Abbott Labs Reviews in North Chicago, IL

Pros

Great benefits and very happy employees. Abbott treats its employees very well and there is fairly frequent communications throughout the company keeping people aware of business issues.

Cons

Very specific nature of work and there is a risk of being siloed within a department. Not much exposure beyond one function.

Advice to Senior Management

Improve transparency across the entire business and increase communication from senior management. Focus on culture and improving the way employees interact across divisions.

Pros

This is a family friendly company.

Cons

Promotions are few and far between.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide leadership.

Pros

The benefits and pay for managers is outstanding. The work is rewarding and you can develop lasting skills that are transferable.

Cons

Senior Management is all in for their own careers if you get in the way you are eliminated. They are not interested in anything but making themselves look good

Advice to Senior Management

They should take a long look at some of the senior management and determine if this is what they want the face of Abbott to be.

Pros

Best benefits I've ever had.
Science and learning are a focus.
Good culture / good people to work with i.e. very intelligent.
I learn something new everyday.
Opportunity for professional development.

Cons

North Chicago
High pressure / fast paced i.e. not a place for the lazy.

Advice to Senior Management

Pass out a few more compliments when people have done a good job. If all people hear are the negatives, it's easy to lose motivation... A simple "thank you" or "good job" go a long way to improve spirits. Those who are encouraged will work harder and take more pride / ownership in their work

Pros

This is related only to IT field: Many different projects.

Cons

This is related only to IT field: many of the employees who have been there for a while do not seem to be up -to-date with the latest trends, best practices and related education, which makes it difficult to complete projects to the best interest of the clients. IT overall could be more sofisticated and helpful over there.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote best practices and world class practices in IT.

Pros

Don't have to work long hours at all.
the people there are have some fun parties. And it's usually a good time when it's winter. Most of the people there are interesting and have some great skills. As an engineer I got to meet a lot of the more blue collar workers. they were wonderful! They were just great mid-west people who offered advice to me on everything from my car to my computer. there is also a pension that might be going away. so think about that. But really, the people were the best reason to stay. unfortunately, they were sad all the time.

Cons

Job satisfaction. Dealing with a budget.
Abbott does not develop their people very well. Most loyal employees have been there a long time and are still doing the same work. They really should take more advantage of the smart blue collar workers there too. Not just the analysts or engineers. If they moved around more of the blue collar workers, they could really develop them to be top notch workers. I also think it would keep them from getting either too bored or too "comfortable" with their job. A lot of people there were doing the exact same thing they were doing 10 years ago. that was SUPER scary for a young professional.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on developing your people.

Pros

There are many opportunities to move around if you want them. If you don't want to move around Abbott accepts that as well. Abbott's size is bot a good and a bad point -- as with every large company. My division has some great data warehouse tools available.

Cons

The IT support stinks, and the company is many times slow to communicate and act -- as most big companies are. If you let it Abbott will take over your life. Too many accountants creating unnecessary red tape. If we spent less time tracking money between departments we could eliminate half our accountants.

Advice to Senior Management

I wonder if we are not outsourcing to much and moving to much overseas. We need to ramp up our R&D spending.

Pros

A good place to start off your (science or engineering) career in R&D.

Cons

Once you are in, as always good work can help you grow, but not without your top management's blessings. Perceptions seem to matter a lot, and sometimes, that perception originates from your boss or their boss. Once you have been identified as being in the lower bracket, the system is set up such that the top management folks personally start scrutinizing your activities in a way designed to destroy your remaining confidence, and not help come out of it.

Advice to Senior Management

More transparency would certainly help.

Pros

Opportunities to change course in your career. A large, diverse company that is willing to let employees move into different positions. Benefits are generous. Recent efforts to boost work-life balance are great.

Cons

On the science side, many of the managers are great scientists given promotions solely boost their salaries into acceptable ranges. This means many of these people lack management skills.
The HR department is sub-standard. Difficult to deal with HR in manager-employee disputes or internal job search. They tell you don't meet job qualifications and then 3 months later you find out someone even less qualified was given the job.

Advice to Senior Management

If senior scientists need better pay then give it to them. Promoting them to management positons to achieve a proper salary range is counter productive.

Pros

Some place to experience a very large and dysfunctional corporation. The company has remained profitable, but, has done so as it continues to 'off-shore' good paying jobs at all levels of the corporation. The CEO has routinely placed amoung the highest paid of his peers in Big Pharma. If, you are a young, female college graduate, then the company is actively filling its quota system with your gender. The company financially is managed very well. Just don't let employees stand in the way of meeting the next quarter's dividends.

Cons

The corporate culture is one of total myopathy. The company breeds management to believe they are the brightest, most stellar managers in their industry. They are not.The management seeks no one's opinion but their own.The corporation does not have an effective vision and its long term strategy is best summed up by sending jobs off shore ASAP.

Advice to Senior Management

Quit.