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Thermo Fisher Scientific

Engaged Employer

Fiscally conservative monopoly in the scientific instrumentation, equipment, consumables, and services space. - Anonymous employee Thermo Fisher Scientific Employee Review

3.0
Sep 22, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you want to gain an understanding of the how to effectively run an organization, then a management position within Thermo Fisher Scientific is a great place to develop experience. There is minimal appetite for risk. The tendency is for the executive team to react swiftly and decisively to any plan "misses." This is a 'pro' in that the organization in total maintains consistently healthy, un-remarkable performance regardless of economic climate.

Cons

If you are not tapped as a high potential, or consistent "clear-strength" performer on reviews you will not reach the executive level. The issue with this approach is that stretch goals and "at-standard" performance will effectively remove you from consideration for advancement. The Performance Management Development process is often "gamed" to the point that it is almost impossible to utilize historical reviews as indicators of future performance. An additional "con" is the mentality of the implied perpetual layoff. This means that the bottom 10% is consistently being culled from the ranks and at any given time should the annual plan become at risk then broader staff reductions occur. The last major con is the amount of dysfunction between the financial and CRM systems associated with the different business units. No apparent effort exists to solve for the train wreck of data and systems. Root cause is simply that the company is a collection of brands (often former competitors) whose leadership is incentivized to achieve their own specific growth target. While lip service is paid to the Customer Allegiance Score (CAS), the customer's perspective or needs are a distant thought when it comes to meeting profit targets. This happens because true comprehensive competition for the entire suite of products and services doesn't exist and the customer has no choice other than to accept the goods or services offered and priced in the manner that suits the business unit or division.

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5.0
Apr 20, 2026
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Pros

Great people to work with

Cons

Too many processes to follow

1.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

If you're stuck in the Greenville area for some unfortunate reason, it's a job.

Cons

This place is functionally a mafia. The same rotating cast of "old head" people that have been at the site for decades watches each other's backs, and overworks everyone else. God help you if you're actually capable or smart, because they will overload you as much as possible, while ensuring that they, and their pals, do as little as possible. They really have no concept of capacity management at all. There is no math, metrics, or even mild logic that goes in to how they define R&R or distribute work. No one really knows how to do anything at all. Things that sound simple, like shipping a sample for instance.. Well, clear your afternoon. It doesn't help that all of their systems are completely antiquated. I should also note that you won't get any support on anything really, from training to execution. No one wants to be here, and it's so obvious. The place looks and feels like a prison because it is. It doesn't even pay that well compared to other pharma companies! That barbed wire isn't there to keep people out, it's to keep them in.

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