Does Not Follow Gilead Core Values - Specialist Kite Pharma Employee Review

2.0
Feb 20, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits and pay for full time employees, free snacks/drinks

Cons

So many cons, where do I start... I guess the (1) main con would be that those who are in management/leadership positions don't really know how to do their job. And this, as you would think, impacts everybody below them. (1) We have people in management making decisions for people on the floor, when these so-called leaders don't actually know anything about the daily routine and context of the job. They say things like "you work on the floor every day, you know your work best, let us know what we need in order to help you." And when you ask for help or offer suggestions, management will say something like, "Does that really impact your job?" (Ummm... Yes??? That's why I'm bringing it up in the first place?) There's absolutely no trust... We'll say things like "We're understaffed, we need help, we need more people." And management will go in the opposite direction and downsize the group instead. (2) Management is also full of people who got there because they lied in their interviews about their work experience OR because they know someone who they used to work, who helped them get the job. It's all about the connections... There is one person (probably more to be honest) in management who got several bad annual reviews and several employee complaints (which went directly to managers and directors), yet this person still remains at Kite. This same person has also bullied/manipulated/gaslighted/mistreated their subordinates and still, nothing has been done. Kite will probably see this and claim that they take these "allegations" seriously, but it's already been proven that there are no repercussions to employees who are toxic and negatively affect those around them. (3) Oh, and another thing about management. They don't value their contractors. They work hard and get the lowest minimum pay Kite can give, nothing else. This is the very thing that will demoralize someone, causing them to lose motivation for the job. This leads to poor performance... Leads to them leaving to a better job. And in turn, makes the FTE/trainers suffer when they have to train someone new more often than needed (a new contractor who might not even last). Oh, and some teams are made of 50-60% contractors. A lot of these contractors' contracts end in March 2021... It's February 2021... And management STILL HAS NO ANSWER on whether or not these people will have a job or not in 4 weeks. I haven't seen this level of procrastination since college when I started my homework AFTER it was due. (4) Not much room for growth. (low chance of being promoted, low chance of cross-training) (5) Almost every department is understaffed... (6) Kind of hard for lateral movement (to other depts), some supervisors/managers will get in your way if you try to leave.

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Kite Pharma Response
5y
Hi, this is Matt Hostetler. I’d like to speak more about some of the things you wrote in your review – please reach out to me directly to set up time. Our culture at Kite is extremely important to me and to every single member of the Kite Leadership Team. This is why we’ve dedicated specific key performance indictors (KPIs) related to culture as part of our 2021 metrics. We’ll be measuring our progress and holding ourselves accountable every step of the way. I look forward to sharing more about this when we speak.

Explore other reviews about Kite Pharma

5.0
Feb 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing staff and growth potential

Cons

Like most companies hard to understand exactly what upper management goals are

3.0
May 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Great benefits including 401K matching, tuition re imbursement, HSA matching, stock/bonus awards, and wellness awards. - Excellent campus with onsite/subsidized food court, gym, volleyball/pickle ball/volley ball court, zoom enables conference rooms, and shuttle service. - Company shutdown in July and December. - Laboratory spaces stocked with new equipment. - Utilizes electronic batch record system instead of paper.

Cons

- Poor collaboration between site leadership resulting in distractingly competitive environment focused more on positive optics rather than continuous improvement. - Poor short term and long term planning, often resulting in inconsistent operations schedule and unclear deadlines/objectives.

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