Kia is a popular South Korean car manufacturer that partners with Hyundai, the largest Korean car company.
Kia typically produces small and efficient vehicles that focus on high-quality amenities at a fair price, which makes them a strong option for many people.
If you’re interested in a career with this company, such as a salesperson, secretary, engineer, or launch manager, there are many important factors to consider.
Understanding these pros and cons ensures that you make an intelligent employment decision.
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Pros of Working for Kia
If you’re interested in working with Kia, it’s a good idea to know what benefits may be available for you.
Like all companies, Kia provides unique advantages, perks, and amenities that may make it an exciting place to start a career in the auto industry.
The following pros of working for Kia were carefully researched on various job sites and confirmed via reviews from former or current employees.
As a result, this data comes right from workers like you and gives you the insight you need to decide whether this company is right for you.
1. Many Job Opportunities
Kia provides multiple unique career opportunities that may make it a good fit for many people.
Like all car companies, they hire engineers and salespeople to take care of the basic day-to-day operations.
However, they regularly post various positions that you may find engaging.
These include administrative assistants, planners, regional sales managers, launch managers, business managers, operational members, and logistics.
This makes it easy to find a job that fits your needs.
2. Paid Sick Days
When you get sick at Kia, you should be able to take paid time off, according to most online reviews.
About 60% of all reviewers said that they not only got sick days but that they reset every year.
This means that they didn’t lose them between years if they didn’t use them.
The amount of sick leave varied but was typically about two weeks, depending on a person’s illness.
That’s an industry standard and is neither poor nor excellent.
3. Good Health Insurance
Kia’s health insurance package can be described as “decent,” as they cover general health and vision, and dental.
While the package isn’t quite as robust as other manufacturers, it does seem to cover most health issues and help people recover more effectively from sickness.
Most of the reviews online were optimistic about Kia’s health insurance, with about 60% of all reviewers giving them a strong rating.
Negative reviews mainly focused on particular circumstances.
4. Most People Got Leave Days
When checking online reviews, we discovered that Kia provided leave days for at least 50% of all people who replied online.
Now, that was just on one site, as others suggested that up to 70% of all employees received some leave days.
It all depends on a person’s position.
For instance, Kia often employs many people through temp agencies, which means those workers don’t get leave days.
However, those who work directly for Kia do seem to get personal days.
5. Flexible Scheduling
Depending on your position and your needs, Kia often provides very flexible scheduling options that can ensure you quickly meet your job’s demands.
For example, they typically include multiple shifts for their manufacturing team to ensure that they can meet their production goals.
Executives, engineers, and other higher-ups in the company often have more flexible schedules than lower-level employees.
Some even have remote positions that let them live at home.
6. Lots of Work Available
If you like a fast-paced job environment, Kia might be a good option for you.
Most current or former employees stated that there was a lot of work to do and that Kia kept them busy.
Those who enjoyed being constantly on the go found this an invigorating environment.
Those who could keep up with this work even found themselves getting raises and better positions, mainly if they showed dedication to Kia.
7. Promotions May Be Open
Kia’s large number of potential careers means it may be possible to find promotions easily within your field.
This means you may find a better job quickly and efficiently, primarily if you work hard. Most reviewers stated that Kia rewarded hard work fairly, depending on the office.
After all, Kia is a multi-national corporation with many facilities.
Some will have more promotions available than others, with varying levels of management styles.
Cons of Working for Kia
While it’s true that Kia has many happy employees and strong reviews, their typical average review score was about 3.5: far below Hyundai’s 4.
That’s because there are several problems that many former and current employees reported that could make working at Kia a troubling option.
These issues include problems with compensation, extensively long hours, and some complaints about benefits packages.
If you’re thinking of applying for a job at Kia, make sure you read through these concerns to ensure that you fully understand what you’re getting into here.
1. Unfair Pay
Poor pay was one of the biggest complaints Kia received from current and former workers.
In one survey, just 37% of all people said that they were paid fairly by Kia.
While it’s true that pay surveys like these almost always showcase low happiness levels, it’s concerning.
In more in-depth interviews, people stated that Kia didn’t pay employees well enough based on the work they wanted them to do every day.
This fact showcases a potential issue worth noting.
2. Long Work Hours
Though Kia provides plenty of work in a fast-paced environment, this comes with a downside:
long work hours.
Those who don’t mind working over eight hours a day may not mind this issue.
However, anyone with children or who gets fatigued quickly may struggle with it.
As a result, it’s essential to keep this in mind before applying.
Though long hours were more common in manufacturing settings, they also occurred for engineers just before the release date.
3. Poor Overtime Pay
While working long hours may be acceptable for those people who want overtime, Kia’s policy may not appeal to them.
In a survey on overtime pay, 55% of all respondents said that Kia either had poor overtime pay or lacked overtime pay at all.
Now, all American employees must provide overtime pay for anyone who works over 40 hours in a single week.
So, these responses may be from people in countries where this pay is rarer.
4. Bad Work/Life Balance
The heavy work demands of a typical Kia facility often create a poor work/life balance for many of its employees.
Some people felt that Kia didn’t take their needs seriously or that managers would simply book them for far too many hours and cause significant emotional and physical trauma.
In today’s work world, the idea of burnout has become more prevalent than ever, and more businesses are working hard to avoid this issue.
It seems that some Kia facilities are not following this general trend.
5. Some Workers Didn’t Receive PTO
A handful of employees stated that they received no PTO or paid time off from Kia, which typically varied based on the position.
As previously mentioned, employees working with a temp agency usually don’t receive benefits from Kia due to that setup.
Thankfully, anyone who works directly for Kia seemed to get a decent PTO benefits package.
Unfortunately, some customers stated that many Kia facilities (though not all) rely heavily on temp agencies.
This means PTO may not be available in many regions.
6. Lack of a 401(k) Plan
While some higher-ups and executives may receive a 401(k), many Kia employees reported that one wasn’t even offered to them at all.
That’s surprising considering that Hyundai, their parent company, provides a matching 401(k) option for many of its employees.
Unfortunately, that can make it hard for many people to retire properly.
This lack of a retirement plan is concerning for people who are getting closer to getting out of the work market.
It’s something to take into account if you’re looking for a job that covers you in this way.
7. Questionable Managers
Though many employees praised Kia’s managers, others complained heavily about poor decision-making, questionable behavior, and blatant favoritism from Kia’s managers.
These issues focused on specific dealerships and plants and were by no means applied to every facility.
That makes it essential to research a specific site before applying for a job there.
You may find a great management team at one Kia facility and a poor one at another.
That makes it important to do your research carefully before applying.
14 Pros and Cons of Working for Kia – Summary Table
| Pros of Working for Kia | Cons of Working for Kia |
|---|---|
| 1. Many Job Opportunities | 1. Unfair Pay |
| 2. Paid Sick Days | 2. Long Work Hours |
| 3. Good Health Insurance | 3. Poor Overtime Pay |
| 4. Most People Got Leave Days | 4. Bad Work/Life Balance |
| 5. Flexible Scheduling | 5. Some Workers Didn't Receive PTO |
| 6. Lots of Work Available | 6. Lack of a 401(k) Plan |
| 7. Promotions May Be Open | 7. Questionable Managers |
Should You Work for Kia?
There are some severe complaints against Kia that may make you understandably uncertain about working for them.
However, there are many benefits as well that make them an exciting company to consider.
Their diverse range of jobs and decent benefits packages make them a decent place to start.
However, the concerns listed by employees, including lack of a retirement plan and unpaid overtime, probably make this a good place to leave once you have some experience in this field.
