Man, where do I start? The only benefit I got out of my time with Univar, was that I have something to add to my resume. Working at Univar was such a horrible experience, it almost made me want to shift my focus to a whole new career field. I literally became depressed when working here.
You really can trust no one. Everybody is out for themselves, and management is extremely manipulative and dishonest. I felt so betrayed here, as I truly believed my boss wanted the best for me, and later discovered it was essentially all a facade. Management encourages sellers to inflate their numbers, in order to meet weekly goals. Micromanagement is severe. The organization is constantly changing, so as soon as a strategy is implemented, it changes.
In my less than 1 year, I had an experience where bonuses were paid out at less than half of what was earned. Univar he a "fifth quarter" bonus, that is paid out based on full year numbers. This bonus is uncapped. At least that is what they say. For the most recent Q5 bonus, which was supposed to be paid in early 2016, for the year 2015, these were capped after all sales had been recorded. During a conference call, each general manager announced that whatever the Q5 bonus was calculated to be, employees would be paid at 40%. Less than half of what was owed! To add insult to injury, we were not told this, until after 2015 had closed out. I don't understand how they did not know that there would not be enough $ to pay bonuses in full, until after the end of the full year, especially as the bonus calculations are figured by quarter. A lot of people did not get a lot of $ that was promised to them, and was expected.
All management cares about is revenue and margin. They do not encourage you to pursue relationships with your customers, rather to get as much out of the customer as possible. I understand that this is sales, but taking advantage of customers is not wise or ethical business.
Management is dishonest, and will say one thing to your face, and another behind your back (to your peers nonetheless). Nothing that was said about me ever got back to me, but a lot was said to me about other employees, that should never have been said.
Univar is a commodity, rather than value-added, technical distributor. Management does not allow the time needed for opportunities to be created, and Coe to fruition.
I'm not even posting this review because I am mad. Honestly, I did not enjoy writing this at all. But I wanted to help others keep from making the same mistake as me. If you are considering Univar, I would very strongly suggest you reconsider.
