brand manager

retail sales associate

production operator

territory sales leader

intern

The-Hershey-Company

The worst things about working at the Hershey factory are my co-workers, management, and feeling like I'm just a tiny replaceable cog in a massive corporate machine. 
This company only treats its factory employees just good enough to not taint its carefully crafted 'family friendly' image. 

Due to the baby boomer generation aging out of the work force, and the Hershey factory's neglect in hiring anybody new between 2000 - 2013, the company has had to hire 500+ new manufacturing employees in the past 5 years alone to cover retirees.  That number is actually probably closer to, or perhaps well over, 1000 if I consider the amount of people who didn't make it past probation, were terminated, or quit in that time period.  This has caused the company to go from being picky about who they wanted to hire (they use to hire primarily by reference or family relation) to now proudly advertising "No Experience Necessary!" on job flyers and offering sign-on bonuses (after 1 year of service). Lots of red flags right there.

The seed of this hiring problem was planted long before the pandemic and nationwide labor shortage began, but those things have only made the situation worse. The big downside to this is that most of the new folks at the factory hired within the past 5 years either A) don't have the mental capacity for manufacturing work, or B) don't have the work ethic for manufacturing work.  The whole plant seems like it's filled with nothing but grumpy and/or lazy people, and that includes many of the older folks as well. The work itself isn't even that difficult once you get into the swing of it, but the pressure and stress from co-workers and management can seriously drag you down. 

Another issue is pay discrepancies. Older hires are paid much more than newer hires. There's currently 3 different tiers of pay at the factory, based purely on a person's date of hire, and it causes a lot of resentment among employees. 
There will be people who do the same job as you, task for task, but make $5+ more per hour doing it and then have the audacity to complain about the company. There's even 'sanitation' workers (clean bathrooms, mop floors) that make more than line workers! 

The company gives free lunches once in awhile, t-shirts, nick knacks, etc, to push this silly 'we care about you!' mentality.  If they really cared about their employees they'd offer factory workers something other than a high deductible healthcare plan.  
The health coverage here has gotten consistently worse since I started, and a few years ago they phased out the last semblance of a decent health insurance plan and switched over to those basic bronze/silver/gold high deductible plans that every other greedy American corporation offers it's ground floor workers. Keep your ice cream and coffee mugs, just give me a raise!

If you made it this far and you're still considering a career at the Hershey chocolate factory, this next part will either make it or break it for you: 
Overtime... you will get forced in A LOT as a new hire. This is a union company that decides mandatory overtime based on 'seniority' (date of hire).  If you're at the bottom of seniority on your line/team, you'll be the very first person forced in if that line/team needs someone to fill in on your days off; whether it be due to vacation, termination, FMLA leave, job transfer, anything. 
This company does have 8-hour and 12-hour shifts, but they handle overtime very differently. An 8-hour worker can be forced up to 12 hours per shift and 7 days per week (it has happened many times in the past). A 12-hour worker can be forced in on 2 out of their 4 or 5 days off, and it's not always in a row, either.  You may very well work 4 or 5 days straight, then have 1 off, work 1, have 1 off, work 1, then begin your next 4/5 day work week (it's still happening). 
The factory should really have at least 1 extra employee on every team/line to offset the poor work/life balance and give themselves some wiggle room with call offs, but they seem to enjoy rolling the dice and only keep the bare minimum on hand at any given time. The mandatory overtime has alienated a lot of new hires and caused them to seek job opportunities elsewhere. 

Management is terrible. Factory supervisors are either too weak and ineffective or too aggressive and micro managing; there is no in between. It's extremely easy to get written up here over simple mistakes or misunderstandings.  Human Resources and BU leaders (the supervisor's bosses) seem to think the best way to handle every situation is to simply write you up and speak to you like you're a child. It seems like they've never even heard of the word 'warning' and don't understand the concept of giving people a second chance. It's really frustrating when you feel like the company you work for is out to get you. 

The factory is currently desperate for new hires and lately they seem to be losing just as many people as they are hiring. I don't enjoy working here, at all, and if I could afford to quit tomorrow, I definitely would. 
You should seriously consider your options carefully before accepting a job offer here.  I've seen a lot of decent new people come and go once they realized this job wasn't their cup of tea.  There's nothing worse than landing a job only to feel like you need to look for a new one 6 months later. 

12 Hour shifts, working to make Hershey Chocolate.
Production Worker / General Laborer
West Hershey Plant - Hershey, PA.
Running packaging / manufacturing machinery.
PPE such as hardhats, earplugs, hairnets are mandatory.
I'd advise anyone with sensitive hearing not to apply, as it's far too loud without ear protection.

I've learned to trust in a small group of co-workers whom I see every day I'm scheduled to work.

Upper Management treats their workers like numbers, not like humans.
The Company's Priority is production numbers and throughput, and not their employees' wellbeing.

As long as you have a few co-workers to trust, you'll do alright if you focus on your job for the day. Depending on Supervisor, they'll do right by you as well. Communication in the lower ranks is all we have, but move up the management chain, and communication breaks down. HR and Management have no apparent semblance or care for employee wellbeing, unless you come in when scheduled (including occasional mandatory overtime), shut your mouth, buckle down, and do your job as assigned. (They do not care for, or respect the opinion of anyone speaking out against The Company, at all.)

The most enjoyable part of the job is the days off you get with 12 hour shifts. The Schedule is: 5 days work, 4 days off, 5 days work. Then you rotate, 5 days off, 4 days work, 5 days off. Two weekends work and two weekends off per month.

Voluntary Overtime is always offered, since they're constantly understaffed. Mandatory Overtime occurs often as well, depending on location in the plant, and job details.

The hardest part of the job is trying to do the best you can for the company no matter what, even if that means spending less time in your family or social lives.

The company gives out employee appreciation days with free food and paid breaks from work. These days apply for everyone, no matter how little or how much they work.

"The Company" might say it cares for its employees, that it does. Pay and Benefits are excellent. Insurance is very fair, 401K and Investment opportunities as well.

Management makes computer-based training material mandatory for compliance. This could be job based, ethically based (such as anti-harassment), or general informational trainings. They also pride their workers on practicing ethical food safety, SQF, and FDA-Approved work habits.

The plant overall is very clean at most times, with workers based on schedule tasked with multiple different jobs day to day. Production Work is one of those tasks.

General Labor, such as basic packaging sorting, hand-packing, sanitation, and other tasks as required for the day. If extra personnel exist, for if not enough labor comes up in the day, employees are given permission to leave early for the day, (BASED ON SENIORITY) as long as they check with their Supervisors.

The Team Aspect at Hershey is emphasized only in the lower ranks, where communication and reliability is paramount. There is no indication that this exists in management, however. Employees are expected to please their boss, who attempts to please their boss, so on and so forth.

Packaging, Scheduling, and overall Plant Managers and "High Command" seem to make mistakes with no penalties or discipline.

If a Main Line Production Worker or Supervisor makes a mistake or error, however; penalty, discipline, and justice (as The Company sees fit) occurs quickly, and often without prior notice.

If you want easy money, go for it. The Union does their job to protect the employees fairly. The Employee/Union/Company Contracts are easily read and understood, as long as you read thoroughly and cover to cover.
However, the longer you stick around, the further truth is revealed.

I currently work here as an area sales representative on the snack side, no confection involved. The pay sucks. I can barely afford to survive, let alone feed my family. This is a perfect entry level job for college kids, but no one else. Management has no life and will email you every weeknight and weekend..and expect an answer back. They make us compete against each other every couple months and if we win...we receive "smiles". You are busting your tail to get more displays and more cases sold in to place in the top 3...but only rewarded with a smile. If you receive a smile, you will get points to buy things on some website(poor quality items, by the way). They told us we were our own boss and could make our own schedule. We need to start at 7, the last 8:00 AM and  our every move is questioned. You have to be in the store 30 minutes minimally, anything less you will be questioned and treated as a child. If it takes you long to get from store to store, they will ask why. They do not believe traffic exists and will not believe you. You will become miserable and unmotivated really quickly. Many of my colleagues are looking for jobs currently, as we are all miserable. The pay is entry-level and definitely not good enough for the area I live in. They cut our overtime as well, so when i first started I was basically lied to. There is no room for advancement and no more room to make more money in your check. The CEO said we had summer Fridays(mainly for people in the office), but we all thought we'd be able to participate. Come to find out that we need to ask 2 weeks in advance and it cannot be every Friday . Also, our sales numbers have to be a certain way on the app. It is not fair because the CEO sent an email that we'd all be able to do summer fridays. Yeah, working remote is great but not when they are tracking you and breathing down your neck. There is no more freedom to get your job done the way it should be, it has to be exactly how they want it. They do not understand because they are not working everyday in the field. They do not know how it works in the field, because they are home or in their office. It's ridiculous. Unless you want to be babied, every move tracked,  interrogated like the police interrogate criminals, with LOW pay, horrible healthcare, and bad managers, PLEASE look elsewhere and not waste your time!! 


Your typical day with consist of driving, driving, and more driving. They will scatter your stores all over and none of it will make sense. They monitor your route very closely. We used to be able to make our route as we wanted, what made the most sense. Now I'm scattered all over the map. Ridiculous. We are given a company credit card and not allowed to expense anything. They are sooo cheap! Where does the money go? No one knows. Terribly low pay and barely able to expense anything. We used to be able to buy customers coffee, but no more. Don't waste your time!

My experience at the Hershey Salty Snacks plant highlighted several cultural and leadership challenges that impact morale, retention, and daily operations. The environment is fast-paced and demanding, and supervisors and hourly employees are often placed into roles with limited onboarding while being expected to perform at a high level early on.
Shift supervisors carry significant responsibility but have limited autonomy to make decisions, which can slow progress and create frustration. Communication from leadership tends to be directive and can feel inconsistent, especially as expectations evolve in response to production pressures. This dynamic contributes to frequent oversight and reduces opportunities for key employees to lead independently.
There is a strong emphasis on documentation and accountability, which at times outweighs coaching and development. Many employees would benefit from more structured feedback, clearer expectations, and consistent training to support long-term success.
Some recent HR policy changes were difficult for employees to navigate. Adjustments to personal item storage and locker use were implemented in a way that left some employees feeling uncertain or uncomfortable, highlighting the need for clearer communication and greater consideration of employee experience.
Nepotism is a concern, as some leadership decisions appear influenced by personal relationships, which can affect team dynamics and perceptions of fairness. 
Shift supervisors face particularly high demands, including extended workdays, staffing challenges, and the need to manage operations with limited support. Plant management often relies on an emotional, reactive approach, and at times communicates in a manner that can feel unprofessional or inconsistent. While the company has access to modern systems and tools, greater integration into daily HR, scheduling, and production planning could improve efficiency and reduce administrative strain.
Overall, Hershey offers competitive pay and benefits, but improving leadership communication, training, staffing levels, and employee recognition would significantly enhance morale, engagement, and retention. Based on my experience, I would not recommend working at Hershey (or at least this plant) and would caution anyone considering a position with them to carefully weigh the challenges outlined above.

In my 20 years with the company the overall culture of the plant changed from a family oriented company where the employees were treated like an asset to the employees being treated as just a replaceable clock number to keep stock prices up.  I was recently terminated after only making 1 mistake in my entire career there when there have been countless times when individuals were given multiple chances to continue their employment even after engaging in zero tolerance activities such as fighting in the workplace.  
  The turnover rate is so high that you have new employees training new employees and some folks in the managerial roles only use their time there as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.  People that should be considered for advancement are either too scared to apply or are overlooked as they are deemed "overvalued" in their current positions.  The implementation of 12 continuous operations as opposed to a traditional Monday through Friday with weekends off has contributed to the consistent breakdown of equipment and neglect of the building which in my opinion fails to meet industry standards for quality and sanitation.  For a multi billion dollar company there should be more resources available to ensure proper sanitation and upkeep of equipment to meet or exceed production goals.   During my time I worked hard to earn my reputation as a hard worker and as a dependable team mate.  
  Some things I enjoyed were that Hershey paid me considerably well and afforded me the ability to provide for my family, but at the cost of never being home due to the long hours and consecutive days I was required to work. The hardest part of it for me was the 12 hour shifts that I had to endure with 40 year old equipment that barely functioned.  Just to be told to do the best I could with junk.  Anytime there was capital money set aside to repair or place our equipment the funds were always allocated to another project because the plant relied heavily on my departments production they could not afford for our lines to not run.  
  Overall I would say if someone wants to make money then they should consider working there.  Do not believe them when they say they care about you because they don't. 

I would clock into work and make my way to the parking attendants booth. Depending on the shift I may have to get the booth keys for the doors and cash box from security. If I am closing I would have to take care of the trash and recycling and lock the cash box and booths. If I worked the shuttle driver shift I would just need the keys to the van. I learned crisis management in my experience with the Hershey Company. When the main lot got full we would open the auxiliary lot for customers and would have a different procedure to transition to. There were times when you have a full lot and are waiting for a management decision to transition lots. There were also individual issues that needed addressed for ticket payment and at times parking attendants could be allowed to negotiate with customers for a lower parking fee. Management was demanding and wanted customers to see a smiling face, with a pleasant tone, and a professional demeanor upon entry to Chocolate World. Attendants were further pushed to use any idle time to pickup trash and to perform any task that could improve the aesthetic of our work space. The workplace culture was demanding. Thousands of people everyday visit Chocolate World and they need to be received and depart in a timely and efficient manner. There was little time for attendants to take a break and we constantly worked to improve information delivery and our efficiency. The people I worked with were carefree and easy to get along with however our work did not always allow us to relax. The hardest part of the job was communication. I would constantly work to communicate effectively with guests however many people were busy with the day of being at Chocolate World and the neighboring Hersheypark that they could not be bothered. Ignoring the communication I provided them however could cost them at the end of the day when they turn in their parking ticket. The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting new people. There were people who did not speak English and trying to ensure they understand the parking guidelines was difficult but always a positive experience. Being in a situation where you have to be patient with each other and still communicate bilaterally is difficult but a great learning experience.

As a mechanic here I found out what was really broken down here and it was everything within the northwest corner of the building that couldn't be repaired but needs to be overhauled. I was never trained on how to staff a maintenance department or make adjustments to how people are treated. If you like to troubleshoot and see how people are treated here you won't figure this one out it's an ongoing problem. Working here is simple math, work - life = 0 balance. If you have hobbies or enjoy spending time with your family look for another employer that can provide a work life balance. Like any place else if someone calls off it's simple your one short and leave after 8 hours, not here if you are low in seniority you will get pounded with 12 hour shifts and end up divorced. Your vehicle will always be in the parking lot inside the fence on weekends but the little parking lot outside of the fence is always empty. They claim they are big on safety, see how safe you feel after working 12 hours all the time and driving home or going in. The rumble strips along 81 were put down for employees that work here. The maintenance job here is good it's like any other if you enjoy this career but what you have to put up with coming from the northwest section of the building is beyond repair and your skills are useless. So get your bearings and look another direction, there are better places out there that offer a work life balance and are more family oriented. But if you think this is a good fit for you try it and you will see what the other 400+ employees are saying. Don't get me wrong this can be a great facility to work at but it's not, don't let the name suck you in and fool you. I have to be honest and tell it like it is or no one will ever know. But I can guarantee this if you do accept an offer you too will enjoy the view from the roof at other plants at some point in time. Best of luck and I hope you make the correct decision because none will be made while your employed here. The problems here can't be fixed with any tool that will be provided in your tool cabinet. If you own your own tools or need to purchase some do it and utilize them somewhere else where it will be appreciated and your work in this field will be more rewarding.

5 hours, M-Th with some flexibility. I would visit 7-9 stores each day. Almost 200 stores total (though they try to keep you around 170). So I saw each store every 6 weeks.

Large chains would be mostly merchandising. Build good relationships with your managers and many will let you place mini displays of candy. Basically they want you to have candy all over the store if possible for impulse buys. 

Independently owned stores are spent selling selling selling. Gaining spots for your products in the set, this requires you to pull a competitors product. Speaking to the owner/manager about why your product is superior. Selling special shipper units, other special promotions and ugh... contracts. This is the biggest drawback. They are difficult to sell and you are expected to constantly increase these. Contracts consist of extensive amounts of prepacked shipper units of candy as a base requirement. (OK there is a smaller contract as well for smaller stores) They get rebates based on their sales for accepting these shippers. They can also gain larger rebates for additional things like maintaining distribution amounts. It gets very complicated and distributors don't always follow through with the correct products or stores can't sell it (though the distributor is supposed to refund it if it doesn't sell). Needless to say, ensuring your stores get their rebate so that they will continue doing the contracts can get very difficult. This is the only drawback to the work I believe. I know they are working hard to improve their technology to make this work better. 

Oh we also visited Food Lions which is a whole different story. Mostly maintaining planned merchandising items sold by a separate sales person to them. Once again, gaining additional placements of products in the store as well.

It is great hours, if you want part time, great pay and benefits and lots of people to work with. Though they are different people every day and you mostly work alone. Well, it's just sales, and sometimes you feel bad trying to talk a small business owner into purchasing so much product to meet your sales goals.

When I was interviewed for the job, they never mentioned that the contract job is hired through an agency, not directly from Hershey itself. Next, they don't tell you that they renew your contract every 3 months for a year, after a year, you have to quit before come back 2 months later (so you basically have to find a job for those 2 months or be unemployed).

To be fair, you got lots of free candies during holidays like Easter, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and weekly if you work in the tech center, you can go to the micro department for a free bag of candies.

However, the employees and managers there are ignorant with the exception of a few. They are discriminating against you. They will overwork you and will not give you any overtime. They have the right to terminate you on spot but if you are to quit without giving 2 weeks' notice (courtesy), they sue you.

During the holiday season or Christmas time, the entire building "Hershey official employee" got invited to a party out of town during the workday. They don't even bother to send emails to contract employees or for your teammates to stop by to tell you that. They just gone and ignore you completely and treat you as outsiders but you are expected to work just like the full-time employees who have PTO and respect. And if something goes wrong at work, they will blame the contractors and if you happen to be the only contractor in the team, you are treated as if you are invisible, no greetings, ignore you when you talk to them, not include you in the conversation even if you are standing next to them, and you take a fall for a full-time employee in the team, even if you are not wrong. The managers are incompetent and play by favor. 

And they pay you very low too without any health insurance, but you have to work like other people, sometimes in dangerous situations where you surround by equipment, sharp equipment that may hurt or even worst kill you, equipment that weighed 5000 lb. But guess what, if you are hurt and take time off, you are not paying for and may even get replaced.

In other words, if you want to treat like a human being, DO NOT EVER EVER work for this company, yes the Hershey Company has shamed Mr. Milton Hershey.

I fix industrial food producing, wrapping, and conveying machinery including Rovema, Bosch, Sig, but mostly off brands, inexpensive types, and one-offs or prototypes.
It's sad the company was an excellent place to work when I started there. They have been hiring a lot of management people fresh out of college, or with no experience in an industry.  They are soon going to have more managers than workers. Then they started running 7 days a week 24 hrs a day and holidays.  Getting 2 days off a month, not including vacation, 12hr days.  You may have to stay 4hrs late and then come in 4 hrs early the next day. I was hired just after vacations started so I had to go close to a full year with no vacation.  It's very unhealthy, mentally and physically. Your working in a huge basement no windows very poor lighting.  The only time you come in contact with sunlight is during your lunch break.  There aren't even refrigerators for your food, just a few microwaves, and a toaster is all that is provided for food preparation.  They removed the ice maker noodles were found in the drain and the refrigerator food was left in it too long. How is that for poor management excuses.  At one point the only sink in the cafeteria was locked up and sinks outside of the cafeteria had signs on them forbidding the use of the drains for anything but hand washing.  You had no place to dump any liquids or heaven forbid wash your dinnerware or utensils.  It took months of complaining to management to have the closet where the sink was unlocked.  Management has their own break rooms complete with microwaves refrigerators and sinks.  They also get weekends off, holidays, comp days, and flexible work schedules.  The hourly employees are truly treated as second class citizens.  I feel trapped I have invested so many years in this company and am not looking forward to having to start all over again with another company.  I would steer clear of this place it is going down hill so fast.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Brand manager 3 salaries reported	$124,667 per year
Retail sales associate 24 salaries reported	$42,729 per year
Production operator 8 salaries reported	$24.08 per hour
Territory sales leader 3 salaries reported	$47,934 per year
Intern 4 salaries reported	$18.75 per hour

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