and not trusting employees to do the jobs they were hired to do. Morale is at an all time low. Two layoffs occurred in 2016. In the second round, good talent was purged. The stability that was once found at Eastman is gone. Employees are at risk of being let go, regardless of their ability to perform. Forcing employees to fit on a distribution curve (meaning someone has to be on the bottom) for pay raises and promotions is also decreasing the morale which is demotivating employees, especially since there are not good checks and balances to ensure that managers are ranking employees on actual performance rather than just the manager's perception of the performance.

1.0
Oct 23, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits including 401k matching are good.

Cons

Eastman used to be a place where employees were trusted to get their work done and balance their lives in a way that worked for them. That’s changed. The new return to office mandate starting in November removes nearly all flexibility, even for teams that have proven they can deliver remotely for years. It’s a sudden shift from a company that valued results to one focused on control. Leadership often changes direction with little explanation, leaving teams constantly reworking priorities. Big enterprise projects roll out with major fanfare but rarely deliver the value promised. Meanwhile, the company continues to cut costs and reduce staff year after year, while senior leaders still receive generous bonuses and travel perks that feel disconnected from the everyday employee experience. Pay increases are minimal, usually 2–3% a year, which doesn’t come close to matching inflation. It’s hard to feel valued when pay has stagnated for years. Employee feedback is collected through regular surveys, but it’s hard to see any real action come from them. The focus on inclusion and belonging that once felt authentic has also faded over time, replaced by talking points instead of real commitment. Performance management doesn’t reflect the work people actually do, it’s more about fitting scores into a curve than recognizing impact. Eastman was once a great place to build a career. But the culture of flexibility, trust, and care that used to define it has been replaced by rigidity and a top-down approach that doesn’t listen to employees.

Viewing 52 - 54 of 2,478 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,862 Eastman reviews submitted anonymously by Eastman employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Eastman is right for you.