Not what it used to be. Beward of Device Development - Anonymous employee Genentech Employee Review

2.0
Jan 28, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Genentech had a reputation for being leaders in the field. People there work hard and play hard. It really depends on the group you work in whether this is true. Like begets like, and it starts from the top. Some groups are tight knit, communicate well, and play nice with each other and those who interact with them. There are more little perks than anyone will ever know of. Free admission to some museums. A concierge service to help with errands. The list goes on.

Cons

Device Development management is constantly traveling and oblivious to what is going on in projects and with the people they manage. Most are petty and looking to only advance their own careers. They do not take their duties as managers seriously. Make one wrong move and they will make you regret it. This trickles down to co-workers who are also just out to advance themselves. It's very telling that most people (especially management) don't even say hi to each other in the hallways. There is constant swirl in Device Development. Decisions can't be made or get rescinded easily. It's a never ending "alignment" between US and Swiss counterparts which ends up just being a power struggle. I've never seen people work so hard and yet accomplish so little. There are so many meetings, people have to work 50+ hrs a week to get their busywork done. These may sound like generic criticisms, but Genentech wasn't always like this, and some groups still aren't as bad. Device Development has rightfully earned a bad reputation for accomplishing little and not playing nice within the company.

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Genentech Response
9y
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We’re sorry you had a bad experience working within the Device area. As a company we are always striving to improve the experience for our employees. We want to provide a space where everyone feels their work is valuable and their managers are transparent, supportive and not taking advantage. While you may have had a different experience, we do value the career growth and productivity of all Genentech employees. We appreciate your candor and honesty about your experience and are taking you feedback very seriously. Thank you again for your thoughts and sharing your feedback.

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