Michelman is a third-generation family company, but since the current leadership took over, the culture has gone downhill. It feels like the company has lost its direction, and a lot of the values it used to talk about no longer show up in how people are actually treated.
At the plant level, people are let go for things that used to be handled with coaching or common sense. Speaking up, questioning changes, or pushing back in any way puts a target on your back. Because of that, most employees keep their heads down and say as little as possible. Honest feedback isn’t encouraged, it’s risky.
Leadership above the plant is weak and inconsistent. Expectations change depending on who you talk to, decisions get delayed or avoided, and accountability is unclear. Teams end up working against each other instead of together, mostly because no one wants to be blamed when something goes wrong.
The tone from senior leadership doesn’t help, especially at the VP level. Interactions are often dismissive and condescending, and people are talked to in ways that would never be acceptable in a healthy organization. That behavior sets the tone for everyone else and makes it clear that respect isn’t a priority.
There’s also a big focus on optics instead of real execution. A lot of energy goes into appearances — trade shows, messaging, and looking good on paper — while day-to-day issues are ignored. There’s a remote group that gets plenty of visibility but seems largely disconnected from the actual work. They contribute very little on a daily basis, yet face almost no scrutiny, while plant and operational teams are constantly under pressure. The lack of consistent accountability is obvious.
Raising concerns rarely leads to anything changing. Issues get acknowledged, but nothing happens, and the same problems keep coming back. Over time, people stop trying.
You can see the impact now. Morale is low, good people keep leaving, and the business is struggling. Instead of dealing with the real problems, leadership seems more focused on control and protecting the company’s image.
Unless there’s a real change in leadership behavior and accountability, Michelman will continue to lose talent and damage its reputation from the inside out.
