First Solar reviews

3.7

70% would recommend to a friend

(684 total reviews)
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Mark Widmar

86% approve of CEO

62% positive business outlook

First Solar has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 684 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Solar 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

684 reviews
2.0
Jan 11, 2016

Tough road ahead

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company is in a great spot from an industry perspective. Low cost leader and largest EPC in the world.

Cons

Culture is negatively infectious and drains you. Work/life balance is non existent. I have been with them for many years and have had two weeks over those years I didn't work. Chose to get to a location with no cell service each time though. Very top heavy and decisions can't be made because of political considerations. Very paralyzing.

2.0
Nov 12, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and benefits. Ability to work remotely. Schedule flexibility. Ability to determine which technology was utilized for different projects relative to software development.

Cons

Compensation has steadily degraded over the years for those below the director level while the executives continue to line their pockets on the backs of those actually manufacturing the product which is typical corporate America but that doesn't make it any more tolerable. First Solar used to have an aggressive long-term incentive program and a great bonus. The long-term incentive program is gone and the bonuses have been cut in half. Again, the incentives for the executives are fantastic. Just take a look at insider trading activity and you can see all the stock options they receive. You have no control over your working environment. If the lights are too bright...too bad. First Solar likes to try to push a myriad of initiatives forward at any given time with unrealistic deadlines as well as insufficient resources in order to complete the work. First Solar also likes to constantly shift gears ensuring that few things are actually completed properly. There are many people that just don't provide any value yet they continue to collect a paycheck. First Solar used to be great. Now, it's just more of the same. There isn't anything special about the company anymore.

Viewing 586 - 588 of 684 Reviews

Glassdoor has 806 First Solar reviews submitted anonymously by First Solar employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if First Solar is right for you.