Land of the egos - Anonymous employee McMaster-Carr Employee Review

1.0
21 Mar 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Few companies offer better compensation and benefits Intelligent, industrious colleagues Our customers love us It's like corporate boot camp--anywhere else would feel downright cushy Hypercritical culture will instill real meaning in the "detail oriented" entry on your resume A good work/life balance in most roles Insufficient training makes newcomers self-motivated, active learners

Cons

Few companies offer less time off and flexibility Spoiled, egotistical upper management hides all the cards, calls all the shots A customer-oriented approach to everything means we stopped looking inward long, long ago Militaristic reporting structure stops innovation in its tracks, defeating any purpose of the McMaster merry-go-round known as management development Management development program is intrinsically flawed--it's not the managers generating a caste system, animosity, and low morale, it's the MD program itself The workforce is far too lean to meet the unrealistic expectations of upper management "Sink or swim" mantra has led to an increase in frantic splashing, silent bubbles

Explore other reviews about McMaster-Carr

5.0
14 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

At least in the Systems department, it’s a helpful and collaborative environment.

Cons

3 days in office and potentially long commute from the city

4.0
16 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Pay/benefits are incredibly generous - People are generally easy/nice to work with - Note that the Systems department seems to be fairly isolated from the negative issues discussed in other reviews (e.g. tension between warehouse workers and management) - I haven't experienced any of those issues within the systems department. In my opinion, Systems is a great place to work and develop as an engineer. - Hybrid work style (3 days in office). Personally, I like hybrid more than both fully in-office and fully remote styles. - Great cafeteria with good food and cheap prices. - Good work/life balance (outside of being on call, I can leave work at work).

Cons

- Work is not super interesting to me. I come from a highly technical, but very different (not ecommerce/industrial supplies), background where I was doing work I was much more interested in. No doubt there are folks in Systems who love the domain though. - While I'm not on call a ton (1-2 weeks every few months), I really hate being on call. I like to leave work at work. Note that joining at least one reliability team is expected within your first year or so.

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