Was doing better after merge but waning again - Anonymous employee Genentech Employee Review

3.0
Jun 27, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company still has potential and perks. They retain some of the original perks that made the pre-merge GNE great even though much of the spirit may not be as genuine.

Cons

Roche is reasserting itself and the culture is becoming more in business for business. Used to be "people first" but no longer investing so much in the individual contributors. Senior leaders instructed to message how to do more with less. Lots of nepotism with unfairness in hiring and promotion practices. Recently a job was announced that it would be posted for 5 days, open to internal candidates only, and that "a preferred internal candidate has been identified but you are welcome to apply". Compensation given on a curve so someone is always assessed as underperforming which fosters an environment of backstabbing, cliques and politics. Middle managers with no project work often need to create work for their reports because they don't have enough individual work to do resulting in micromanagement or bullying so they can be seen as high performers to their management. Senior leaders want middle management so they alleviate the number of reports to focus on politics and maneuvering. Organizations are top heavy making rank and file overworked with most of the pay going to the senior leaders who are rewarded with more compensation if they can squeeze more work from fewer people and lower pay.

Explore other reviews about Genentech

5.0
Jun 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Patient-centric company. great culture & benefits

Cons

Not always clear how promotions are awarded.

2.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The work is meaningful and overall the company vision aligns with my goals

Cons

QA management has become inept. None of the leadership (aside from maybe one or two) truly understand the nuances of our site and jobs. They refuse to pay you more due to "budget" reasons but won't provide much information, they claim to be transparent but will make decisions behind your back and not communicate them, even if they impact you and/or your job. Leadership doesn't listen to feedback and gets defensive if you even try to give any. It honestly has become a game of politics only in QA and that's not really building any real quality culture.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All