Great Sonicare products, too much Dutch management from "The Mothership" in Amsterdam - Anonymous employee Philips Employee Review

3.0
Jul 18, 2009
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great product, customers love it, does a great job cleaning teeth. Philips is a global company with many resources to draw on and has high ethical standards and really believes in sustainability and stewardship of the earth. Very good benefits including high match 401K with high salary deferral limits, excellent tuition reimbursement ($10K a year when I was there).

Cons

Unless you are tapped to be in the elite "Hi Potential" talent pool, moving up is very hard. This "Hi-Pot" group is limited to those employees only 40 and under (seems like age discrimination to me). They get special coaching, mentoring and training. Global Philips politics is rough at the higher levels of management. Fundamentally many believe that Philips has too many senior Dutch people in management in Amsterdam with not enough to do other than come up with management improvement initiatives that put a real drag on managers around the world and do little to nothing to help getting work done. The local marketing group was in constant chaos and turmoil during my time. It is a very dysfunctional group and management does not seem interested in fixing it. Many excellent people left frustrated with the management, hiring and promotion of incompetent people and lack of strategic vision. "If you're not Dutch, you're not much" is more than a saying, it's reality.

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5.0
May 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

Very cool company and pros

Cons

Nothing what I can think of

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Philips Response
1mo
Thank you for your review. It’s gratifying to know that you have such a good time in our company. We appreciate your contributions and wish you all the best.
2.0
Jun 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Easy commute if you live north of Seattle/Bellevue - Decent cafeteria - Decent compensation

Cons

- The level of apathy amongst colleagues is off the charts. Many people are simply coasting and collecting a paycheck. When you try to be a team player and pick up the slack, you simply become a target for blame. - Due to the extremely lax "return to office" policy, the office often feels quite empty when there is plenty of work to be done. Being onsite M-F often leads to more work with little support. - There is a culture of public shaming, with several meetings every week dedicated to project leads targeting individuals to make up for their own lack of technical understanding.

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Philips Response
1d
Thank you for sharing your perspective and for your multi-year dedication to our organization. We are pleased to hear that our competitive total rewards, inclusive workplace culture, and focus on flexibility have contributed positively to your employee experience. We acknowledge the feedback regarding organizational dynamics and the impact of structural changes on team sentiment. As we adapt to evolving market demands, we remain focused on change management optimization, enhancing transparent internal communication, and building long-term stability across our business units. We encourage you to reach out to HR or your manager for a discussion regarding your feedback. Once again, we appreciate your continued contributions to the team.
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