Caterpillar reviews

4.0

78% would recommend to a friend

(7,305 total reviews)

Joe Creed

68% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Caterpillar has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 7,305 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Caterpillar employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Industrie manufacturière industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

7K reviews
4.0
Feb 14, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Compensation is good. Has advancement opportunity but the same problems as many larger companies - getting yourself noticed by the 'right' people can be a challenge.

Cons

Still strongly anchored in the good-ol'-boys-club environment. Must be able to ingratiate yourself with the right group to further your career.

3.0
Feb 8, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good compensation compared to other companies. good job security since caterpillar loves to keep employees around for 20-30 years. good recognition if working on a new emissions regulation

Cons

Same old mentality of "No change". Keeps people around from 20-30 years. It can keep you in the same position and same group for 10-15 years unless you fight for change. Cuts corner through agency layoffs. Highly inefficient knowledge sharing. Salary of new hires end up higher than current employees in some instances.

4.0
Feb 6, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Brand recognition. The company produces several unique and top notch products. -CEO recognition (Jim Owens is intelligent and generally a good leader). Management workforce is largely comprised of quality people. -The management focused career track seems to offer a lot. There are many options for employees who are willing to vary their experiences every few years (requires moving). -Traditionally, Cat has been a reliable employer (job security). -For the Peoria area, the cost of living relative to Cat's level of compensation is a good deal. Peoria commutes are easy.

Cons

-Top-heavy and excessively hierarchical. Far too many managers. Lots of fat there and in the worker bee ranks also. -Process heavy, which strictly speaking, is fine with me but the red tape is too much. Cat seems unable(unwilling?) to effectively address this. -Technical career track seems to offer very little, leading to migration of tech employees to management roles. Promotion progression is near zero. -Though the stated work/life balance aims are good, the reality is sometimes inconsistent: depends a lot on position/project -Internal organizational structures are very siloed. Metrics prone management often lacks a holistic evaluation approach. -Performance rating process is weak: strong tendency towards bell curve distribution, performance measures often arbitrary/amorphous for those in IT support roles. -Difficult individuals are often not dealt with (well or at all), but are allowed to stay and continue their poor performance or mistreatment of coworkers. -Cat fails at seizing opportunities to leverage IT effectively. -Old style management. Too traditional, conservative and slow. Want to develop patience? Work here. -Your career experience here is too directly tied to your direct manager's interest in you. A few are great, others are pathetic, many are just blah. -Of late, the lack of raises, promotions and bonuses has taken a serious bite out of morale.

Viewing 7201 - 7203 of 7,305 Reviews

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