Abbott Labs – “Not a pleasant place to work”

Pros

Big company with broad product lines. Easy to stay forever by keeping a low profile and warm, fuzzy relationships.

Cons

Lack of patient focus in the medical device area. Very poor interactions and synergies with different units within the company. Has lost its past reputation as a strong scientific innovator. No trust of people, and job security is based on "sucking up" rather than individual contributor performance. Senior management are the same people who just get shuffled around from position to position. Marketing people continuously changing, as they come to realize that most products have poor design and service. The design engineering strengths left with the departed. Too much focus on regulatory compliance, without consideration of doing the right thing for health care.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on the products, not your own income and job security.