Eastman Reviews
Updated 12 Jan 2020
Recommend to a Friend
Approve of CEO
Mark J. Costa
698 Ratings
Pros
"Nice inclusive culture with good work life balance" (in 162 reviews)
"Work environment with peers great;" (in 108 reviews)
Cons
"Decision making is a very lengthy process, an employee needs to have a champion to have a career" (in 43 reviews)
"Small town, large company -- transitioning to global company is difficult" (in 41 reviews)
"Great"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI have been working at Eastman full-time for more than a year
Pros
Great place to work. The people are everything!
Cons
A lot of the sites are in rural areas.
Eastman2020-01-12- Helpful (14)
"Minimal Value Proposition"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI worked at Eastman full-time
Pros
Headquarters sits 20+ miles from a beautiful, mountainous region. TN has no state income tax, which is valuable in retirement. If satisfied with rural living, then the region has some allure. In the Kingsport area of the company, there is a great "family feel" culture in the manufacturing side and their facilities. There is a terrible culture fostered in the Headquarters.
Cons
You get the sentiment, through all the resources that are thrown into quarterly investor calls, that the company is extremely sensitive to investor demands. There is a substantial level of tension in the executive suites leading up to every investor call. Historically, the organization had a longer term vision. Right now it's just "Journey to Specialty." The CEO doesn't live in the region, which is a huge statement (I believe he lives in Florida). If you want to thrive in the specialty chemical space, and have career options, it's best to identify employers around other dense populations. If you relocate to Kingsport, and lose your position (there have been lay-offs and cost pressures consistently on a 3 year tick), you may damage the opportunities for your family. There are no other substantial chemical employers within 100's of miles. The HQ is a brand-new facility, but when you go around the other facilities in Kingsport, they scream 'old age and lack of investment.' It truly is a facade. I'm not 100% sure why a young professional (male or female) would relocate here, other than to be near family. Johnson City continues to grow and that's good to see, but Kingsport with its plumes of steam in the air and the smell, it gives you the feeling you may be getting cancer every day. Beyond diversity in the CHRO seat, there is little female or diverse representation in their executive board (all white males), and I think future employees should look at this, because it is a reflection of leadership values and mindset towards diversity AND diversity of thought. If you have a family, and want your children growing in a diverse environment, this may not be the best region for you. Eastman Chemical is an underwhelming employer through a global lens. You would do much better to look elsewhere. If you are physically tied to the region...then this is your best financial option.
Show MoreAdvice to Management
It's best to raise your pay structure to be competitive with Energy Companies. Why relocate to Kingsport, when you can be in growing regions across the country (unlike East TN), where there are tremendous volume of opportunities with greater pay? I relocate, you gain, I lose. This can't be a sustainable philosophy.
Eastman2019-12-02 "Well Structured Company"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI worked at Eastman full-time for more than a year
Pros
Great training programs available and flexible schedules
Cons
Not much room for growth
Eastman2019-11-22"a"
StarStarStarStarStarI worked at Eastman full-time
Pros
team environment with good networking
Cons
No cons that I can think of
Eastman2019-11-04"Production supervisor"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI worked at Eastman full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Everything Great benefits, great balance on work and family etc...
Cons
None that I can think of
Eastman2019-10-29- Helpful (2)
"Opportunity options"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI worked at Eastman full-time for more than 10 years
Pros
There are a lot of opportunities to try a lot of different kinds of jobs. Changing jobs every three years to try something new not uncommon, great way to get a good view of the company. People are genuinely nice, polite southern culture, and East Tennessee is a gorgeous place to live.
Cons
Management does have their favorites, options for growth if you weren’t on that list are limited. With the southern culture comes some passive aggressiveness, they are not great with conflict. There are some limitations to the culture of the area, lack of diversity especially with trying to raise a young family.
Advice to Management
Trying to drive accountability is a good thing, but all the metrics Put in place around sales Calls is not driving the right behavior. Also building a business plan from the bottom up is a great concept but only if upper management doesn’t completely change the number at the end.
Eastman2019-10-19 - Helpful (2)
"Marketing at Eastman"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
Doesn't RecommendNeutral OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI have been working at Eastman full-time for more than 10 years
Pros
Engages well across multiple channels. Robust innovation pipeline.
Cons
Too many people directing work. Not enough people doing work.
Eastman2019-10-28 - Helpful (1)
"Good progress"
StarStarStarStarStarNo Opinion of CEOI have been working at Eastman full-time
Pros
Good shared vision and progression towards future growth.
Cons
Still think like a technology push company trying to prove conclusions.
Advice to Management
Value your people and allow them to makes choices with a relative level of confidence without drowning in data.
Eastman2019-10-15 "Senior Buyer"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at Eastman full-time for less than a year
Pros
Transparent organization with clear vision and positive environment.
Cons
No transport facility but compensated by work from home option
Eastman2019-10-15- Helpful (1)
"Heading the right direction"
StarStarStarStarStar- Work/Life Balance
- Culture & Values
- Career Opportunities
- Compensation and Benefits
- Senior Management
RecommendsNeutral OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI have been working at Eastman full-time for more than 3 years
Pros
Company innovation is solving problems the world needs solved (e.g. circular economy) so a strong purpose; seeing improvements in inclusion and diversity and commitment to employees with more of a focus now in these areas; in the long term the investments in growth along with the reshaping of the business will pay off
Cons
Short term financial challenges while trying to make change in the midst of a difficult external environment; change is slow because still a lot of people who want things to stay the way they have been in the past and resist change, and management slow to deal with that
Advice to Management
Don't forget to invest in your employees even during difficult financial times as you need your employees to feel valued and give their discretionary effort to make the turnaround needed actually happen
Eastman2019-10-07
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