Lack of direction and too many reductions - Laboratory Director 3M Employee Review

2.0
Sep 26, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people, great technology and average pay.

Cons

There is too much red tape. By the time you get a project ready for approval, it has had dozens of reviews, hundreds of approvals were needed, thousands of hours in presenatation prep time only to find out, that the project needs to stop due to heavy job losses. So much money has been wasted in the past 4 years on projects that end up stopping due to restrucutring. I hope we can figure this out going forward. Employees are tired and overworked and in constant fear of being in the next round of reductions. Stay away from 3M right now until they can figure out how to get back on track.

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3M Response
2y
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are happy to hear that you enjoy the people and technology at 3M. We see your concerns regarding job reductions and approval processes and encourage you to speak to your direct supervisor or HR to discuss these issues further if you have not yet done so. Have a nice day!

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5.0
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CEO approval
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Pros

Work for what you get. Rewarding work and great management structure

Cons

Management can be vague sometimes

3.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Company investing in new products and higher growth markets

Cons

Over the past five years, there has been a significant decline in employee loyalty and incentive programs. Equity compensation, such as stock options and RSUs, was previously accessible to mid-level managers but is now strictly reserved for directors and above, reducing long-term incentives for a large portion of the workforce. Additionally, an increase in micromanagement and administrative red tape—particularly regarding strict scrutiny on all spending—has hindered productivity. The frequent practice of cutting budgets to meet short-term quarterly Operating Income (OI) targets is ultimately compromising our long-term revenue growth.

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