Univar Solutions reviews

3.1

50% would recommend to a friend

(1,243 total reviews)
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David Jukes

47% approve of CEO

41% positive business outlook

Univar Solutions has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 1,243 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Univar Solutions employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
2.0
Nov 5, 2015

Eye opener

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked at Univar for 17 years. I truly enjoyed my time with the company and made lasting friendships. They do provide wonderful benefits. The atmosphere depends on what location you work at. I was fortunate to have worked in a location with great people and a family atmosphere.

Cons

After literally giving my heart and soul to this company, I found out the hard way that putting the company first over family obligations (illnesses, funerals etc) is not only, not appreciated and actually becomes expected. I've contacted Univar post employment for needed documents or information and cannot even get a call or email back which is a sad way to treat a loyal former employee.

3.0
Feb 6, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Big stable company with industry leading reputation. Not going anywhere. Many good people who try hard.

Cons

Many people who don't recognize the need for change as "they have always done it this way". Culture is stagnant and rudderless as leadership has been very volatile. Not a metrics driven organization, no accountability and therefor no ability to make progress. PE owned and trying to go public so with a lack of process capability to drive change have become "penny pinchers" and has randomly RIF'd people.

1.0
Aug 3, 2018

Univar works for their shareholders, not their customers.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Semi-decent medical/dental benefits and 401K plan.

Cons

Corporate is all about pleasing their shareholders, not their customers. Upper management is all about making their own reports look good. They say they listen to their employees, but they listen only long enough to shine them on and make them think they care - and then nothing ever changes. They say “safety first” - but good luck getting whatever is needed without 50 emails, months of waiting and giving up other much-needed items first. New pricing policies and constant increases with no customer notification is alienating most, if not all, customers. Most customers can’t even get a price quote or an answer to an inquiry in less than a week - and then only after repeated emails and/or phone calls that beg for a response. Vendor payment policy is 60 days - and most vendors wait even longer and have to send several emails just to get paid. Who wants to wait 60 days to be paid for their products or services?! This company is so arrogant they think that everyone should be so grateful to do business with them that they should be willing and happy to wait a minimum of 60 days for payment. On the other hand, accounts receivable is hounded daily to get customer payments, even when the account is only a day or two late. This department has become more of a collection agency than anything else, and the constant turnover there makes this very apparent. No raises over 2% - and you’re lucky if you even get that. The sales bonus plan changes almost annually to ensure they pay out as little as possible. Doesn’t even cover cost of living increases, and even if they did, then there’s nothing left just for doing a good job. This has encouraged employees to do only what they have to at bare-minimum levels because going above-and-beyond is no longer recognized ,appreciated or rewarded. Corporate has adapted a “silo” structure that puts everyone in a specific job function with no flexibility to do anything beyond what is in a particular job title. What used to be a well-run company has been completely bogged-down with inefficient and time-consuming processes with NO common sense. Going global and then going public were the worst things that ever happened to this company. They got too big and too greedy. I’m sure the original founders are rolling in their graves. And don’t even think of complaining or going to HR: HR is there for the COMPANY, not the employees! This is made even more apparent by their “corporate-speak” automated and redundant responses to these reviews. They have already lost many, many long-time employees that originally made this company great and both customers and vendors are seeing the results.

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Univar Solutions Response
7y
Univar is a socially conscious chemical distributor that is serious about safety—a top priority and core value. Also, our sustainability goals help us reduce our ecological footprint and be socially responsible—acting in a way that will benefit society while maintaining profitability. Univar is committed to each of our stakeholders including employees, supplier partners, customers, and shareholders. Every employee's voice matters and Univar’s leadership is committed to surveying our employees and making changes based upon employee responses. Additionally, Univar services its customers by providing timely updates and critical market intelligence, which is a large part of the value we offer. As part of our continuous improvement process, Univar constantly monitors its procedures to address any gaps and apply any corrective actions. Thank you for your feedback, and we value your opinion.
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Glassdoor has 1,570 Univar Solutions reviews submitted anonymously by Univar Solutions employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Univar Solutions is right for you.