Pros
Disciplined, well run company with good business strategies. There is a reason BASF has outpaced their competitors in the diversified chemicals segment. There are lots of opportunities, the company pays well, and the company is large enough that you can move around if your career dead ends in one place or under a specific person
Cons
Leadership spends way too much time on PC initiatives, and is gradually defocusing from the core functions of each individual employee. Current job interview typically focuses on people skills, rather than the core skills critical to the job. This has resulted in some underqualified hires "sneaking thru" with regards to their ability to do their job. The fiscal conservative approach of the company is extremely frustrating if you are one of the "have nots" groups rather than the "haves." Many facilities/bldgs. are in poor shape unless you are with the "haves." This policy WILL impact your ability to do your job if you are in a "have not" area. Company has eliminated (but HR denies it) promotions in place / technical track promotions. Only way to get promotions is through changing jobs, which is a real problem at some of the smaller sites (some of the positions don't have a logical next step at the same site) if you are not open to moving every 2-5 years (work/life balance). It also impacts areas where expert knowledge is critical. R&D would be one obvious example. Cap on FTEs in NAFTA combined with site benchmarking in last couple years has bred discontent because countless positions weren't being filled and mgmt. was forced to choose which positions were important and which were not. Understaffing in many areas has been a subsequent problem.