Pfizer Reviews in Connecticut

I worked at Pfizer

Pros – Largest pharmaceutical in the world, salaries are competitive and company benefits are currently average for the industry.

Cons – If you are looking for growth and diversity in your career, look somewhere else. Once you are in a position, you will remain there and your chances for advancement are minimal. Because of the company's constant reorganizations, there is currently tremendous instability fostering an atmosphere of low morale. Consequently, focusing on the tasks at hand is rather difficult. In addition, there are managers assigned to to groups and have no experience in those areas which they are assigned to lead.Pfizer's benefits package used to be above average, unfortunately, due to the current economic climate, their pension and benefits package have changed for the worse.

Advice to Senior Management – I encourage the management to stop listening to advice from overpaid, uninformed business consultants and not to follow failed business models. Keep in mind that Pfizer's main products are therapeutic drugs, not widgets, this type of innovative business must be run from a scientific perspective. If the scientists run the research portion, business side the budgets and the attorneys the legal issues, the company will not be as dysfunctional. Innovation is not something that is found inside a business textbook.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pfizer

Pros – Pfizer provides a very competitive compensation and benefits package, especially once you are an employee (relocation for example). An excellent work-life balance is possible; a 40-50 hr work week is very common. There are many very skilled people and your research budgets tends to provide anything you might need.

Cons – Poor morale due to constant mergers and restructuring, with more likely in the future. Poor supervision means a lot of people get away with doing very little. There is little collaboration between groups in general, people are more interested in doing "their" job and going home. Not much company spirit.

Advice to Senior Management – Focus on creating a more "biotech" feel to the research environment. Try and minimize the impact of reorganizations. Reward those who truly advance the science, not just those who go to meetings and appear busy.

I worked at Pfizer

Pros – The salaries, bonuses and overall benefits are very good. Overall the people are very dedicated, very hard-working and very capable. Employees take pride in the work they do.

Cons – Decision-making of senior management is in question. Company reorganizes too often - this is disruptive and leads to feeling that your job is insecure (hurts morale).. The company should seriously consider giving some type of bonus incentive to all employees.

Advice to Senior Management – They should look outside Pfizer to fill senior management positions. Instead, when they reorganize they have a high tendancy to to "recycle" the senior mgmt individuals to other senior mgmt positions. Thus the "thinking" on how to manage the company tends not to change. Individuals who are poor managers tend to remain in management instead of being managed out of the organization. Additionallly, senior management should scrutinze more carefully waste of money - e.g., money spent on outsourcing is not as carefully scrutinized as it should be.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pfizer

Pros – Much technical expertise, opportunities to learn and grow, resources (albeit not necessarily enough $ to fund adequately all projects), great benefits.

Cons – Even though science and innovation are desired, decisions from some senior managers do not appear to be sufficiently science-driven; despite the recent reorganization in smaller business units, scale and complexity remain to be harnessed towards better productivity.

Advice to Senior Management – The safer & more precedented & predictable approaches cannot be managed the same way than those that are riskier but with higher potential. Current management decisions seem to be removing the incentives to pursue the latter. Brightest R&D talent is looking for opportunities elsewhere.

I have been working at Pfizer

Pros – The development pipeline is good (should PFE choose to develop it), there are many smart, top-notch people and my experience with immediate supervisors and mid-level management has, so far, been positive. The direction towards business units makes sense.

Cons – Reorganizations are painful to say the least. The company has laid off about 40,000 people since the acquisition of PHA a few years back and the people who have been laid off seem to be selected almost arbitrarily. Implementation of reorganizations seems hare-brained at best and one always wonders what leadership was thinking when they put out communications of how well things are moving along.

Morale is at an all-time low in PGRD. I've never seen anything like it.

I've been reorganized out of a job several times; job security and Pfizer should never be used in the same sentence. The thought of a reorg and a acquisition will make me want to stay, but only because it will be like a train wreck; you can't look away!

New London CT is far from an academic, transportation or pharmaceutical mecca and is difficult to reach (though a very nice place with very nice people), so it's hard to recruit.

Advice to Senior Management – The BU transition is the right way to go. Retooling research is painful, but without pipeline productivity, we have to do something different. Buy revenue stream; we need it to survive...that said, a reorg combined with a major acquisition will be the end of Pfizer unless you bolt on and pillage the acquired company quickly.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pfizer

Pros – Benefits, Physical Work Environment, scattered talent

Cons – Chronic short term thinking on the part of management, attempts to be truly innovative fail, lack of trust in management, too many "hold-outs" at Pfizer that simply want to stay for fear they will find nothing else - brings out a culture of "yes" people afraid to rock the boat

Advice to Senior Management – Embrace the restless fringe or they will be the people that join the competition and crush you. If you want to be more like a Biotech start acting like one - you are too big and stodgy. Invest in your employees and make them feel wanted. Morale is at an all time low - you would know that if you actually spent some time with the people that work for you.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pfizer

Pros – Excellent labs and well supplied with scientific equipment, many talented and good people to share ideas with. The compensation package is good (probably average or slightly better than the industry average).

Cons – The demands are constant from a heavy work load and high expectations. Be prepared to perform and fight to maintain your place in the yearly review process. They will use it to promote you or drive you out, and we are probably overstaffed now. It is a heavily PhD oriented culture. If you don't have a PhD your career options are very limited. Morale is low and budget ax is swinging, and the current economic climate will probably only add to this. We've gone through several waves of HR campaigns and company goals; it is easy to get cynical about them.

Advice to Senior Management – Change review system. It eventually grinds most people down and destroys enthusiasm for the job.

I worked at Pfizer

Pros – I started at Pfizer in 1995 and worked as a contractor from 2001 -2008. My last five years I was lucky enough to work for Andy Lee the best leader of my career. It was a great place to work, diverse, open and supportive. During the last 5 years the best reasons for working at Pfizer are gone. The small amenities that made it a great place to work are gone and constant re-organization and corporate propaganda that conflicts with corporate actions have destroyed Pfizer. Productivity, innovation and trust between employees have ground to a halt. I've watched Hank McKinnell and now Jeff Kindler drive Pfizer into the dust.

 Jeff you’ve only made things worse. Take a hike and do the right thing leave that golden umbrella behind. You haven’t earned it

Cons – Constant reorganization, a caste system between Pfizer exempt and non-exempt colleagues and contractors, lack of job security, irresponsible leadership and a CEO, board of directors and Senior Management who only ask is this profitable, will this boost my bonus and who remain unconcerned who don't ask is it right; does it conform to some higher standards in terms of how we operate?

Advice to Senior Management – Stop! Give back your bonus and repair the damages you've inflicted on countless people through insane practices such as reorganizing and making people reapply for their jobs, or streamline decision making by outsourcing project assistants, study managers and clinical research associates, monitors and countless other staff. How does cutting the bottom layers of an organization streamline decision making? These positions are the ones who produce result and are core to successful R&D. Get rid of the fat cats sitting in Tower C (New London). I've seen cases where 4 Pfizer managers are manning one contractor. Senior Management had 7 years of using a strategy of amputation and degradation. Shame on Pfizer and its leadership

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Pfizer

Pros – It's still one of the largest and most respected pharmaceutical companies.

Cons – Very limited opportunities to continue working at Pfizer. I didn't feel like anyone outside of the group I worked in had any interest in talking to me about continuing to work for the company.

Advice to Senior Management – Be more involved in the intern program.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Pfizer

Pros – Still considered as the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Still sits on piles of cash. Still enjoys a very recognizable brand.

Cons – But they are squandering their resources away. Just wait till Lipitor loses it patent.
Senior leaders constantly shuffles and changes direction. It's amazing to see morale to fall down so low...And some of its best people have gone.

Advice to Senior Management – Let's see what options are left for Pfizer.
1. Merge with SGP and BMY. And get Hassan to be the new Head and get some credibility this way. AND shave BILLIONS of $ off the cost base. It's different this time, so be drastic.

OR

2. Be comfortable being a much smaller company, and cut cost accordingly.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend