Ok but could be a lot better - Maintenance Technician Abbott Employee Review

4.0
Jun 5, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

95% of the plant is clean and climate controlled. Good choice for long term if you aren't looking to move into a leadership or engineering role (immediate target on your back, and reduction in work/life balance). Benefits are top notch: Retirement, profit sharing and (until they decide to axe it) pension. Getting new tools or supplies to perform a task isn't usually a problem.

Cons

The level of beauracracy in this place is astounding and decisions are usually made at glacial speeds. Simply getting inside the building requires a mountain of documentation, instructions, approvals, clothing changes and escorts. Everyone is paranoid about the next audit. Maintenance management is a meat grinder that cycles through personnel every 5 to 6 years, so no long term solutions are ever made, or viable. Just enough to get them promoted or fired. Front Line Leads are either apathetic or simple yes-men only interested in making their numbers so they can move up. Middle and upper managers are clueless about the systems and equipment their subordinates are responsible for maintaining yet make arbitrary decisions on how to repair or maintain that equipment. Job openings are posted without any knowledge of what is required for the job and hiring seems to be based on lowest wage offer accepted, or simply having military service (regardless of relevant job experience). Nobody is held accountable or rewarded for their actions or efforts unless they are popular or loved by everyone else. Training is misrepresented as "Technical Training", when in fact it is simply nothing more than safety and liability training. Real technical training (on systems, equipment and devices that we actually put our hands on) is a struggle to get without spending your own money or time on it. This goes back to management having no idea what the devices and equipment in the plant even do or it's importance to the operation. Maintenance and engineering work on the same equipment yet rarely communicate with each other, leaving one surprised by the others actions at times.

Explore other reviews about Abbott

5.0
Jul 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You have a good job security and career growth

Cons

Ideally pay scale starts low but they are open for negotiations as most of the companies

2.0
Jun 15, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

• Strong brand and market position • Talented individual contributors and subject matter experts sprinkled throughout the organization • Opportunity to work on products that impact many patients

Cons

These comments reflect experience within Abbott Diabetes Care. • Culture can feel political and risk-averse, with difficult issues often addressed indirectly rather than transparently • Decision-making is slowed by multiple layers of management, many of whom appear focused more on managing upward than enabling teams and execution • Long-tenured management structures can create limited accountability, discourage new ideas, and make modernization difficult • Some leadership styles feel hierarchical and dismissive of dissenting viewpoints, making it risky to challenge the status quo • Strategic thinking and decision authority are concentrated among a relatively small group of senior leaders, creating bottlenecks and limiting innovation • Office environments and ways of working often feel outdated compared to more modern organizations • Organizational responsiveness can be frustratingly low. Routine requests, decisions, and communications often require multiple follow-ups, creating unnecessary delays and reducing accountability • Promotions and performance assessments often lack transparency, leading employees to question whether advancement is based on impact, visibility, DEI, or internal relationships • Employees navigating significant career or life transitions may experience varying levels of support, visibility, and development opportunities, making career continuity and progression feel less predictable than they should be

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