If you enjoy nepotism and being treated like a second class citizen, this culture is for you. - Anonymous employee Grainger Employee Review

1.0
27 June 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Profit sharing. You have to type 20 words here so this is just filler because I can't think of any other pros.

Cons

Old boys club at Lake Forest. If you aren't "in" or a minority, you are out. Odd "hero worship" of senior leaders. Drone employees are brainwashed and treat senior leadership like they are gods/celebrities. Jobs go to relatives of those in leadership roles, regardless of qualification. Ideas and collaboration are stifled for constant fear of "rocking the boat" or looking bad to senior leaders. HR is a joke - most of the talent has left and there is a skeleton crew of employees left who are hanging on to their jobs until it can be figured out how to outsource them. Company fails to strike a balance between diversity/inclusion and "hire as many minorities as we can so we don't get sued". Simply put, regardless of your contribution here you will never move up unless you are in tight with someone in a leadership role. If you are content with "having a job" with decent benefits, then this may be for you.

Explore other reviews about Grainger

5.0
20 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Large, dependable company. Variety of work channels. Career progression opportunities. Great networking inside and outside the company.

Cons

Simple improvement opportunities take time to implement.

4.0
6 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Benefits are decent and reasonably priced. They offer a 401k match, BCBS insurance, FSA, HSA, dental, vision, life insurance, and accidental D&D coverage. They also do a 3‑to‑1 match for donations to non‑religious 501(c) organizations. There’s a big emphasis on volunteering, with plenty of opportunities to get involved. The building itself is beautiful, with a free on‑site gym, a coffee shop, real trees in the atrium, a waterfall, and a large cafeteria (though the food can vary). They’re also flexible about which days you come on‑site, depending on the team’s schedule. If I needed to switch a Monday for a Thursday, it was never an issue. My manager was also supportive of remote work on days when the weather made commuting difficult.

Cons

Admins do not get an annual bonus. They're really strict on Overtime, really weird about worrying about mini costs. Like they'll spend 50k on a week-long training but freak out if people want to rent a car while being in town. Can't buy lunch for this 3 hour meeting to cut costs, but we'll drop 10k on this other thing. It's also so unfair that some people get to work remotely and others are forced to come in 3 times a week, for the exact same roles. Every meeting is basically online, so it's just silly and a power trip.

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