Inefficient and wasteful in cultivating their workforce - Anonymous employee Volvo Group Employee Review

2.0
Oct 28, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

+Money +Benefits +Kaizen Shop +Union +Benefits +Retirement Plan + Did I mention the benefits? The culture is typical factory. Turn your mind off when you go in and turn it back on when you leave to preserve brain cells and maintain intellegence through repetitive menial tasks. If you can do that and still be a functioning human being after throwing away 40+ hours a week of your life as an organic machine, it's a decent living I guess.

Cons

-Supervisors -Union -Union negotiations -Rubber band hirings and layoffs -You are a completely expendable and replaceable human machine -Unfair wage disparity between old and new employees due to unionized politics The supervisors that I met were mostly chest-thumping aggressors due to their oppositional non-union status. If you are not part of the union as an assembly worker, God help you. Don't mess up once or seem inadequate at your assigned position within your first 90 days before being allowed into the UAW protective umbrella. I spent 2 months in the hiring process and scored just under the top 4 in my round of hiring to get a cushy company job off the line. They gave me 1 week with help on a position that the facilitator training me told me that multiple people had failed to be able to adequately perform prior to me. They gave me 3 days on my own and canned me while others from my training group were allowed to shift between jobs until they found the right fit. They waste so much money on a person without paying attention to what their actual strengths are. I shudder to think of how much money they have wasted and how many quality employees they have kicked to the curb because they don't know how to properly vet them. Oh, and they pay the old timers nearly twice what they pay the new guy next to him doing the same job because of union negotiation bullcrap and politics.

Explore other reviews about Volvo Group

5.0
Mar 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really inclusive environment and most of campus is already with ABW - activity based workplace (flexible seating).

Cons

Sometimes due to the very inclusive environment, decisions can take a little longer.

2.0
Jun 1, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great team of colleagues. Employee who are focused on ensuring their best. Excellent collaboration between teams. Colleagues who will look past the negative culture and continue to do their best for the company.

Cons

Culture & HR team who are clueless about global teams and work strategies. Focus on how many days and hours are spent in the office, rather than quality of work delivered. "You are being tracked by HR" has become the new way of life with the new culture. Total lack of communication after announcing job cuts are coming, due to awful truck sales and loss of market share in USA. Heavily bloated VP structure.

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