Ruminations of a 30-year Eastman Veteran - Chemical Engineer Eastman Employee Review

3.0
14 Jun 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The company has changed quite a bit from the Kodak days, and mostly for the good. Co-workers and managers are generally helpful and want you to succeed. In spite of some recent blunders I believe the CEO is intelligent and does want Eastman to prosper. Diversity of workforce is mostly a plus; lots of expats have successful careers here. Primary caregivers, however, are more challenged (see Cons). Eastman has historically had many very technically competent employees, but this is changing quickly (more about that in the Cons).

Cons

The 2016 downsizing and push for productivity has resulted in exceptionally overworked employees. Forget about taking all your vacation ( and you can't carry it over or get it paid out). Most of the comments in the reviews about the performance management system are true; it is only used against you to prevent a promotion or so your boss can give part of your bonus to one of his pets. The plus side is if you are one of your boss's pets then you don't need to worry about your rating. Experience and technical knowledge are not valued very much; long-time employees are treated like diseases when layoff time comes around. A staggering amount of experience walked (or was shown) out the door in 2016 simply because a young new hire looks cheaper on paper than an old timer. Women (and some men) with children won't fare as well in their careers due to a lack of work/life balance. Another Con is that managers change position every couple of years; I think this is a Con because your direct supervisor may never understand or appreciate what you do or your value. On the other hand this could be a Pro if you're incompetent or want to hide out till retirement.

Explore other reviews about Eastman

5.0
23 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It is an ok job.

Cons

The schedule is hard to maintain eventually.

4.0
5 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Friendly, helpful colleagues. Vast variety of opportunities for engineers, especially younger ones. Actively supporting the communities where we live and work. Recent changes in management have restored positive outlook.

Cons

A lot of eggs are in the circular-economy basket rather than having the risk more evenly distributed among our product streams. We've lost a lot of talent recently to other businesses, partly because of unhappiness with former management but partly because of pay. Annual pay increases exist but have not even come close to keeping up with inflation.

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