Changed a lot, and not for the better - Purchasing Polaris Employee Review

2.0
2 Nov 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very cool product. A lot of dedicated, passionate employees, especially in the working ranks (beneath management). Nice facilities, great history.

Cons

Where to start. Work-life balance is gone. Polaris is your life. There are so many layers of management that it is extremely top heavy, but the people actually doing the work are being worked to death, with multiple "bosses" telling them what to do. No raises in 2016 for the second time in 7 years, but *shocker* a flurry of "promotions" in the management and director ranks. No raises for the working class, but of course if you're above the riff-raff, you just get a promotion that comes with a salary adjustment, BUT IT'S NOT A RAISE! LOL. VERY little career advancement opportunity. The vast majority of the management and above level positions are hired externally. And worst of all...one man holds all the power now. With the departure of Bennett Morgan, Scott Wine is now the CEO, COO, President, and COB. No more checks and balances, and no more scapegoat. Look at the financial performance of the company...something like 28 straight quarters of record growth and earnings, followed now by either 3 or 4 straight quarters of missing forecast and shrinking guidance. Yet Scott Wine is so laser focused on bringing this company to $8 billion in revenue he is collecting companies like a kid collects baseball cards...sadly he is buying companies that are diluting the Polaris brand and portfolio, not adding to it. Indian and to a lesser extent Kolpin and Klim were good additions. On the flip side, there is a LONG list of garbage: Axiam Mega, GEM, Goupil, Taylor Dunn, this new auto parts company, etc. He is destroying this once great company. Long tenured employees are jumping ship on this wreck in droves. When you have a company of nothing but green recent college grads, and all your knowledge base is departing with your long term employees, you have a problem.

Explore other reviews about Polaris

5.0
19 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company with terrific benefits. They listen to feedback, are transparent with communication and value your perspective to think as a business owner. Great work life balance

Cons

Depending on personal mobility, opportunities for advancement may be limited

2.0
18 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Well-known brand. Opportunities to work on visible initiatives. Strong experience if you are willing to take on more than your role formally reflects. Can be a fun place to work if you're young and willing to work long hours.

Cons

Chronic mismatch between responsibility and compensation. Employees can be under-leveled for the work they are actually doing, and high-performing employees may carry senior-level scope without equivalent title progression or pay. Although Polaris uses a 9-point performance scale, advancement does not appear to function as a true merit-based system. In practice, the number of top ratings and promotions available within a team seems constrained in advance, which undermines the purpose of performance differentiation. Employees can perform at a consistently high level for multiple years and still be passed over, not because of contribution or readiness, but because of budget limits, distribution targets, or informal rotation. Recognition and advancement do not always follow performance, and compensation can be materially misaligned with actual role scope and responsibility. In my experience, the institution protects process better than it protects people.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All