Johnson & Johnson Reviews

Pros

The pay was very good and the amount of independence was remarkable.

Cons

I often didn't have work to do.

Advice to Senior Management

Give the interns more work to stop them from being bored.

Pros

-Very Credo-focused
-Generally, performance = compensation
-If you have a great manager (and I did,) it can really lead to personal growth

Cons

-The reality of pharma sales is difficult on a day-to-day basis at times
-When there is a territory realignment, it's done entirely by computer model rather than a real-live person looking at the situation and deciding what will work best.

Pros

Good pay and benefits, particularly pension for those with long tenure. Strong balance sheet.

Cons

Experiences will vary signficantly from location to location as the company is a group of some 200 + operating entities operating under 3 divisions. Gold plated balance sheet and tripple A rated bonds means the company is unlikely to encounter major financial troubles in the short to medium term. I would have no reservations purchasing their short or intermediated term bonds or even stock (pays good divident) but as a company to work for it is a totally diffrent matter. They pay well above market because they have to to keep people. Work environment is very high pressure for techical people because these departments are controlled by Marketing and they do not understand what it takes to organically develop a culture of techical innovation and growth. Impossibly short time lines for product design and testing are the norm and if there is a slip, jobs are at risk. Employees there understand this so they will cut corners and find creative ways to rationalize poor technical plans and decisions to meet time like. This is fundamentally a marketing controlled company with their biggest asset being their brand. I predict in the next 10 years, this company will become more of a brand label like Westinghouse or RCA, where their power comes from licensing the brand to other less known names. There is very little I saw internally that leads me to believe in organic internal growth. Acquisitons and divestures are an every day event with layoffs happening nearly all the time. The department I worked in, people were routinely getting sick with ulcers and other GI troubles due to work stress. Management has a very snoby attitude to employees. It is do as they tell you now or you will be out in the next round of layoffs which seems to always be less than 1 year away. There is a strong push to promote women into management and I have seen many who are technically incompentant promoted into such roles as bosses over male employees. Real technical people stay away from this company as a potential employeer.

Advice to Senior Management

Is this a science driven company or a marketing brand company ? Need to clarify your strategy.

Pros

free car, free insurance, great benefits

Cons

cliquish, no personal life, constant mistrust,

Advice to Senior Management

trust in your people, do not belittle, show respect

Pros

The company sells itself and its products well.

Cons

The company values process over execution. They formed a team to find a process for innovation. The process has generated no new products. In the Pharma sector most of the people who are moving up to the Director, Sr. Director and VP level have never developed or advanced a drug into the clinic. In the past year on one drug I support the team has presented to over a dozen oversight committees. The team leader is the guy who tells people what management likes but has little insight into the process of drug development.

Advice to Senior Management

Reading Steve Jobs biography on why companies fail I see JNJ Pharma. Innovation and quality of the product have become less important. The company values the salesman and marketing because they’re the ones who generate revenues. So MBAs are put in charge and research and development scientists are let go, their compensation reduced their offices taken away and they are sent to the cube farm. Their efforts are not valued.

Pros

Johnson & Johnson has a tremendous history. The company is guided by a Credo which has served it very well for many decades.

Cons

The company has strayed from its Credo in recent years. Exectations on middle management is opressive. Benefits were previously very good but have been dramatically cut over the past several years.

Advice to Senior Management

Please read and apply the Credo. If you find that you are not aligned to the credo then other companies would be a better fit for you. This company was great becasue it had a core belief that it used to guide it.

Pros

Good company to learn and develop new skills, good benefits. open door environment, customer oriented company, always looking for ways to growth.

Cons

Fast paced that sometimes overlook the big picture and future

Advice to Senior Management

More coaching and development

Pros

- Really awesome people
- Relax environment, but everyone still gets the job done

Cons

- It's hard to do things outside of your role.

Advice to Senior Management

- Nothing! You're doing great!

Pros

good cross sector / industry rotation opportunities

Cons

some HR practices somewhat unstructured

Pros

- Down to earth but highly motivated people
- Good work culture, a corporate credo to bond all employees
- Reasonable compensation particularly at senior levels; good pension
- Important and leading role within the healthcare business

Cons

- Challenging organizational structure
- Accountability can sometimes be weak
- Difficult to be recognized in the crowd
- Career advancement and growth can be slow at junior levels