3M leadership, listen up. You’ve let go most of the experienced, knowledgeable employees who built this company, stripping away decades of institutional know-how. You’re bringing in outsiders for top leadership roles while longtime insiders get pushed aside. And “Everyday Excellence” looks a lot like a system designed to weed out the overworked people still carrying the load after all the layoffs. On top of that, the new CEO is sitting with weak employee approval ratings around 47%.
If you don’t change course quickly, the risks are real and severe. Innovation will dry up without the people who actually know how to create and solve tough problems. Top talent will keep walking out the door, leaving a hollow operation behind. Quality will slip, mistakes will multiply, and liabilities will grow even worse. Culture and morale are already tanking, which ki-ls execution. Competitors who keep their edge will start eating your lunch in key markets. Short-term margins might look fine for now, but the long-term damage to performance, reputation, and shareholder value will be brutal.
Time to stop the bleeding. Respect the experience that built 3M, fix the disconnect with your people, and make real changes before it’s too late.
23 replies (most recent on top)
@he Why didn't you leave?
No different than an abusive relationship, I suppose.
If in IT you will work nights and weekends consistently. In the night, in the dark..the days will blend together and you will no longer know peace.
Did BB not trust his current HR bench of SVPs? And went to hire an external VP to become chief HRO?
It’s too late, it’s more about just knowing when it’s your time to leave because your boss is a “yes sir/ma’am” and you’re stuck handling all the work for mid-performing employees or addressing consultant inquiries . I had to laugh seeing a German bootlicker recently touting a “15% culture” lecture they did about a non-existent actual program, and had to laugh at the pathetic nature of their pride.
Let’s not forget McNerny starting the already failed Welch GE playbook inside 3M, leaving his mean little minions and toxic environment behind when he left to build airplanes that fall out of the sky.
This is cunning
@ew have you noticed how many of our executive external hires are former GE employees? Following the GE playbook really started with Monish. Did you see the two new external hires announcements today? The HR woman worked with Monish previously and the guy is yet ANOTHER former GE’er.
How many percent of BB executive team are externally hired?
Lets welcome the new Chief HRO and Chief IDO from exterall. BB has a full team again
@he dude I have coming to 30 years with this great company and have nothing to show too. Just a normal manager in a factory. The SVPs and VPs visiting are at least 10 years younger. LOL.
@kc there was this BT deployment director who was very proud of the SAP pins that he collected everytime it goes live. And he always shows off the pins at the SAP meetings. Must be collectibles now.
@he Sounds a lot like what many of us went through with the SAP rollout. Never had I ever seen such a debacle in over two decades of working. Plus, waaaay over the top spending on everything... consultants, agencies, posters, etc. etc. and for what?
I saw what the stress of all that did to my colleagues and myself after being constantly pushed beyond what’s reasonable. Oh, but I did get a little pin that tells me I was part of something big so that must make it all OK.
My experience in 3M was defined by one thing: I was exploited. I didn’t just do extra work — I did the work of three people, every single day, and the company was perfectly content to let me break myself to keep everything running. I carried the place on my back, and instead of support, I got indifference. Instead of recognition, I got silence. Instead of fairness, I got treated like I was replaceable.
I kept entire operations functioning on my own. I solved problems nobody else could solve. I trained people, covered gaps, and held the line when everything around me was falling apart. And the truth is simple: the company leaned on me because they knew I’d get it done, not because they respected me.
Promises were changed. Agreements were cut down. Decisions were made behind my back. I was expected to swallow it all and keep performing at a level that would break most people. The message I got was loud and clear: your effort is ours to use, but your wellbeing doesn’t matter.
The emotional toll was massive. I was exhausted, stressed, and constantly pushed beyond what’s reasonable. I wasn’t treated like a valued employee — I was treated like a stop‑gap machine expected to run without rest. And when I finally stepped away, suddenly everyone realised how much I’d been carrying. Suddenly the praise appeared. Suddenly the gaps were obvious. That’s not appreciation — that’s regret disguised as recognition.
This feedback isn’t about being dramatic or bitter. It’s about stating the truth:
I was overworked, undervalued, and badly treated.
I delivered far more than my role required, and the company gave far less than basic respect in return.
If 3M expects someone to carry that level of responsibility, they need to treat them with honesty, fairness, and appreciation while they’re there, not after they’ve already walked out the door.
Too late for that message! Sounds about right 3-5 years ago!
I am working for one of the large plants and i can say that the internal morale of the workers are super low. Most people are not engaged and dont really bother what the leadership says. Especially the non-local plant director who dont mix with the general. Recipe for failure
Beautifully said!
Books will be written about the downfall of 3M. What was once the Apple/Google/Tesla of the world is now just a shell of what once was. The new leadership seems more or less here to shut 'er down. On a related note, check out the book 'Lights Out' about what happened to GE. Seems a similar playbook is being used here at 3M.
Speaking of which, anyone remember the slides former CEOs used to flash up that read "our playbook is working," and all they showed was random beakers and maybe a chess piece or two? Yep, that about sums it all up...no direction, non-sensical madness. And did the tipped-over beakers signify a growing problem with chemicals??
The people with the most institutional knowledge and expertise already have left. Either they were older and got booted in one of the many rounds of layoffs in recent years (because they were costing the company too much in wages and benefits), or they saw the writing on the wall, knew their value, and voluntarily left for better opportunities.
The people who remain are the ones who have retired-in-place, who are doing the bare minimum to collect a paycheck, or who know they lack the skills or motiviation to find a "better" job somewhere else.
To 3M leadership, honor means doing what their leaders tell them to do. Morality means nothing when there are promotions and money to be made. Money has become their God. You are asking for virtuous behavior by people who have no souls. We all know and see the long term outcome. 3M is a zombie company, beyond saving. Focus your time on family, friends and relationships. Do not let 3M zombie own you.
Truthfully nobody cares anymore.
Well at least the cafeteria has free ice cream on Thursday afternoons.
Some of us pushed out for doing exemplary work feel the pain. We also feel that new leaders feel insecure to converse with us and instead toss us out to put ‘yes’ people around themselves.
Haha you are dreaming. It is already out of control. You are managing nothing anymore.
Well. Dont worry. We have the quarterly conversations and employee pulse survey. And there is employee recognition of Everyday Win points.