Roche Reviews

Pros

- A company with lots of values towars his employees.
- High quality expectantion in the work being done that propels you to press yourself in achieving this kind of high quality in your work

Cons

- As being such a big company producing some deliverys takes more time than is really needed

Pros

Good pipeline and fellow employees are striving for success but feel time for a senior management shake up as company has grown too fast and too quick and thus too many processes and procedures rather than chances to flex your autonomy.

Cons

With it growing very quickly the support functions are massively over stretched and thus very little support given for employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Put your employees first and they will put your company priorities first. The risk is not looking to change the management team - huge shake up needed so that nepatism is quashed.

Pros

A long history of a good work environment with good manager support and reasonable expectations and rewards.

Cons

Until recently the positions were stable and changes resulted in reassignment of personnel rather than downsizing. More recently company has taken downsizing as a standard practice which is more inline with other pharmaceutical companies.

Advice to Senior Management

The handling of the Roche Palo Alto site closure announcement a short time after a site meeting unrolling a new vision and more or less five year plan for the site left management with severely damaged credibility. The loss of stability and long term personnel has/will rob Roch of it's historic uniqueness and depth of employee devotion it once had at cost which cannot be calculated.

Pros

A good paying pharmaceutical company.

Cons

There is limited growth potential up the technical ladder.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to improve communications with personnel.

Pros

Some good people, some good benefits and a severance package when you get layed-off.
There are opportunities to be put in a position that no other company would even consider you for, particularly if you are a sycophant.

Cons

The company identity in the US is confused and seems to be changing into Genentech, but not quite.
Most management, at even the highest levels, seems lost at times.
The Nutley NJ site seems to be destined for continued down sizing and really should be put out of its misery. The medicinal chemistry dept. that brought Valium to market has been turned into a “World Class” joke. This is partly due to new incompetent management who sought guidance from incompetent and narcissistic “retired” management who rose to that level through the attrition of truly talented people.
Unfortunately this seems to have become standard practice.

Advice to Senior Management

Hoffmann-LaRoche was an excellent company and needs to be revitalized, not transformed into Genentech.
Close the Nutley site completely. It is and will be just an embarrassment.
New leadership is desperately needed and failed “retired” managers should not be kept around and constantly consulted.
Finally, settle on a research structure and strategy, fully implement it, and then give it a chance to work.

Pros

Good Salary, Great Benefits, Good employees.

Cons

- Every site in the company tries to compete against the others, and management supports this.
- Senior Management cannot make even the simplest decisions.
- Office Politics are killing the company.
- Management needs a vision of where they want the company to go. You can't be the best and the cheapest at the same time.

Advice to Senior Management

Get your head out of the sand

Pros

Innovative Products, Good work culture, Friendly Peers, Good Benefits, Fringe foreign business trips, Long term career stability, Financially strong company

Cons

Low Salary to Employees, Hierarchical, Politics, Poor Employee Recognition of Work, Controlling IT environment, Poor Design Quality Assurance and Management

Pros

Great work life balance
Good culture
Modern benefits such as paternity leave, parental leave
Subsidised cafe
International opportunities
Onsite gym

Cons

Can be difficult to get things completed due to such a large company things can move very slowly
Offshoring jobs to China

Advice to Senior Management

Remember to focus on people and allow them to shine. Take the opportunity to listen to the staff as they can certainly identify things the company can do better.

Pros

Overall I would say it is good place to work. There are very interesting people, very good atmosphere. Good salary and overall compensation.

Cons

Knowledge culture and self improvement are not important for many. Visible lack of passion, 'just a job' attitude. Career development limited in some departments.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on people development, on their interests and passion. Employee passionate about his job will perform way better than, worker with 'it's just a job' attitude that just wait to clock out.

Pros

Opportunities to train and get further education abound. Excellent infra-structure.

Cons

No downsides specific of Roche, but as with any large corporation, change may take some time to happen, upward mobility in promotion ranks can be slow. had excellent managers and others not so good.