Dow's Human Element campaign hides Human Excrement reality - Research Leader Dow Employee Review

2.0
Aug 10, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work with lots of smart people. High impact due to scale of company. Good place to start career and then move on. Dow will use you, but you can use them too.

Cons

Well-known for its arrogance and bluffing. Senior leadership has made costly errors and employees are paying the price. Forced rankings, targeted terminations of older employers under guise of forced distribution (do the math: cut bottom 10-20% each year and how many years does it take for older employers to get the hatchet, especially if they are targeted by management using subjective assessment criteria?). Focus on cost cutting instead of spending appropriately to buy success. High turnover in management and leaders. Frequent reorganizations. Lack of stick-to-itiveness as goals and strategies constantly change. Excessive politics. Reneged on work-life balance promises. 24x7 work schedule with email and cellphone tether to globally distributed sites.

Explore other reviews about Dow

5.0
Apr 16, 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
Mar 22, 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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