research scientist

senior research specialist

engineer

production engineer

senior production engineer

Typical day as a process operator starts at 4am. Make shift relief and read logbooks, master task list, check emails, moc's and any other computer based Dow tasks that upper management seems to think are more important than anything else before 7am morning meeting. After wasting close to an hour on the computer that is shared with the other operators, you rush to make your rounds in your plant, check your equipment,collect and analyze  your samples. Then with maybe 5 min to spare, your able to use the restroom before the daily morning meeting begins. Then the fun starts. Day staff and operations go around talking about the importance of the MOC's, EAT's, MyLearning modules, BBP's, and so on. Basically your told you have more paperwork and web-based work to do on top of doing your job as an actual Operator. After 45 min or so, you then proceed to issue and safe work permits to the contractors who have standing and waiting patiently for you to walk out and review the job scope of whatever they are trying to work on. After all the permits have been properly written it's usually time for lunch. Eat, then go outside and work, help out other operators if needed or whatever you can do to keep yourself out of Operations' crosshairs. It seems as if they get bored lying and backstabbing each other by 2PM, so they come into the control room or go outside( if the weather is nice) and look for something your doing to say is wrong, unsafe, not effective and so on....by 3 you start getting things prepared and finish up your tasks the next shift so they aren't stuck doing what you couldn't do during the day because your being watched by numerous salary employees who most of which (not all, but most) want to critique your every move and tell the leaders that you're working unsafe. By 4, you're most likely trying to finish writing and checking the piles of unnecessary paperwork that you turn in so someone in operations can review over, trying to find something wrong with it. If lucky, you only stay 45 min to hour over (overtime) before you get to go home to your family. That is a typical day at Dow.  

As for the pay, it's the lowest in the industry, no pension package, no retirement plan, only a 401K, the Union solid itself out to Dow, they have lost any swing or pull that it once had prior to 2007.
The "training  program" for new operators is a joke. The time allowed to learn and actually know the job safely is not what one would call feasible. Most new hires take their training material home and study on their off time, as it is impossible to try and study during the day at the plant when there is so much work (and b.s paperwork) to be done. Only time at work you can study is on graveyards, if you have all your other web based work done that is.


Most people who come to Dow end up leaving for other companies for higher pay / less busy work or are ran off due to the toxic culture and lack of integrity from management staff. 

Not every block is bad, but it seems like you hear same description as above when other Operators describe their particular block. If you find yourself working at Dow, learn what you can from the Senio Operators who know more than anyone else(and not paid what they are worth) and try to get hired elsewhere, as that seems to be the common trend these days. Work hard, help out your fellow Operators and watch eachothers backs and get out after a year or so.

Where to start..

First off, the management leadership was extremely poor.  We would get little to no direction or support on midnights/weekends.  They also have no accountability and liked to blame all problems on operator error even when majority of the issues was management's own doing.  Also, depending what department you are in, management actively looks for a reason to write you up (Logistics has it the worst).  Disciplinary actions are overzealous and my location has needlessly fired people for the smallest things.  They are also in a constant state of re-organizing departments, combining plants and splitting them up.  Management is overall incredibly frustrating and down right terrifying to work with.

If you are Pro-Union then this company is not for you.  No matter what they say, their practices are completely anti-union.  Dow doesn't believe in seniority based job signing, service vacation, and not even creating an ease of access to the union on site.  They also don't like having skilled trades of their own and are always looking to contract a job out if possible to nickel and dime people.  They are union breakers, that simple.

Work culture is ok depending on where you go.  Some plants had an alternating 3-2-2 shift where you would switch between days and midnights which was exhausting and messes with your sleep schedule.  Some plants have more consistent schedules.  Work life balance also fluctuates too but seeing as how high the turnaround rate is, there is a lot of forced overtime.  If you hate feeling like you are living at work then this place is not for you.  Overall, both union and (low level) salary employees are ok to get along with.  It varies like with anything else but current management practices is creating a lot of bad blood.

I can't say the pay wasn't good.  Being in the employ of Dow with an associates degree or less will probably net you the best pay around.  I started around $16/hr and ended at $27/hr in just logistics.  Operators make even more.  The benefits are hallway decent and basically offer everything.

Lastly, their public relations are a joke.  They act like they are all about safety, inclusion, and diversity but that's only because if any of these give them a bad rep then they will loose money.  This company is all about the money.  They do not care about you, your family, or the community.  Making money is all that matters to them.

If you have an overall thick skin, a tolerance for incompetent management, don't mind living at work, or feel unbothered by being on edge involving your job security then you can fit right in.  Otherwise for the sake of your own mental/emotional/physical health, stay away from this company.

Most employees are not happy with management and hectic, demanding  work there.  
Most employees complaining about very poor analytical methods in place, most of the methods not validated, not supported scientifically or by proper analytical SOP. Most tests are run without standards and without any validation, most of SOPs and Methods are very poorly written, very bad in perspective of scientific and analytical aspects.
No training for analytical technologists in place. Most of the time there is no even written procedures in place.
Methods are used for NRA analysis not validated, no written procedures, no standards, which from perspective of experienced analytical chemist are just scientific nonsense.
For example, I have to do NRA HPLC analysis every Monday, no written procedure in place, I had to look at the Mobile phase's labels from previous analytical technologist who was fired before my start date there, to figure out how to prepare mobile phase. No standards for this analysis, which makes no analytical sense how to prove that your data is correct. Peaks of analytes of the interest are overlaying each other, which proves there is no resolution between peaks, and of course no resolution solution in place. When I asked analytical specialist "I.F", who is supervising this project and supposed to train me, but no training was ever provide to me, including no training for EzChrom software, which is very old school and I did not have any previous experience with this software before. Analytical Specialist "I.F" told me to look at previous data on HPLC to compare. Again, if there is no written procedure, no standards, no resolution solution, how you can state that previous data is correct data.

I spent roughly 5 years at the Deer Park site and because of my own disrespectful ways was terminated. Dow was absolutely the best career move I ever made. Have the right knowledge, williness to learn, skill set, readiness, safety minded, team player attitude, and respectfulness and you will go far in your career with Dow. I regret everyday my mistakes and have learned and grown from them. Dow has the best management, training, safety team, procedures, and the list goes on and on. The work/life balance is spot on...I worked shift work and that is not for everyone however I thought the work life balance was fantastic. The Dow culture is awesome and caring. The last ops manager I had was the most respectful, knowledgeable, stand up guy who has since advanced his career to greater roles within the Dow organization. He was a true leader. I cannot talk bad about Dow because of my own bad actions and I know management had to act in the best interest of the employees and company. If you have the opportunity with Dow, this is not a job but a career. Awesome awesome awesome place to have a great and rewarding career. The pay and benefits are very competitive...at the top end of the pay scale on the ship channel. Employees are empowered and part of the process. Dow wants to see you succeed and be a great asset to the organization. Dow is definitely the place you want to have your career. The interview process was detailed and I honestly can say the best interview I have ever had. The training you receive is top notch and Dow will ensure you are ready to handle the task before you are assigned to your specific job and will make resources easily and readily available during and after the process. 

The knowledge base required to perform well in a human resources call center, especially for a global corporation, is vast. The functions are widely varied and expertise in all areas of policy, procedure, and dedicated service to every employee in North America from the factory worker to high levels of management is essential and expected. Every day is different and a typical day always involves a new approach to inquiries or additional information to discern and/or escalate and communicate verbally and written. Serving our client's needs and adapting to change is constant and training never stops. Technology and work culture moves quickly, so learning and updating the tools and resources for skill improvement is necessary. Complacency has no place in that fast-paced and demanding environment. Every team member is important and valued, so the term 'co-worker' dims in comparison to the team effort it takes to be the successful unit we are. The management and centers of expertise within the Human Resources department inform and recognize the work we all do on the front lines as first contact with proficiency and excellence and inclusion. Safety matters, too. The workplace is monitored constantly to proactively address ergonomic issues, workspaces, and health concerns through evaluations, education, programs, and communication. The hardest part of the job is also the most enjoyable--the clients.They challenge my wits and often force me out of any comfort zone I may think I had, but this also helps me serve them better and in turn, inspires growth and professional satisfaction.

I have worked for The Dow Chemical Company for 27 years in three different positions.  All of them have been Technical positions in Research and Development computing areas.  

My learning and development over the career has been both wide and deep including:
  - Extensive knowledge and experience in a broad number of computing technologies.
  - Growth in my professional skills including technical writing, working in teams, managing projects, presentations, troubleshooting, mentoring and teaching.
  - The workplace culture of Dow Chemical has changed significantly over my 27 years.  When I started in 1991, my managers were very experienced and guided me to achieve personnel, professional and technical growth.  Over time managers were less experienced and mostly focused on my project and task completion.  However, it was OK with me due to professional growth. 

The most enjoyable parts of my jobs include:
  - Developing solutions that enabled R&D Chemists and Engineers to succeed.
  - Evaluating if new and existing computing technologies could improve the systems and how to integrate them.
  - Working with technical colleagues and technical teams. 
  - Learning

The hardest part of the job include: 
  - Handing the “Dow Tax” on my time.  There are to many long meetings and mandated corporate tasks to accomplish.
  - Constant re-organizations, cutbacks and group changes.

Typical day at work is wriitng safe work procedures for maintenanance to be performed and puuting equipment back in service once maitenanve performed or clearing more equipment to be tagged out for more maintenance. Making rounds and checking for maintence problems is important part of the daily routine.
I learned how to operate and maintain awide variety of equipment. I learned how to clear equipment and tag it out in safe manner and how to put it back in service once it is repaired. I learned how to respond to offline events and how to bring the plant down sfely and back to online production in a safe manner as well.
Management has too big of a turover. I have been through 4 different Production leaders and 3 difffernt Operation Leaders and abut the same number of Engineers over each section of the plant and this was was just in 7 years. The rules were always changing which lead to unfair displinary practices.
Operators work together very well despite the stress that management puts on them. The outside operators and the board operators communicate with each other about how the plant is running and keep it it runnning effciently.
The hardest part of the job is the startup following an offline event. equipmnet has to be prepared correctly and this may take some time as the equipment may have been down for a while.
The most enjoyable part of the job is working with the other operators on a day to day basis and sharing the experinces that all of us have as operators and humans as well. It is very easy to start and maintain strong friendships with the other operators

I worked in Core R&D and was responsible for Tooling Design since I have 30 years of experience, 3 years at Dow Chemical.

Very poor management to the point they are extremely inept and demonstrated no skill set. Basically none of Dow's managers could read tolerances or drawings despite being Mechanical Engineers. On several occasions I was overloaded with work while several others sat with no work for month and a few for years.. My manager Peter S. demanded that I work 20+ hours per week of over time, which I was later told that Dow would not pay me for because it was against their company policy.

I was reprimanded once for not working full time on one project, while I had 8 other projects that I was required to attend meetings for. 

Management was very poor at even letting employee's readjust their schedule once or twice a year for things like doctor appointments. If I would need to take off work 1 hour early (this would ONLY happen 1 or 2 times per year) I would be reprimanded or my yearly raise review would say "Habitually Absent" and disciplinary action was always sought.

Managers also controlled when I could use my vacation time, which was never. Leaving me to always have to use it at their discretion every December.

There is a horrible culture at Dow of using departments to promote young employees into management through Six Sigma. With that structure there are managers with only 1 or 2 years of work experience that are "Senior" (insert job title)... It is horrible when they can't even read a ruler, yet get continuously promoted say in mechanical engineering.

Being a part of the ES&S function meant that you just never knew what each day might bring.  ES&S was responsible for industrial fire fighting, HAZMAT response both on site and off site for transportation incidents.  ES&S are all all EMT-B or higher to perform emergency medical response, aerial/confined space/water rescue, and site security.  We have an armed response program which I instituted as site ES&S Leader. 
     I was on call 24/7, 365 days a year.  That was one of the more challenging characteristics of the job.  One of the other challenging aspects was that of working to lead upward.  I worked closely with leadership at higher job levels almost daily and they depended upon my decisions in times of crisis management / emergency response events and even preparedness and planning.  That is what I owned.  
    The security component of the job often brought about interesting and unpleasant experiences, you are after all, dealing with individuals of all walks of life.  No matter how much you think you no people, you just don't know people.  It is sometimes difficult to conclude an incident believing the matter addressed the company's interest appropriately and dealt justly with the parties involved.  It is important to me to deal rightly with people.
   The most enjoyable part of the job is having good people to work with.  Training, equipping, and being confident to trust them to handle situations that are in itself inherently dangerous.  Seeing your team respond to events and have a positive outcome makes the role fun.

Working at Dow you will find yourself faced with many challenging experiences. I liked how Dow will let their employees have freedom to work on what they like, although, the double edged blade to this is that, in my experience, leaders are too strong and management too weak--Dow policy is not to be open and honest with their employees. For example, you may find that the 6 months of 60 hour weeks you've been slaving on various projects might be rewarded with negative performance review without logical explanation for why--besides that other's have given you some improvement feedback via your boss without confronting you directly. 

The company saying, "The Human Element" was and is still something I love about Dow; this is a company that loves their people and holds themselves accountable for developing their employees. But like the other facades I have mentioned, there is always a dark side. With Dow, it's more about how you do things than what you actually get completed, and of course the heaviest doses of compensation will go to the guy who doesn't disturb other work groups and is generally liked by employees--regardless of whether he is right, wrong, indifferent, or does anything!

The bottom line is, although the culture is great with this company (especially for the y-gen!) if one would like to consider employment with Dow, my final advice would be to be honest with oneself. Dow is a great company to work for, but only for the select few.

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