Eli Lilly – “A great place to work.”

Pros

Senior Management recognizes the challenges employees face because of media scrutiny and criticism of the industry. They provide tools to help employees understand and deal with this.
Additionally, the pay is exceptional and the working hours are reasonable. Time off is not only allowed but expected for doctor's appointments, sick children and illness of older family members. Vacations are encouraged and employees are allowed to enjoy their vacation without concerns over what may happen in the office. In addition to vacation time, company holidays include 2 days at Thanksgiving and the entire week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Employees are given one week extra off when they get married, and start maternity leave 1 month prior to their due date. Maternity leave last 3 months after the delivery and the employee receives full pay for this time.

Cons

The future is uncertain. Lilly plans to become a "FipNet" and to outsource many of its services. The stated goal is to return to the core business of research and development. However, many research and development jobs have already been outsourced, so one never knows where one is safe. There is also constant change. The company has adopted "six sigma" and has initiated and implemented many (probably thousands) of projects to improve productivity and efficiency. Many of these projects do just the opposite, and they get in the way of real work when they are being researched. These many changes occur independent of each other and usually result in conflicting policies and/or procedures. Many seasoned employees are unfamiliar with their current job requirements as a result of this constant change. Leadership remains committed to six sigma and it is extremely dangerous to one's career to make a negative remark about six sigma.

Advice to Senior Management

Rethink six sigma. Make the details of the FipNet strategy more clear. What jobs will be outsourced and when? We know this is all already planned, please just tell us. This will help employees make decisions about where to work, both internally and externally.