A Shell of a Company - Manager Volvo Group Employee Review

1.0
Nov 16, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

International connections and networking, culturally diverse workforce, genuine passion for sustainability, intern program breeds some of the best stakeholders in the company

Cons

It's genuinely surprising that VGA has been operating in Australia for 50-years as the lack of policies, procedures, processes and maturity is overwhelming. The slick marketing does a fantastic job of hiding a shell of an organisation with very little substance. "Safety is the number 1 priority" is often stated, however I've yet to work for an organisation with such poor safety culture. The lack of safety representation at a head count level and in the executive leadership team speaks volumes for how seriously management actually take safety. The toxic workplace culture seems to emanate from a few key areas: - Many in senior management are extremely focused on self-promotion, with decisions based on positive PR on Linkedin or a magazine fluff piece rather that what is in the best interest of Volvo - Incentivisation of cost cutting - Favouritism of select departments while others in control of safety, environment, quality and operations continually have head count cut to dangerous levels - Lack of respect on the advice of qualified subject matter experts and consultants

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.

1
2.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent although the cost has been rising, most coworkers are great, they used to throw company events

Cons

Right now, almost everything. There is zero morale in Volvo North America, regardless of what some reviews are saying. People are resigning, being let go at alarming numbers, or their positions are being eliminated during a sloppy reorganization. You don't even know they're gone until the news travels or they don't show as being an applicable email address anymore. And management feels fine letting us know that more layoffs are "not off the table". Bonuses this year were utterly pathetic and only accounted for about 2 weeks of a family's grocery bill. Yes, we were thankful we got a bonus but after taxes and our benefits were removed, it was a slight slap in the face. Also not everyone got a "merit" raise this year which is a mix of performance and where you fall on a pay penetration scale (which there is zero explanation of what goes into this figure). Explanations as to why some received a raise over others was more than questionable - and raises varied greatly. We are being told to return to office full time but there are not enough desks for everyone - oh and only certain teams get assigned desks. Everyone else needs to fight for a place to sit that the company expects us to clean if someone wanted to be a slob and leave garbage or a mess all over the desk. Half the desks are missing keyboards or the mouse or don't have a functioning dock or monitors. If you don't get here by 8:05am, good luck because you will not find a place to sit. Company brags about being sustainable but is making over 3,000 employees commute, sometimes from pretty far distances, back to an office 5 days a week. Want us to do more in-person collaboration but there aren't enough conference rooms either. Expectations are insane, workload increases are drowning some teams, and all we hear is how we need to do better. Volvo made poor business decisions and now we are paying for it in a time that has been incredibly difficult for all your employees.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All