Thread regarding 3M layoffs

Dear new employee,
Go read 3MGo.
Hopefully it will make you feel good.

The title of this site is 3MLAYOFF.

Ultimately, I don't see anyone who writes "3M is bad, check out this employer in TC area that we know are better".

I've worked in MN for a while now and I've worked in places that you can't even imagine how bad it was. I am sure it's not going to be a dream come true working here but how much better can it be and what are my options if I wanted better?

Ups, sorry!
I misread that you got a job at 3M, not Solventum.
Ok, so, I will adjust my response:
3M has been facing a lot of lawsuits (I am sure that you are aware of). As a result, the company has decided to spin-off its Healthcare business. That decision has yet to flourish (see my previous post).
3M has been a great employer in the past, but the long term employees all report that those times are long gone. The highly valued 3M spirit and culture are gone. However most of these employees are retired or have been laid off by now.
Of course, for a 3M employee, the scale and impact of the PFAS scandal was very unsettling, especially the fact that the company knew for 25? years and did not report it. Does that mean that 3M is the worst company and that you should regret your decision before giving it a chance? I don’t think so. In all honesty, I think there are probably very few/ if any big corporations that you can really trust. In the end, it is a global competition that they are in and they will do everything to win to please the shareholder.
The corporation does not care about you as an individual, whilst it pursues its goals. Corporate is not for everyone. If you want to be seen as a person, appreciated and valued - corporate might be for you. If you are prepared to play the game in order to advance, you will be fine - at 3M and probably also other corporations.

Well, I think it depends on the perspective.
This page is meant for employees that are facing the thread of a layoff, to inform themselves (very limited information from the company about the layoffs), to find support and to be heard. I think it is a great advantage of the internet that the ordinary employee is no longer in the dark and dependent on the (limited) information that the company decides to share, but that they can find real time information about what is happening. Given the impact on people’s lives, I think it is understandable that they express their fears and/or anger.
You have just accepted a new job and are probably looking for information to confirm your decision. That is totally understandable, yet I doubt that you will find this information here. The truth is that the the revenue growth has been below market (quote Bryan Hanson) and that the layoffs that are currently happening (announced on Wednesday) are quite disruptive, given that the company faces a lot of changes in the next years. The workforce is burned out from the last couple of years (lack of leadership, spin-off, unmet expectations) and the vision of the new management for Solventum is not yet clear (except for vague statement such as „people first“ and „solventum way“). It is expected that in the beginning of 2025 more information will be released on how they want to grow and what investments will be made.
I guess you could ask your future boss what is meant by „people first“ and see what response you get. The depth of he response might give you an indication on the sincerity of that statement and whether to trust it or not. So far, my impression of Bryan Hanson is that he likes selfies and a good show. Whether he will walk the talk and put people first or not, only time will tell. It is always wise to judge on actions, not words.
In the end, who knows how your decision will turn out for you? Maybe it will be the best decision you ever took, maybe not. Your success/happiness at your job depends on a lot of factors that are hard the evaluate beforehand. Make the best of it, give it a chance. If things turn out good for you, great! If not, get going.

OP is surprised there are so many angry comments about 3M here, on a LAYOFFS site.

With that level of intelligence, I'm not surprised OP thinks accepting a job offer from 3M is a smart idea.

Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy your ride!

Well, most places don't have layoffs nearly every year. If that's been your experience, then maybe it won't bother you here, either.

I appreciate all of the responses. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid of all the angry posts here and I've obviously heard of the layoffs. I just don't know how this place is any different from most other places. A lot of what everyone complains about is so similar to what I've experienced in other places. Some places are so atrocious that they got banned by Boston Scientific (no longer allowed to be a vendor).

if 3M in the 90s were really different, then I can see how some anger is justified. In any case, I will do my best to make the best out of this and I hope everyone else can do that as well.

Rest assured, it is worse than most.

It’s not any worse than others. Two problems: 1-US corporations in general used to be better. 2-3M was better than most.

You’ll see the highest employee engagement and satisfaction with new hires (especially those just out of school) since they seem focused on obtaining, not retaining

@qop+1vNaymkc

"If it weren't for the constant, lingering threat of random layoffs and the arbitrary rules promulgated by lonely, insecure execs, this would be a pretty great place to work.

I actually DO like my coworkers, and I actually DO like the general theme and contour of my job. And I think my salary is fair-ish, even if it's getting less attractive as we lose more and more perks and our benefits package gets worse."

This! Every word of it.

I enjoyed my co-workers and even my direct boss before leaving. The very-well put 'insecure' executives are the root cause of why I left 3M and will be 3M's downfall.

All I can say is Goodluck dude! This is not your old 3M, been on both ends.

3M today is compared to 3M from the 80s and 90s that many people remember as being truly a great place to work. Enjoy your work and coworkers. If you came from a place with no job security anyway, then 3M isn't going to be really bad.

You missed some of the stories about people leaders being told to cut certain employees who were near full pension and others who were near the retiree health support. When you give 30plus years to an employer, you expect a fair trade. Most people could have left 3M for more money or less stress. But the pension and retirement perks were too good to pass up.

My advice is don't work more than 40 hours. Even since GE guy (mcnerney) took over 20plus years ago, the workers who weren't fired during the many layoffs were "grateful" to have a job and picked up the work left behind, including longer hours. That's a trap. It only encourages more layoffs hoping scared employees will ante up more of the personal life to carry the extra load.

I've worked at some companies that are way, way worse than 3M is currently.

If it weren't for the constant, lingering threat of random layoffs and the arbitrary rules promulgated by lonely, insecure execs, this would be a pretty great place to work.

I actually DO like my coworkers, and I actually DO like the general theme and contour of my job. And I think my salary is fair-ish, even if it's getting less attractive as we lose more and more perks and our benefits package gets worse.

But I do not like the way that layoffs happen every year. I do not like how my reporting structure seems to change every 6 months. I do not like how corporate statements mean nothing, such as how we have no problem doing things like announce mandatory RTO just a few months after 3M was highlighted as being committed to remote work as the future. And I do not like how the only way to advance your career is to take a new job, because promotions are non-existent and performance reviews are meaningless.

If you don’t want your employer to invest in training, support career advancement, or care about you as a person, you’re in the right place. If you get another offer, take it.

Listen to the people who know the history of mistreatment and chaos that will come to your life and career while working at 3M. It’s real. Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it. Good luck.

Ignore the complainers. If they really hated it they would leave, but they don't so they stay and complain. Most haven't even worked at another company to see just how bad it can be elsewhere. Congrats on the new job!

Seems odd for the Welcome Wagon to be hanging around a site for layoffs

As a former 3Mer, my advice is to save your money while you’re young so you’ll be prepared for the eventual layoff.

Hi! Welcome to 3M! I have been a 3Mer for 26 years and I am grateful for my job, my wonderful coworkers, my excellent pay and benefits, my nice work environment and the 3M community as a whole. I choose to be thankful to be part of this company, and for the way it helps provide for my family, and I hope that you are able to enjoy and appreciate your time at 3M just as much as I have! No job is perfect. And no company is perfect. But I’ve always been proud to be a 3Mer. Glad you have you onboard!

Hey, don't be too sad!

Just know that we neither reward talent and success nor punish ignorance and failure, so nothing you do matters!

Sure, you might get laid off randomly at any time, but it has nothing do do with you!

At this point, we're the corporate office version of the KQRS payroll contest. Just collect money for as long as you can until you're out.

A job at 3M is a paycheck, nothing more, nothing less. Clock your 40 hours and enjoy your life outside of it.

Keep in mind that many people posting on this site likely have many years at the company and saw what it once was. In a short period of time, it has become a far cry from the unique company that many remember. For those with long tenure, it’s quite shocking and sad to see what’s happened to 3M. There are many reasons for that, some of it due to recent (prior CEO) poor recent leadership at the top and some of it due to decisions made by his predecessors and evolving culture shifts starting decades ago. If you are young, take the new job for what it’s worth (a paycheck) and move on a few years down the road when another opportunity presents itself. The current 3M probably won’t be to dissimilar from many other big companies in the TC area, which is the sad part. And know going in that like many other places you are dispensable and just a number that can be tossed aside at the company’s whim.

This is an old company which has always created their own market rather than competing. It was good then. But they never learned how to compete in a changing world. Then came the piling law suits. All hit at once, the leadership was not able to handle and hence the outcome. The company is still in a ‘shocked state’. Doesn’t know how to rebound!

Congrats on your new job, don’t be sad; welcome to 3M! More than likely, you are replacing someone who was laid off or quit for a less toxic environment where they are valued. They are not here to train you and those of us with knowledge who haven’t quiet quit are too overloaded to help you much. That said, you’re correct, though not the company of lore anymore, 3M is not so different than many corporations and perhaps better than some. And… the people (who are still hanging on) are best part of working here.

Welp, good luck to you. You've probably been hired at a job grade far below the one you should have had, based amount of work they will dump on you, and no one will be able to tell you where to find the information or how to get access to the systems that you need in order to do that job.

You aren't going to get "data" comparing 3M to other places here. How would anyone here get that data? There are a lot of posts from. former employees happier elsewhere, though.

If you want threads where people aren't complaining, you don't go to layoff site.

I just love "selling" backorder. They look great in catalogs

fishbowl is a lot better then this crying wall

Sadly many people are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted with the poor leadership, lack of ability to truly drive innovation and growth, and the lack of HR and/or leadership support; not to mention the billions the company is paying in lawsuits. There is a different level of stress here, in my opinion.