Alcon Research Reviews

Pros

good people and good outlook for the business

Cons

rapid growth + not enough resources = lots of work

Advice to Senior Management

need some more resources to suppor the growth

Pros

As an initial job, a very good place to obtain training and experiences from. Lot of good people are still there.

Cons

As time goes on, reality sets in and realize that the upper management does not care about its employees. Few bad eggs up at the top just ruins the whole place.

Pros

The interest in making a quality product.

Cons

Lack of upward mobility and advancement.

Pros

The benefits and pay are the best in the area.

Cons

Low resources and having available resources is slowly killing moral and the ability to get things done.

Advice to Senior Management

Separate R&D from manufacturing. At least see how much R&D are costing the facility...this may show you how to help our bottom line.

Pros

There are many contracting positions avilable with usually someone referring others to the company. The company does treat contractors as well as the employess the same.

Cons

Alcon seems to select candidates by similar backgrounds and culture, not based on skills. I did not see a lot of IT standards or best practices on my project. Also, the location is far away from most technical positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Be careful of Alcon becoming a contractor company with no long term employees.

Pros

Being able to interact with many nationalities one wouldn't usually have the time to do such.

Cons

Human Resource department does not support the Supervisors; employees recieve more respect than there Supervisors.

Pros

Benifits!!! Beautiful place to work. In these tough times you cannot go wrong.

Cons

A lot of people talk about how good the pay and benifit are and then grip about the job. In these times if is hard to find a good job and many people would kill to have your job. Every job isnt a lot of fun sometimes. Thank God you have a good job with good benifits and pay and live a little. Here you can still have time for family and a life while paying your bills.

Advice to Senior Management

Management should always communicate with those at the bottom of the chain and managers should always be review by those who work for them. This will keep Alcon great.

Pros

Alcon treats their employees very well. Their quality control is top notch and they are always finding new ways to improve their product quality and operations.

Cons

There is sometimes conflict among the different departments within Alcon. Each department (Quality, Operations, R&D, Facilities, and Warehouse) do cooperate with each other at times, which leads to delay of product changes, release, etc.

Advice to Senior Management

The management is top notch, however, the company can improve by being more cohesive among the different departments. Although it is important to meet the department goals set by headquarters, it is ultimately the customers' needs that the company has to meet.

Pros

Good Benefits
No work timings
Business casual attire
Friendly work environment
Strong company goal
Company store with discounted items(Nestle + Alcon products)

Cons

Good work is hardly / ever appreciated
Employee reviews are usually not taken or honored
Parking is a mess these days

Advice to Senior Management

Start listening to the employees as so many of them are frustrated.
With Novartis - Alcon merger, Many of the employees are scared.

Pros

They have great benefits and a decent starting pay
A job you can be proud of and know that you are helping a lot of people in the long run
Nice co workers for the most part

Cons

Raises are awful. The politics within the company are harsh and unreasonable.
Unreasonably strict with days off (ie if you are out of pto time, and your sibling passes away, if you need to miss any work for it, you will be fired-no exceptions)
The training program is sadly a joke.
No room for growing withing the company
In some departments there is way to much mandatory over time. Sometimes working 7 days a week. Most often 6 days a week for many months to years. No time for family or any life outside of work.

Advice to Senior Management

Get your act together. You have to remember that the people working beneath you are still people. Also you could take employees advice and apply it more often. Alcon is supposed to be a "family" act like it.