Sherwin-Williams

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"To be fair, most of the overt sexism that female employees face at S-W comes from customers, and the company can't necessarily help that. It is unfortunately inevitable that any woman in a position dealing with the public will receive unwanted attention from customers, but when your customer base is mostly made up of the male-dominated field of painters, it is a much worse problem. While there are HR videos and official policies about supporting employees who feel they're being sexually harassed by customers, those ideas are not typically implemented. If you mention that a particular customer makes you uncomfortable because he keeps asking you to do stuff with him (everything from just hanging out and getting a nice dinner to getting drunk and doing drugs) even though you say NO each time, some of your male co-workers may roll their eyes at your "sensitivity" and/or ask why you don't take it as a compliment. Don't get me wrong, some of the guys really mean well, but they often don't understand when a line is being crossed because most of them don't know what it's like to be in that kind of situation. Everything is about making the sale in this company, so there isn't very good training and emphasis on standing up to customers who harass employees (it's the flaw in the "The customer is always right" philosophy). Also, you may often have to work alone, and that's when dealing with the creeps gets even creepier. Inappropriate customer attentions can't be eliminated, but it would be a lot better if the company culture was less permissive (for instance, if it was common management practice to gently suggest that a customer leave an employee alone). There is a lot of heavy lifting in this job (even when you're in management), but that's okay as long as you're prepared for that. Sometimes male co-workers may get competitive with how much paint they carry and how fast they move it (and how many five gallon buckets they'll climb on instead of getting a ladder). That can make you feel pressured to try to keep up, but as long as you put a good effort in and keep doing things safely, it'll be okay. A male and female employee using safe practices should be equally productive (obviously it's given that productivity will vary on an individual basis). Beyond the sexual harassment problem, many customers honestly believe that women know less about paint. Some customers will ask for a male employee rather than talk to you about their questions, even when you may be better qualified to answer them. I consider it a victory when some customers ask me their questions, because some guys take a while to trust new employees (and "new" to some of them is anyone who hasn't been in the paint business for 10 or 20 years), but there are some customers who've known me for a couple years now but will ask for the guy who just started last week. Sometimes they try to be subtle or polite about it, but sometimes they blatantly ask for "one of the guys." On the other hand, many customers, both DIY and professional, openly state that they prefer asking female employees about colors. There is a company initiative to hire and promote more female employees. Honestly, though, I sometimes feel that many upper level managers view that as a box to check. Many of the "veteran" employees will tell you that there were virtually no female employees ten to fifteen years ago, and now there is at least one in most stores (still a distinct minority). I think they try to hire as many women as men, at least in the management training program, but I've noticed that among management trainees hired, more women than men have negative experiences and therefore more women than men leave as soon as they can find another job. I know very few women still working for S-W in their 30s, and even fewer with families. I don't have children yet, but I can't imagine trying to work a store manager's hours if I had little ones. The bottom line is this: the initiate to have more female representation in this company will not truly be successful until the environment changes."

"Overall it is a great company to work for if you are willing to work hard and be dedicated. Advancement is becoming easier and they have set up programs of support specifically for women and at least try to put forth helpful support for women with mentors. It gets more cutthroat between other women who work there than with the men. Except with pay. I have worked there 3.5 years and a guy who started 9 months ago makes as much as I do. So there is a struggle with that. They treat women fairly in the aspect of not giving special treatment to them. You are informed of what the job duties are from the start and are expected to be able to do them if you accept that. It's hard work but it's rewarding. They have great benefits even for part timers."

"I worked at Sherwin Williams for 21 yrs. Always tough male district mgrs. Little respect for women. Best way to handle this was to completely ignore it. My saying was "things will get better when pigs fly". Never happened. As the company hired younger and younger managers, it seemed like a qualifications were: male, condescending to women, and just plain rude. The best day in the last 5 yrs on the job was the day I turned in my resignation."

"I've worked here for 3 years and make the rate that interns are hired at. 10.50$ Per hour. Although I am very greatful for my healthcare and 401k benefits, it is definitely a 'boy's club'. Also the harassment from your customers can be a bit overwhelming."