Covance Reviews

Pros

Benefits are pretty good.
If you are someones yes "person" you may get somewhere.

Cons

The compelling offer is a farce. You will be used and discarded when convenient.

Advice to Senior Management

Clean house and start over.

Pros

Growth opportunities
Great people
Good exposure to CRO industry
Flexible work environment
Great opportunities if you are willing to work for them

Cons

Difficult processes
Outdated technology
Too few staff members

Advice to Senior Management

Fix processes, update technology, add staff.

Pros

Learn a lot about how to run a clinical trial. For the most part, coworkers on your level are a pleasant experience to work with.

Cons

Well where do I begin? The "Compelling Offer" is a ploy to get you in the door at a decent rate and then they sandbag you with little to no raises once you're in. I've gotten a total of a 6% raise over my initial salary and I've been here over 4 years. Career development is a joke unless you know someone or have pictures of someone. On the Learning and Performance website, the career development tab has been "under construction" since June 2009 when the website was launched. Very siloed approach to how you can move within the organization. Transferring between departments is supposedly endorsed but rarely enacted. I was told by HR that if I wanted to move to clinical, I would have to drop down 3 levels and take a pay cut, sign a letter indicating that I requested it and there would be no guarantee with regards to a timetable to get back to my starting level. Employee Engagement survey in the summer of 2010 indicated very poor results with regards to employee happiness with pay and recognition. Over a year later, there have been no substanial changes. What did we waste the time to take a survey for? Technology, processes and training are outdated and need to be revamped. However, you always run into the "this is how we've always done it" mantra. When processes do get changed, people who've never done the legwork in their life make the decisions with no input from the lower level folks.

Advice to Senior Management

Generally, I think a culture change needs to happen. Given resistance to this concept, I'm not sure anything I say would be taken seriously despite the fact that 2/3 of the respondents to the survey mentioned above agree with me. Laud your turnover rate all you want. If it wasn't for the economy, the turnover rate would be in the 25-35% range instead of 12%.

Pros

It is a good learning experience, if you're wanting to learn the processes of a clinical research unit. and there's free coffee.

Cons

I didn't receive more than a hour or two of training max, whereas in previous jobs training was at least a week or two for each department. The quality of the work is abysmal, and management is severely lacking the proper skills needed to improve the work environment and quality of work turned out.

Advice to Senior Management

Appreciate the good employees that you have, deal with ineptitude and realize that it takes more than a few letters behind your name to lead well. If everyone is complaining about one person, investigate the issue.

Pros

Amazing mission
Many very smart employees
Great learning opportunities

Cons

Limited resources for non-revenue generating departments or needs
Varies by department, but many over extended employees

Advice to Senior Management

Several years ago Covance was experiencing strong growth. The company restructured to become a global organization,. When the economy took a hit in '09, so did Covance. Since that time, business has taken a dive and there have been limits/freezes on travel and other expences as well as multiple layoffs and a site closing in 2010. Like many other organizations, there is a mentality to work harder and longer with less, it's taking a toll. After a recent employee engagement survey, management has started to notice that there are some long awaited changes to make the environment a more positive one. It's not the worst place on the planet to work, but it's a far cry from what it had been.

Pros

Great bennies package and decent time off

Cons

poor pay compared to comprable jobs

Pros

The people are friendly.
The food downstairs is excellent.

Cons

Their schedules are too restrictive. Employees only get 8 minutes of personal time a day, including bathroom breaks. They record everything you do and give you a strict schedule you must adhere by. Using the bathroom works against your schedule and you go off adherence because of it.
Most of the employees are temps who have little room for advancement, have no benefits, and are paid very little, but are stretched beyond their limits.

Advice to Senior Management

Consider more leniency on "personal time." Re-evaluate who is valuable at your company and pay them decent wages.

Pros

GLP experience that looks good on resume
All hard workers

Cons

Long work hours, treated like slaves, dysfunctional leadership-causing high voluntary turnover even if that is not the official reason provided to management

Advice to Senior Management

Build morale and you will retain the good workers, or else company will lose money in the long run due to the turnover rate

Pros

lots of nice people to work with

Cons

the environment is very political
Senior leaders are incompetent and promote people in their own image

Advice to Senior Management

Need for new leaders is evident at senior levels, they have simply been there too long

Pros

Mid size company in a small low cost town located in WI. Schools are good. Town is good. University is good.

Cons

Company is average. They o not care about your educational qualification and promote less qualified people quickly them mre qualified.

Advice to Senior Management

No advice to management as they do not listen to anyone but do what ever they like is right and fits them.