Allergan Reviews

Pros

Compensation package
Easy work to do

Cons

Not challenging

Too slow processes

Averssion to risk

Advice to Senior Management

Accountability to individuals
Tougher reviews of employees
More attention to sales forces
Speed up decission making process
Encourage risk taking behaviour
Promote mobility of position

Pros

In general, not a bad place to work. Great location, strong company culture, and competitive benefits....see previous reviews.

Cons

Highly bureaucratic system slows collaboration and processes. Current systems somewhat outdated. Poorly implemented processes. Work environment varies between departments.

Advice to Senior Management

Create more efficient processes.

Pros

Good mix of commercial products and R&D pipeline. Well known products. Nice campus in great location. Some really great, hardworking employees.

Cons

People are either overworked or lazy; no balance. Very old school in policies and seems to be moving backwards. A lot of bureaucracy and it seems like they are adding more layers.

Advice to Senior Management

Value your employees. HR policies should allow talented, hardworking people to grow and develop in the company. Even if you don't offer promotions and raises, at least motivate employees with better "benefits" - flex time, telecommuting, etc.

Pros

Only one round of interviews, but met with 4-6 people. Good questions asked and met with all potential team members and hiring managers. Be prepared for thorough questioning.

Cons

Takes FOREVER to hear about whether or not you have the job. By the time I was ready to take another position, Allergan finally got back to me. Three weeks after I interviewed I heard back from them. I'm disappointed that they have cut back on the benefits since I started and even more disappointed that they don't keep the benefits offerings competitive and updated against other Pharma companies.

Advice to Senior Management

UPDATE the benefits package and offer employees a chance to interview for other internal positions rather than keeping them in just one place.

Pros

Most of the employees at Allergan are dedicated and professional.

Cons

Allergan does not keep up with the latest technology. Information silos prevent efficient collaboration. Allergan lacks a process improvement strategy.

Advice to Senior Management

Get more feedback from the rank and file.

Pros

Outstanding professional and consumer marketing colleagues - this is a sales and marketing company. Problem is that you need good products and there is little coming out of the pipeline to sell. If you are an r&d person who likes to play around but not be held accountable for results, this is a good place for you.

Cons

Highly political organization where executive team is clueless about what is happening below them; very secretive environment - your team could be doing an outstanding job and getting kudos everyday and then you find out that you are being restructured without any prior warning that this was even being discussed. And you get no opportunity to weigh in on the decision made for you. Exec committee members constantly fight over turf rather than collaborate. Customers complain about the service provided and this poor customer service is also reflected in how employees are treated - no respect, be lucky you have a job, no one asked for your opinion. The only concern is how they are viewed by Wall Street -- not much future-oriented thinking going on.

Advice to Senior Management

Everyone is afraid to tell the emperor(s) that he/they have no clothes.

Pros

Allergan is an Innovative company with a strong pipeline for new products and strong profits. The Irvine location is a lushly landscaped campus with a cafeteria and a concierge. You can attend many company-sponsored events on campus such as health fairs, a holiday boutique and summer and holiday parties. The benefits including health, vision, dental and time off are top notch.

Cons

There is often a lack of communication where things are learned from another department. Written procedures are not favored but they are slowly coming into play. The company relies on the "tried and true" method and is slow to adopt new processes. Since many people have been there long term, you will often hear "this is how we have done this in the past." This is especially troublesome for new employees who would like guidance and processes.

Advice to Senior Management

Comuunicate more, especially regarding issues that directly affect that person/group

Pros

This company is a leader in field with clever financial leadership and successful stock performance. Since employee benefits are tied to this, it's worth mentioning. The campus is in a good neighborhood and is a pleasing physical environment. Allergan is also the pharmaceutical big fish in the small pond of Orange County, a consideration if geography is a factor in your selection of employer. Allergan alumni are leaders and contributors in related smaller companies in OC, including the dominant medical device field.

Cons

It's a large organization with specialized functions for associates. This has resulted in limited career opportunities for advancement within the organization for most.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work.

Pros

Culture encourages teamwork, pleasant coworkers, my management treats all employees with respect, management supports the teams very well when technical questions arise and is often willing to do some of the day to day tasks themselves when circumstances dictate

Cons

Poorly defined processes, no training and no clear career path, too high expectations for the job level you are performing (people are overqualfied for their positions), company does not empower employees, some senior management are only interested in pointing fingers when something goes wrong and not problem solving

Advice to Senior Management

Empower employees to make decisions, don't treat every decision as if it is risky

Pros

The company is great for references and future jobs due to its great reputation in pharmaceuticals. The Irvine campus is absolutely beautiful including softball fields, par course, basketball and tennis courts, and a soccer field. Most of the people that work there really take pride in their company and you get to know many people across the company. You always feel at home at Allergan and that is one of the best parts. Even now that I have moved on from Allergan I still run into people that I knew there out in the industry, and we all have that common thread.

Cons

Allergan is a small company trying to make the move into a big pharma company. The downsides to this are disorganization and misinformation. A lot of the time big organizational decisions are made with little information given to employees. By the time it filters down to employees in the form of rumors, other decisions have been made that negate those original decisions and it causes apprehension for no reason.

Very strong corporate culture, alot of the time you'll hear justification for decisions be simply "well, it's the Allergan way!"

Also, Allergan does not necessarily support horizontal department changes. You may apply for a job in another department and have it secretly blocked by the management in your department who does not want to lose you.

Advice to Senior Management

Please work on open and honest communication with employees. Work to make sure that employees are challeneged and rewarded accordingly. When making the transition to a big pharma company, help employees to let go of the idea that the Allergan way is the only way...