Garmin reviews

3.7

71% would recommend to a friend

(1,854 total reviews)
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Clifton Pemble

76% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Garmin has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 1,854 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Garmin 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
4.0
Dec 29, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

401k plan is one of the best around--my financial advisor has told me as much, compared to other area companies it just plain rocks. Employee Stock Purchase Plan is also excellent. It makes me wish I made enough money to invest the full 10% possible. Health insurance is excellent--thanks to the current political situation it is (mostly) not free, but it IS much more affordable compared to the same plans bought on the federal exchange. Especially if you have a family, you'd be crazy not to take advantage of it. That good. If you are in excellent health, there's even one plan they'll pay you to take! Current department I work in has an excellent director who genuinely cares if her associates are happy in their work. She's also fantastic when it comes to how well we work with other departments and vice versa. We're fortunate to have her. Overall culture of company is informal--in most cases, regardless of title or position, anyone here will greet you by first name and talk to you face-to-face. No "corporate snobbery" here. If you're a self-starter who knows what your skill set is and what it makes you capable of doing, you can do very well here.

Cons

Take-home pay isn't as much compared to other area companies. The company reminds you with a benefits letter each year that it's a trade-off, but profitable as the operation is, it's still a head-scratcher. The only serious reward for excellent performance is a management position. Not everyone wants to be a manager. Not everyone is cut out to be a manager. I suspect many of the negative reviews here on Glassdoor for Garmin have their roots in a manager who shouldn't have been one. If you prefer a plainly-defined, start-here-to-get-here-via-this-and-this-and-this career path, Garmin is just not for you. There's an effort being made to make those happen, but they've really never been part of our culture. To advance, you have to be a self-starter, you have to ask questions, you have to make contacts, and you have to keep your eyes open.

4.0
Oct 13, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is my second "real" job out of college and I couldn't be happier than I am working at Garmin. Initially, some of the work wasn't terribly interesting but that's what you should expect as a new hire. By now, I'm doing what I was made for, putting in extra hours just because I love what I'm doing. I expect I'll be at Garmin for a good long time. Benefits are excellent: 75% 401k match on the first 10% of your salary Very inexpensive health care Tuition reimbursement Incentives to become a private pilot Very nice discounts on Garmin products Plenty of little things like Costco/Sam's Club memberships, discounted YMCA memberships, etc I work with people much smarter than myself, so I'm constantly learning I have an amazing supervisor who lets me get my job done. The best kind is one who will get you whatever you need to get your job done while protecting you from inconsequential trivia, and I have one of those.

Cons

Salary - while it is decent, I do feel it is too low for what I do Upper management has a history of being close-lipped when it comes to financials, future plans, etc. They started doing some things to improve morale, but they didn't tell anybody what they were; it seems to us like nothing was being done. This is getting better, but still needs to be worked on. Consistency with performance reviews - Every year I've been here the process and ratings have changed; I have no idea if I've improved or not Career advancement is sortof a mixed bag. There is a career path with 7 levels for technical types, which is good. However, effectively 80% will potentially ever reach 3, 20% will reach 4, and 5/6/7 are forever out of reach.

Viewing 133 - 135 of 1,854 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,236 Garmin reviews submitted anonymously by Garmin employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Garmin is right for you.