Roche – “Roche Palo Alto - it was good while it lasted”

Pros

Functional management and colleagues are great. I have worked at Roche for several years and have nothing but respect for most of my scientific colleagues. Projects are varied and interesting - plenty of opportunity to do good science. Compensation is only average in comparison to other companies, but benefits are excellent. Work-life balance is good - lots of company support for employee activities and clubs, at least at the Palo Alto site. Palo Alto stands out locally as a "green" business - a matter of pride for many employees.

Cons

Top company management are good bankers, but not particularly at developing new drugs. Of late, frequent reorganizations have made it difficult to advance compounds in the development portfolio. Several compounds discovered in Palo Alto have been outlicensed and are in clinical trials for other companies, which is very frustrating. Organization is bureaucratic. Employee morale in Palo Alto is not good at the moment due to impending site closure.

Advice to Senior Management

Move as quickly as possible on merger with Genentech. Currently, you have chaos at three sites (Palo Alto, Nutley, and South San Francisco). The sooner this is resolved the better.