Great to be a part of Dow again after working for Big Oil - Anonymous employee Dow Employee Review

5.0
Sep 24, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Safety is of most importance, and I can vouch that leaders are held accountable for safety performance. I have always been given resources when asked concerning safety issues. -Dow's mechanical integrity program is 20+ years ahead of the major oil company I worked for. I appreciate working in a safe and well-maintained plant compared to the refinery I worked in. -Training is excellent compared to other companies. Dow will train you on technical skills, leadership, financial acumen; just don't be afraid to ask. -Work-life balance is decent for plant life. Some weekend call-outs, but that is the industry norm if you work in manufacturing. -360 accountability on leadership. You evaluate your leaders just like they evaluate you. As a leader myself, I can vouch that leaders are held accountable for what their employees say about them. -I/T is good for industry. No, it's not Google or Facebook but compared to the major oil company I worked for it's superior. Documents and procedures are easy to find. The intranet is up-to-date.

Cons

-Like any major corporation, promotions and opportunities can take longer than your expectations. Sit tight, as Dow will come through in the end. You must chart your career path and make sure leadership knows what you want to do. -Lots of change right now with mergers and acquisitions. In the end it will mean more opportunities but currently there is a lot of fear of the unknown. -Dow uses the Vitality Curve (rank-and-yank) system all other companies use for Performance Management. It's time to replace this outdated 1980's annual performance review system.

Explore other reviews about Dow

5.0
Jul 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Safety focused and excellent benefits

Cons

Considerable amount of company restructuring and yearly layoffs

2.0
Mar 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Safety culture, flexibility (although less and less over time). Good health insurance and 401k match

Cons

Dow’s recent years illustrate the challenges of trying to simultaneously satisfy Wall Street’s demands for strong financial performance and aggressive DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) priorities. The company has heavily emphasized inclusion initiatives, including its openly gay CEO publicly sharing that coming out was one of the best days of his life in an internal communication, along with a notable increase in women appointed to senior leadership roles. Hiring practices reportedly require diverse candidate slates—including female candidates—and diverse interview panels before filling positions. These efforts, while well-intentioned, appear to have contributed to a series of questionable strategic decisions. Employees have borne the brunt through repeated rounds of layoffs (including significant cuts announced in recent years), minimal merit increases often in the 2-3% range, stalled promotions, and little turnover at the top levels of leadership. Senior executives seem insulated from the consequences, potentially overlooking how these factors—including their own leadership—may be central to the company’s ongoing struggles.

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