Company with great products but poor executive management - BDM Xylem Employee Review

1.0
Jul 10, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company has a large portfolio of great products for water and wastewater applications.

Cons

Executive management only cares about financial results (order intake, revenues, operating income, working capital). Reporting requirements to upper management are excessive. Staff from Finance Department work crazy hours until early morning to prepare monthly and quarterly reports to upper management. You spend more time on preparing excel files and power point presentations for internal reports than meeting with clients and customers. Executive management of certain regions have very limited leadership skills. They put everyone under high pressure. This is their way of "motivating" people. The stress level in my unit was extremely high. I have been in a few workshops and meetings with with executive managers and was extremely disappointed about their leadership skills. The meetings with them were always clouded with so much negative energy. Most of them only want to talk about numbers, numbers, numbers, I have not noticed any soft skills that can inspire employees. Working environment in our unit is toxic. Turnover of staff is high. Job security is low.

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Xylem Response
6y
Thank you for your comments. We are always looking for opportunities to improve and welcome feedback from our colleagues and partners, with comments shared among key stakeholders throughout the business. We are disappointed to hear that your experience working with us was less than satisfactory. We pride ourselves on having an open and collaborative workplace that fosters talent and team work across all levels of the business, and we take time to ensure our employees are suitably qualified and equipped with the right skills to succeed in a fast-paced environment. While the feedback we typically receive from colleagues is that Xylem offers an exciting opportunity to work as part of a global team, we welcome your comments and will leverage your feedback, where possible, to empower employees and further drive efficiencies across the business. We wish you all the best in your career and thank you for the opportunity to respond to your feedback.

Explore other reviews about Xylem

5.0
Jun 6, 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice managers, supportive, kind environment

Cons

None really, would recommend for internship

2.0
Jun 25, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay, unlimited PTO, and the occasional free lunch when leadership is in town. There are also volunteer activities available if you want to get involved.

Cons

Only 12 paid holidays, and Veterans Day and MLK Day aren’t included. Expectations shift constantly, creating rework, wasted effort, and frequent overtime that leads to burnout. The environment is highly political, with a small group gatekeeping information, unclear ownership, and perception often outweighing results. The business is volatile, with heavy, frequent restructures and ongoing headcount cuts. Technology and systems are outdated, processes aren’t documented, and training/onboarding is weak. The culture leans toward a boys’ club, and it’s easy to feel sidelined or disrespected—so you’ll need a thick skin. Decisions are driven by short‑term goals, and the future often feels uncertain.

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