Merck Reviews in Philadelphia, PA Area

Pros

Most employees are smart, hard-working, patient and careful. They have to be, because the hiring process can stretch on for months, selecting for patient, risk-averse people and discouraging the proactive.

Cons

Merck has a very conformist company culture. Anyone who challenges the status quo can expect to be punished with an unfavorable review, no matter how strong their contributions have been. The constant re-orgs have led to a climate of fear and paranoia. Upper management tends to latch onto trendy ideas and implement them poorly. Newly hired executives often lay off their new subordinates, only to hire their former team members who can be expected to be unquestionably loyal. Scientific integrity is dying out.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't tolerate the type of obfuscation from research leaders that led to the Vioxx fiasco. Hold executives accountable for morale in their departments. Use actions, not just empty words, to encourage employee honesty and ethical behavior.

Pros

Good work environment and hours, excellent lab facilities, a nice summer intern program, and very smart people to work with.

Cons

Atmosphere isn't very social, the working site isn't in the most interesting location, and it's difficult to get around without a car.

Advice to Senior Management

I'd say as a whole that the leadership is doing well; the company is currently going through some tough times though so they need to find a way to keep all parts of the company going strong.

Pros

Great benefits
Working with some of the most talented scientists in the industry.
Flexible work arrangements are above industry standard.

Cons

Lack of professional development during integration. "Harmonization" is the most important objective for the company while opportunities for employees to grow is stifled.

Advice to Senior Management

It is going to take a lot of rebuilding after integration is complete (if ever) to replace talent that leave in pursuit of greater development opportunities. Learn from the merger that a pipeline doesn't mean much if you don't have the best people to bring it to market.

Pros

1. Good pay comparing to academics
2. Good packages
3. Know and work for some of the most Intelligent people

Cons

No promotional opportunities if you have less than a Ph.D., other than that, It's about who you know and how good you are in socializing with the upper management, not based on how capable you. Many intelligent people have left the company due to political reasons, or simply recognized as not-so team player.

Advice to Senior Management

1. Why are the upper managements still getting FAT bonus at the end of the year while there are thousands of scientists lost their jobs? For making painful decision of laying off?
2. Hire someone who actually knows research/lab works to do the job
3. Stop putting people from the wrong specialization into wrong boxes (eg. putting someone from vaccine to do HIV work)
4. There is no Merck culture, because the old Merck culture is gone, the only culture is: people just want to keep their jobs, for this, they will do whatever
5. If you want thing to get done true opinions, you should probably communicate directly with people of lower grades (M09-M07), not trying to cascade the information through the onion structure.

Pros

benefits, good salary, chance to work with very smart people

Cons

hard to get promoted, valuable training is rare (other than mundane e-learning courses), work on weekends is the norm, slow to change, negative culture (many people dissatisfied but due to the economy, are sticking around for the paycheck)

Advice to Senior Management

Take more leadership courses. Spend more money on training, less on unnecessary travel. Walk the talk. Talk to employees in the cafeteria at lunch instead of hiding. Let your team take work out of the system without fear that you'll look bad.

Pros

Great pay, great benefits, not all areas are bad, but the bad ones are bad.

Cons

Very disorganized, a culture that is difficult to adapt to and/ or to break, very strenuos. they will pile on more the more the more efficient you are.

Advice to Senior Management

be more proactive instead of always being on the late end of reactive

Pros

Large company with many opportunities

Cons

Corporate culture is very passive aggressive. It is amazing the company is able to get out of its own way and do business

Advice to Senior Management

Change the corporate culture, higer competint managers

Pros

Money is good and most people are nice

Cons

Feel like a number sometimes and work is repetative

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to employee opinions

Pros

The pay and benefits and benefits are good. They are reasonalble in work allocated and time it takes to complete tasks.

Cons

They are not flexable for shifts. The management can be difficult and this can compromise the ability to complete tasks and jobs.

Advice to Senior Management

Try and be as flexable as possible. Some methods for worker rentention might be nice - see how other companies do things.

Pros

Salary and benefits are good

Cons

Limited advancement, no career development work done by the organization. Very "old school" mentality. Exec leadership has been at merck 20+ years each and know no other way to operate.

Advice to Senior Management

Get some fresh blood and new ideas. Stick to a strategy for more than 1 year