Eli Lilly Reviews

Pros

The people there are good. It is important to know people because if you don't you will never get promoted there.

Cons

It has a "Eli Lilly type". If you don't fit that type and try to do things differently you will never get ahead.

Pros

Support for life issues is overwhelming. Benefits, although cut in recent years, are still better than other large employers within and without the pharmaceutical industry.

Cons

1. Highly political - org talks a big talk on performance, but at the end of the day, performance is not what matters for advancement. Being seen in "the right" meetings is career counseling often rendered, with little deference to ability to deliver solid results.
2. Bureaucratic - too much consensus and too little autonomy. Accountability and Trust are thinly veiled by micromanagement.
3. Organizational values, though clearly defined, are rarely adhered to with particular regard to "Respect For People." Focus on diversity is on the "Big D" and the "little d" is often overlooked or ignored. Feedback is often "white wash" or "vanilla icing". The culture does not embrace open and honest feedback. People are often delivered unbalanced feedback, creating the perception that they are performing at a higher level than is actually the case. This in turn, breeds condescension and a enables more politics.

Advice to Senior Management

The company is technically strong but weak on management (people) skills. This is evidenced by the fact that Fortune Magazine has not placed Eli Lilly on the 100 best places to work list in over 5 years. Managers go to training sessions (Situational Leadersip II), but are not held accountable to deliver results based on that training over a sustained period of time. It is a three day check the box exercise. This is considered "being trained." The organization holds no one responsible for delivering results using the methods of that training. This is consistent with other attributes of leadership and related training.

There are pockets of individuals, both management and individual contributors, who are passionate about, and believe in the value of Transformation. However, they become frustrated by many of the cons cited above. Frank and honest feedback, with the expectation that behavior modification follows, would enable a greater degree of engagement and eventually the critical mass required to bring truly meaningful transformation to the organization.

The organization, and leadership are not self aware. A strong look into the concept of emotional intelligence and defining the behaviors that drive success in transformation, and then modeling them through all levels of the organization, would help immensely.

Pros

Comfortable atmosphere, no-one works too hard, mid-western culture, promotion from within, quality of life of city affordable, no hire and fire culture

Cons

Indianapolis, parochial, right wing, religious conservative, non-diverse, good old boy club, better to look good and say the right things than be good

Advice to Senior Management

Your employees are afraid to tell you the truth because of the "good news" culture of the company where people who tell the truth and dismissed as naysayers.

Pros

The company keeps customers at the forefront. Employees are held in high regard. The pay is above average compared to similar companies.

Cons

The changes in overall healthcare have made the job significantly more difficult. You are only as good as your last quarter. Some of middle management don't really understand what the day in the life of a representative looks like. Major sales losses expected over the next few years as products lose patent protection.

Pros

Education reimbursement, vacation time, onsite daycare, health benefits, parking, credit union, 401K

Cons

decreased work/life balance, poor senior management, slow career development, benefits have greatly decreased over the past 10 years, slow pipeline

Advice to Senior Management

Too many senior management making bad decisions but not held accountable.

Pros

Interesting work, potential to improve a great many peoples lives, encourages professional development, reasonably flexible scheduling, variety of opportunities

Cons

Currently downsizing so workloads can be moderately to extremely heavy. Pharmaceutical industry is in transition so lots of uncertainty about the future

Pros

Values,
Robust strategy / consistent
People focus

Cons

Bureaucracy still there, Transformation not yet completely there

Pros

The employer really does look for the best interests of the employees and tries to do what is right.

Cons

Promotions determined on popularity by managers

Advice to Senior Management

Going in the right direction

Pros

they have good health benefits

Cons

management style does not take in to account performance

Advice to Senior Management

listen to the workforce and offer career opportunities that are commisurate with work performance.
Career development was discussed but not followed.

Pros

good salary for the job
good benefits
exciting work with lots of things that one can do

Cons

promotions are not given to those who deserve them but rather those who smooze with those who give them
changes to the site were not done well. those now in group leader positions should not be there
lack of teamwork.. everyone out for their own careers and not willing to work as a team
backstabbing
little communication in the teams

Advice to Senior Management

stop micromanaging, put some structure back into the groups
build a rapport with those who actually do the work
give recognition and say a job well done