Great benefits but way to restrictive for tech workers - Senior Backend Engineer Merck Employee Review

2.0
Jun 6, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

401k (4.5% match to 6% contribution) Life insurance(3x salary) Pension plans Good maternity/paternity policy Huge company with diverse teams all over the world OK Vacation policy (18 days after 5 years of service) Group Legal ($15 a month) Decent health insurance (partially covered by employer) Good job security

Cons

Very hierarchal (Not much influence on decisions unless you're senior leadership) Lots of red tape and corporate bureaucracy Lots of infighting and politics between different teams Pay raises don't keep up with the market or inflation (typically 3.5%) Very restrictive computer policies that make it almost impossible to do your job as a tech worker.

Explore other reviews about Merck

5.0
Jul 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work Life Balance, Benefits, Remote Work

Cons

Easy to stagnate if not being proactive about building skills and networking

4.0
Jun 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits like medical/dentist/vision, pension, stock option, 401k match. Co workers are excellent, pretty good on site symposiums, lot of diversity clubs/activities. Innovation is extremely welcomed. Diversity in research portfolio. AI/ML is heavily invested to make databases more efficient.

Cons

Micro managing, especially within the biologics department, potentially others. Promotions are limited, and pay bump is poor. Company invests too much in buying companies rather than keeping talent - lay offs let go of great talented people. Merck is afraid of investing into exploratory biology and doesn’t take risk - they even admit they would rather see other companies clinical data or R&D data rather than taking a risk. Although it’s slow going in building new software, current databases are slow and needs much improvement. Extremely poor work/life balance.

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