Colgate is best for people who need structure and are relatively early in their careers, but not for everybody - Brand Manager Colgate-Palmolive Employee Review

2.0
Oct 25, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Colgate is a very efficiently and well-managed, very stable company. There are lots of opportunities to grow and stay with the company for a long time if you so choose to. The benefits are above average, not as good as some other companies but definitely competitive and more than sufficient for most people. The people are smart and quite capable. If you absolutely need to work in NYC then location is ideal. If you are doing relatively well then international assignments are a big possibility. It's a good place to come in as an early hire as it is a family environment for those who fit into the culture, and for these people you can develop your career there as a lifer.

Cons

Colgate in general is very stiff and bureaucratic and extremely hierarchical, especially if you work in the NYC office. There are too many layers of management, especially in Marketing which is the decision-making function in the company. Colgate is also very formal environment where you need to wear suits every day, which creates a lot of good "corporate soldiers" and people unwilling to push the status quo or play beyond the party line. Senior management can be very into the details and there too many demands on employees to analyze everything to the minutest details. Also, there is general lack of risk-taking or letting employees make decisions, for marketing people it is not an entrepreneurial environment at all. It is very difficult for people who did not grow up in the culture to integrate, and there are some employees that really should be let go due to performance issues or inability to manage others who continue to stay in the organization.

Explore other reviews about Colgate-Palmolive

5.0
May 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great pay and great smell.

Cons

Night shift to start out

1.0
May 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good fringe benefits. Above average insurance.

Cons

Very toxic work environment. Company promotes work life balance however meetings are scheduled during lunch and at 5:00pm. People are made to stand in daily plant meetings, no chairs in the rooms. Particularly hard on shop floor staff who work 12hr shifts. I NEVER had time to take a lunch hour the entire time I worked there. Phone calls at home daily/nightly(middle of the night) and almost every day every weekend as OTLs are poorly trained. Company promotes inclusion however Americans are bullied particularly by hispanics within the company. Company touts multiculturalism but does no training on dealing with other cultures. Entire plant Planning staff turned over in less than 2 years. Very stressful work environment cause by high-school like drama by LT. Managers are routinely put in PEP for issues months after they occur. No support whatsoever from Planning manager, HR or Leadership Team. Training is ALL online, when asked LT for help with SAP questions...response was to GOOGLE it. Direct manager was initially a STA with major inflated sense of self. Final manager was novice at managing people and very childish. Again, very toxic work environment overall.

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