Thermo Fisher Scientific Reviews

Pros

Great culture, good benefits, nice campus

Cons

Very siloed, lots of change

Pros

It's Thermo. You have almost anything at your disposal to do your job. Ordering is not an issue etc. R&D is filled with scientists that are talented but there is a lack of structure. People are overall pleasant but of course there are cliques and issues caused by such behavior. A large company that has many opportunities due to the number of connections. Resources at your disposal but expect sudden changes to the company. Summation: Big name that looks great on a resume and does offer opportunities. Manufacturing/R&D base roles are great for newly graduated BAs etc. MAs and PhDs may find the roles to be underpaid and unorganized (depending on your role). Would work here again but with new management and a different economy...

Cons

Huge turnover even for permanent employees due to the economy. They do offer severance packages for the lucky few but just ended contracts suddenly etc. for most. I think this had an effect on R&D and its onboarding. Due to the high turnover, many people left taking their knowledge with them. It's full of opportunities but first, you have to do your time and survive the learning curve before even thinking about what you want for your career. And through all of this, survive cutbacks and redundancies. It's the market we live in for now. I do think/hope at one point Thermo will be a place for scientists and treat them fairly (salary and opportunity-wise) but only time will tell. Summation: Typically hires contract work (6-9 months) and little notice of extension. under-market pay. Crappy HR . Decent growth opportunities if you have a good manager. Disorganized management/department due to Turnover and restructuring.

Pros

I shouldnt be required to put anything in this section

Cons

I feel their ethics are kinda sketch. Their product defects are higher than industry peers in certain categories, but mum's the word. Layoffs are routinely done in small staggered numbers to prevent getting negative press. Those who are laid off are routinely given subpar packages (expect nothing more than one week pay and cardboard box). Management is highly idle. I don't know any in my org tree, and I can't think of any positive value or project they have led. Honestly, I'd get rid of half of them. Very absentee. No mission, no drive, no reason to improve. Their business processes are all toil toil toil and more toil, and they are okay with that. Fiefdoms exist, so be careful if you challenge the status quo. Coworkers are all either outsourced to cheapest vendors, or those with few skills or entry level knowledge. Imagine a bunch of technicians who repair planes all being told to design a space ship.and you'll get a good how well this flies. No chance at equity. Don't bother trying hard, this industry is ruled by govt/university spend and insurance company balance sheets... and those are determined by macroeconomic factors, not individual performance. Thermo's a money printer, but just not for you. Expect to quiet quit within the first 6 mos because everyone else already has. Those with passion and care are the first to leave because tenure is rewarded, not results. Literally the worst IT I have ever experienced. Three levels worse than Cricket Wireless customer service, if that tells you anything.

Pros

Excellent internal learning resources for self-guided exploration of every part of science & technology. Fantastic collaborative teams with many Subject Matter Experts who are happy to give their time to share knowledge and mentor. You actually get to have a work-life balance working here.

Cons

Budgets for hiring and employee retention are often too frugal which makes successful hiring extremely difficult and many open positions are from employees leaving to competition that pays significantly more. Executive leadership appears to be clueless about macroeconomics even when TA was consistently telling them inflation was happening in 2021 & 2022 and they need to give raises to all employees and increase the hiring budgets.

Pros

Thermo Fisher Scientific can be an inspiring place to work because of all the great use cases for their products. Depending on the team you're on, you can develop some good relationships and have a calm, solid team dynamic. Recent inflation assistance payments have been helpful and appreciated.

Cons

I joined in 2022 and have sat through 3-4 silent layoffs around me, which is anxiety-inducing. I have coworkers that check warn notices weekly now because of the paranoia. Stop silently laying people off, be open with your employees with what is really going on. Highly convoluted and top-heavy company, too many confusing paths to take to get one thing done with red tape everywhere. Top-heavy ties back to the layoffs, we have been laying off people that do the work (our individual contributors) and so we can't perform the projects that are necessary to moving the needle. There are many directors and VPs not willing to get their hands dirty and are solely focused on strategy once a year. I'm sure their salaries are a lot higher than the IC's.

Pros

-Working with the Contract Research Group, allowed significant freedom to complete assigned tasks within fair deadlines. -Company culture at lower levels is supportive and kind. -LOTS of GMP experience and experience given with many varieties of Assays -Friendly and understanding management staff

Cons

-After PPD's acquisition by Thermofisher, benefits have been slashed. No PTO rollover or buyback hurts especially hard for people who've been with the company for longer than a year. -Little to no advancement opportunities. This is clearly from the upper levels, as management is not empowered to perform promotions as necessary to retain talent. -Completely unheard by upper management. Questions asked of them directly about the above issues are swept aside or ignored constantly. -Underpaid for industry standard and inflation raises that don't match inflation.

Pros

Enjoyed the leadership support They were invested in career growth

Cons

Individual sites need diversification Multiple long, drawn out layoffs affected morale at the end

Pros

benefits, competitive, management works hard to develop growth

Cons

work life balance, nothing else

Pros

There are some very talented, fantastic people here. There are great products and technology. The company mission is admirable. DEI is embraced.

Cons

Compensation is well below market, merit increases do not keep up with inflation, benefits continue to increase in price while being watered down. Leadership views inflation as a "temporary condition". Teams are severely understaffed for a company this size and work life balance is nonexistent. Leadership is unable to effectively cross-communicate between divisions and groups and therefore cannot prioritize initiatives making everything a high priority while providing zero resources for execution. The playing field is not level, and you'll be judged by arbitrary standards others don't have to meet. Lack of work/life balance and burnout are viewed as the fault of employees, not the fact we are trying to do too much with too little or that leadership is disconnected from reality. Promotions are not based on accomplishments, talents, or abilities. Non-contributing zeroes who make themselves highly visible to leadership and say things leadership wants to hear are rewarded and promoted ahead of those actually making things happen. The culture is riddled with toxic positivity and complete disconnection from reality.

Pros

-Easy job -Good work-life balance -Allows for Hybrid working -Flexible start hours

Cons

There are brand new associate scientists that make about $4/hr more than people that have 2+ years in that same role. Some of them even make as much as the scientists above them. Even the jobs listed online for the same exact positions I'm already in are being hired for a higher salary. Apparently, you might as well quit and reapply for your same position if you want a raise, because when you ask a manager for a raise, they'll tell you they don't have the budget for it. Thermo-Fisher's acquisition of PPD also limited the amount of PTO you can accrue and gives us less holiday time off than PPD did pre-acquisition. Very little opportunity for career advancement past senior scientist.