Crayola Reviews

2.9

36% would recommend to a friend

(140 total reviews)

Pete Ruggiero

23% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Crayola has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 140 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Crayola employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

140 reviews
1.0
30 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Not much on this end. The benefits are OK but you pay for the majority of it. When you retire you pay about $700 a month if you wanna go at 62. In the meantime, all the executives all the manager commas are getting 20 to 50% bonuses all the people that are doing the actual work are only qualified for 6% and most of the time get no where near that. they’ll pay for your schooling if you wanna go back to college. Of course it’s hard to do when you’re working. Mandatory weekends in the heat. Other than that leadership council has taken all the good things away from this company.

Cons

The new president and Commander and chief is a local boy that was passed up several times for the president position from Hallmark. Unfortunately, they gave it to him two years ago and he is trying to see if he can run the company completely into the ground. He’s doing a very good job of it. When you have people with 20 and 30 years, walking off the job, you know you’ve got a problem but he doesn’t care he’s on a power trip. He likes to spend money on walking trails new lights for the corporate office gazebo’s up on top of the field useless stuff that does the working people no good what so ever. A lot of the office people take advantage of it because they don’t do eight hours of work a day but you won’t get away with that on the production floor. My advice is find another company because this one’s not for you at least not until they get rid of this president. I predict he won’t last long because once Hallmark gets wind of what he’s been doing they’ll put a stop to it shortly. Unfortunately, he will have ruined all the remaining morale and pushed all the qualified people that have been there for years out the door. The morale at this place is lower than I’ve ever seen it in the 44 years. I’ve worked there.

2.0
13 June 2026

Nice coworkers, but leadership is out of touch

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people here are generally nice folks. They make the extra BS bearable.

Cons

Poor leadership that is out of touch with reality. It’s their way or the highway, and they don’t take criticism well. They only want “yes” men who stroke their egos. They always would gloat about how they’re a billion dollar company, but don’t show enough appreciation to the folks that make their products. Give the production employees a climate survey and I guarantee it will yield toxic results.

1.0
9 June 2026

Incredible coworkers trapped in a toxic, fear-driven culture of indecision

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Without a doubt, the best part of working at Crayola was the amazing people. I had the opportunity to work alongside some of the most genuinely talented, hardworking individuals who gave their all to this brand. We shared so many laughs through the daily grind, and I am incredibly grateful to leave with lifelong friends and mentors. The ground-level team is the only reason the wheels haven't fallen off completely.

Cons

Where to start? The contrast between the wonderful day-to-day teams and upper management is staggering. The current corporate climate has morphed into a toxic culture where employee morale is at an all-time low. There is a pervasive, constant fear among staff that they are next on the chopping block, which is entirely counterproductive to a creative-driven company. It’s a brown-nosing, “yes man” culture where true thought leadership has been stifled, it’s Pete’s way or the highway… and it seems like the downfall of Crayola will be watching all of the talent and knowledge walk out the door for ego. Pete’s Dictatorship: Pete’s profound lack of leadership is a massive issue. His view of leadership seems to be a “boots on the ground” style that lacks input and truly listening to what is being said. His ego will cause the single-handed demise of Crayola if something isn’t done. Leadership Council: The LC has completely lost touch with the ground-level reality and has no pulse on what is actually going on across the departments. People have been put into place in leadership who seem incapable of making firm decisions. They were put into place because they can speak “Pete,” but have yet to prove themselves successful. The outside help seem to look down on longtime Crayola people and see little value in their operational understanding. It seems like it’s trending towards a “boys club” where many are not welcome unless they fit the part. A Reactionary, Short-Sighted Strategy: There is no cohesive, long-term strategy here; leadership just frantically chases every immediate dollar. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hallmark sells the brand to the highest bidder in the next few years.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 140 Reviews

Glassdoor has 184 Crayola reviews submitted anonymously by Crayola employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Crayola is right for you.