Baaaaaah for your sheep herder - Business Operations Specialist McMaster-Carr Employee Review

2.0
Jun 17, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay+ bonus was very cozy. Benefits were 100% taken care of. Introductory vacation time allowed was generous.

Cons

Baaaaah. Where do I start? If you work here and you are not in management, you're a mindless sheep. Your thoughts don't matter and you live in fear. New managers literally couldn't do my job for the first 6-8 months I was there yet decided my fate. While I'll point out I wasn't a 5 star employee, I want to acknowledge the morale of that place was awful. I saw no reason to go 100% because McMaster operates on nothing but negative feedback. I was literally warned by a trainer in my first few months to just go with the flow and question nothing because questioning the operation is the easiest way to get canned. After a year of being talked down to and having my spirit stomped in, I quit. Only giving them 2 stars because that salary is a game changer if handled properly in the short term you'll be there. Mostly likely you'll quit too, good luck though =).

Explore other reviews about McMaster-Carr

5.0
Jul 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent people, great opportunities internally and externally to learn. Met some of my best friends there.

Cons

Can be stressful, long hours, and of course at times competitive.

4.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Pay/benefits are incredibly generous - People are generally easy/nice to work with - Note that the Systems department seems to be fairly isolated from the negative issues discussed in other reviews (e.g. tension between warehouse workers and management) - I haven't experienced any of those issues within the systems department. In my opinion, Systems is a great place to work and develop as an engineer. - Hybrid work style (3 days in office). Personally, I like hybrid more than both fully in-office and fully remote styles. - Great cafeteria with good food and cheap prices. - Good work/life balance (outside of being on call, I can leave work at work).

Cons

- Work is not super interesting to me. I come from a highly technical, but very different (not ecommerce/industrial supplies), background where I was doing work I was much more interested in. No doubt there are folks in Systems who love the domain though. - While I'm not on call a ton (1-2 weeks every few months), I really hate being on call. I like to leave work at work. Note that joining at least one reliability team is expected within your first year or so.

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