a company in decline, rotting from the inside - Lead Chemist Dow Employee Review

2.0
31 Oct 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

the salary is good, flexible work hours. for almost any engineering or scientific challenge, there's an expert somewhere at the company you can contact for advice. there's true commitment to GBLT equality.

Cons

Management is terrible - bad decisions at all levels, they just don't know how to run an organization or lead people... they're just out of touch administrators at all levels. Management turnover (a new boss every other year) cripples the company. Politics, politics, politics... it's not a meritocracy. Performance management (rank and yank) is corrosive. All the good people are leaving for other companies, or retiring. Constant fear of layoffs. They hire in lots of kids out of school every year, but fire the experienced people. There's almost no mobility inside the company (despite what the old timers will tell you) unless you're in management.

Explore other reviews about Dow

5.0
16 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Culture and the technical expertise within the company provide for a working environment where you don't work in silo and everyone is willing to help support you

Cons

Administrative systems can be burdensome to overcome.

2.0
22 Mar 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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