Genentech Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Genentech

Pros – Good, smart, knowledgeable people. Interesting work, improving patient lives. Great salary, competitive benefits. Solid communication. Overall a very good company to work for.

Cons – The company is still integrating work and systems from the Roche merger, creating some confusion and overlap. The highest growth in the San Francisco area is probably over.

Advice to Senior Management – None.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Location in California in relation to major city, good universities and academic locations, many products in pipeline as well as on the market, Good people still work here for now, Corporate history as the birth of biotechnology

Cons – Corporate politics have split company into competing factions with different priorities that increase inefficiencies and drug development timelines/costs, maintain divisions between Roche and GNE, and increase bureaucratic processes instead of focusing on medicine and patients. Too many changes based on cost-cutting leading to 'brain-drain' of excellent people, some of these changes unnecessary such as change in cafeteria vendor so food is now awful. Other necessary changes still have not occurred including one email or calendar client or other software to minimize system errors and inefficiencies. Can't trust management to keep to promises or be transparent on decision-making, increase in management layers have increased the number of people focused on politics rather than science & who create barriers for the people beneath them doing the work to develop medicine. Unfairness in promotions have increased as middle management gather supporters around them in a time of flux. People in the same department still have not integrated titles so Roche employees' may be reporting to GNE people with a lower title or have been mapped to a much lower level than justified. Unfairness in compensation also as bonuses are also scheduled to match Roche's to be much lower for GNE employees but salaries will not be raised to match Roche's so GNE employees will have lower compensation overall than Roche counterparts. Lots more changes still to come make this an awful company to work for in the next few years.

Advice to Senior Management – Streamline the reporting structure so gRED and pRED are accountable to pMED or at least the same people to stop the infighting and pissing contests. Get rid of the layer of middle management that aren't doing the work and empower the lowest levels to make best decisions for the projects.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Cutting edge research, great science and great people. Great benefits.

Cons – slow growth, competitive, too large an organization.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Flexibility, large SSF Campus, people, compensation, casual

Cons – work politics, demanding, fast pace

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Great base pay and bonus. Company car and great health benefits.

Cons – Company seems a bit disorganized.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Advancement opportunities abound. Supply chain accumen is well appreciated.

Cons – Dwindling benefits and loss of original corporate culture folowibg acquisition by Roche.

Advice to Senior Management – Work harder to preserve small company feel.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Genentech

Pros – Good salary and benefits and interesting people to work with.

Cons – Kiss up, kick down culture is not much fun.

Advice to Senior Management – A little more humility and focus on rewarding the workers that actually deliver on making drugs that help patients. The best employees are the ones who have options and they will leave if not rewarded. Those that remain will by default be mostly the mediocre favorites that got the promotions and in the end the company will also be mediocre.

Former Employee – worked at Genentech

Pros – Great pay
Great benefits
Great incentives
Great training

Cons – Fairness in promotions needs to be revamped
Line managers need additional training
Internal and External communication needs to be revamped

Advice to Senior Management – More training around fairness and promotions

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Genentech

Pros – Great benefits, very smart people, great environment to thrive.

Cons – Too much ego at times gets in the way of productivity and team building. Basis for career advancement/promotions are too rigorous. Such pressures build an environment for dishonesty.

Advice to Senior Management – Scientific managers should take their leadership role seriously and held accountable for their team.

Former Employee – worked at Genentech

Pros – Technically stimulating, big spenders though not necessarily on salaries, very nice location on shoreline, big-time scientists and thinkers, sweet bonuses, company-provided shuttle service from most Bay Area cities.

Cons – Meetings overkill, over-emphasis on PhD as an indicator for competency, out-of-control spending on food and events produces too much waste, middle-managers are technically superior but often lacking in soft-skills and years of true managerial experience, recognition often based on conference-room capability rather than on-the-job capability and delivery of results, Executive level and HR focused on protection of company reputation over employee protection, need to stop blaming Roche for everything gone wrong considering there are still many Genentech executives and directors holding their jobs, post merger.

Advice to Senior Management – Stop hanging on to the 'good old days' and progress to the modern day to which Roche has opened the blinds. Diversity has become a catch-phrase or slogan, and a review of the Human Relations files is a great place to start toward figuring out what the company truly needs to do in order to live up to its reputation. The company has been receiving some undeserved accolades, at least, where diversity is concerned. It is easy to love Genentech, but it is now also very easy to dislike Genentech.