Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Case 27 - Nestle

 Reflecting on my personal encounter with Nestle Philippines:

In the year 2000, shortly after earning my engineering degree, I applied for a cadet engineer position at the Nestle Manufacturing Plant located in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. Nestle held a prominent status in the Philippines, and the prospect of working for this company was highly regarded.

Conveniently, the Nestle Manufacturing Plant was just 15 kilometres away from my residence in Laguna, making it a practical choice for employment. However, during the initial interview stages, the HR representative requested that I visit their head office, which was situated approximately 35 kilometres away. Fortunately, I progressed successfully through the initial interview and received an invitation for the final interview at the manufacturing plant.

To my surprise, the process required me to first visit the head office, after which a shuttle van would transport me to the manufacturing plant. I adhered to the schedule, arriving at the head office at 7 AM, where I boarded a shuttle van with heavily tinted windows bound for the manufacturing plant. As we reached the entrance gate of the manufacturing plant, our van encountered striking Nestle workers, who surrounded our vehicle and attempted to peer through the tinted windows. I overheard one of the workers ominously say, "I know where you live!"

Naturally, fear gripped me at that moment, and I conveyed my concerns to the individual conducting the interview. Regrettably, my apprehensions were met with indifference, signalling a red flag for me.

During the interview, I was presented with a standard behavioural question. I was asked how I would handle a situation where a fellow employee was underperforming while I maintained a proactive and independent work style, despite both of us receiving the same salary. I replied by expressing that it was not my responsibility to scrutinize the performance of other employees. Instead, my focus was on my personal development and work ethic. If a colleague's performance issues were evident, it should be the duty of the supervisor to address and rectify them.

I received an offer following the interview, but ultimately, I decided not to pursue employment with Nestle.

 

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