3. Essilor
Number of employees: 67,000
Big 100 revenue ranking: 15
Glassdoor rating: 3.1/5
46% would recommend to a friend.
Essilor touts that it is inclusive and diverse with its employees. The company’s goal is to create an environment that employees will love and where they know they can make a difference through ingenuity, creativity and drive. Employees at Essilor are committed to teamwork and stimulating professional relationships.
Here’s what current and former employees have to say on Glassdoor:
“Pros: Dynamic atmosphere; good work life balance; strong core team with great personalities; several opportunities for advancement; good benefits. Cons: Constantly changing environment presents difficulties prioritizing tasks.” —Current employee
“Pros: Really smart people in the marketing department; some managers/directors are wonderful people to work with; very international and diverse group of people; cutting edge, innovative products that are the leaders in the ophthalmic lens industry; rotational program within marketing department affords young marketing managers to get a good variety of experiences. Cons: Management is aloof; department culture is very cynical; toxic personalities/management styles are tolerated and often promoted; training and coaching is minimal; leaders take a “sink or swim” approach to managing their employees; very meeting heavy organization; there are often too many cooks in the kitchen on projects; ambiguity abounds; inflexible work hours.” —Former employee
“Pros: There is as much job mobility in Essilor as you want; if you have the drive to grow and make connections, you can go anywhere and do anything in this company; the culture in the Dallas HQ is very friendly; everyone is kind and outgoing; the workday is usually very pleasant; the benefits seem to be good; 401k matching is stellar; very stable company (for the most part). Cons: The salary is typically below market or toward the bottom of market rates; some groups have a “french ceiling” where the growth is limited for American employees; HR and Talent Development is really in your own hands. Essilor has not been so great at keeping good talent here.” —Current employee
“Pros: Profitable company as it is pretty much a leader in the lens manufacturing industry; good roles and growth in marketing department (only). Cons: IT, finance, accounting and operations teams are filled with good ol’ boys at the Senior and Middle Management levels; it is hard for newcomers to grow and become a successful part of the company as the management is suspicious of anyone outside their club.” —Former employee
