Great Brand Name, but a Toxic, Bureaucratic Culture - Anonymous employee John Deere Employee Review

Toxic Politics & Bureaucracy: The culture is heavily gatekept by middle and upper management. Decisions are rarely merit-based; navigating internal politics and being in the "right circle" matters far more than actual performance or data-driven results. Meaning: promotion and inclusion are entirely driven by a clear cultural bias. If you aren't part of the dominant cliques (specifically white Christian male, or the major Chinese and Indian networks) you will find yourself hitting an invisible ceiling. Job Insecurity & Transactional Environment: Recent years have completely destroyed the "family/career-for-life" culture. Mass layoffs and sudden reorganizations have left remaining staff feeling undervalued and constantly waiting for the next axe to fall. It has shifted from a place of passion to a strictly transactional, high-anxiety environment. This also established a "hush" culture, that you cannot speak out on literally anything, or you cannot criticize anything or let alone even ask questions about the future. Stagnant Career Progression: Moving up the ladder is incredibly slow and arbitrary. Leadership tends to favor strict hierarchy over agility, making it frustratingly difficult to innovate or introduce modern workflows without endless red tape. Lack of Leadership Accountability: Problems are routinely passed down to lower-level staff to deal with, while senior management remains isolated from the day-to-day realities and frustrations of their teams. Worked there for years and NOT once seen them taken any accountability but they all act like public servants.