Is Genentech a good company to work for?

Genentech has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 5,066 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months. 74% of employees would recommend working at Genentech to a friend and 55% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Genentech have been left by employees working as Summer Intern , Internship and Intern .

Does Genentech pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Genentech employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Genentech. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Genentech?

74% of Genentech employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Genentech 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Genentech?

Intern (150) , Case Manager (91) , Research Associate (86) , Director (59) , Manager (56) , Postdoctoral Fellow (52) , Project Manager (52) , Scientist (48) , Senior Manager (48) , Associate Director (44) , Reimbursement Specialist (41) , Internship (40) , Manufacturing Technician (40) , Bioprocess Technician (38) , Clinical Specialist (35)

What are the pros of working at Genentech according to real employee reviews?

"The benefits are great and the perk are second to none such as the GenenBus." ((in 649 reviews)); "The people I work with are great and very inspiring." ((in 497 reviews)); "Great company and culture!" ((in 372 reviews)); "good pay which is great considering the headhunters cut of the pay and the fact that I did not recieve benefits." ((in 203 reviews)); "Great work life balance if you don't work in gRED (the early research division)." ((in 193 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Genentech according to real employee reviews?

"Poor Management and too many veterans who are "protected"" ((in 144 reviews)); "Bad managers will slow down your career growth" ((in 104 reviews)); "People with only a few years (less than 5 yrs) of experience hold senior leadership positions." ((in 72 reviews)); "Lack of support by upper management" ((in 38 reviews)); "Bureaucracy and favoritism is rampant" ((in 37 reviews))

What are employees saying about Genentech layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Genentech layoffs and their outlook for job security at Genentech in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Genentech locations?

South San Francisco , San Francisco , Vacaville , Oceanside , Hillsboro , Portland , San Diego , New York , Redwood City , Los Angeles , Boston , Washington , San Jose , Atlanta , Chicago , Phoenix , San Bruno , San Mateo , Dixon , Miami , Dallas , Indianapolis , Sacramento , Pacifica , Palo Alto , Baton Rouge , Tampa , Kansas City , Charlotte , Austin

Genentech reviews

3.9

74% would recommend to a friend

(3,713 total reviews)

Ashley Magargee

83% approve of CEO

55% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Genentech has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 3,713 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Genentech employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

3.0

Oct 6, 2016

Pick your spots

Contract manufacturing site manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great mission - you're not working on nail fungus treatments, restless leg syndrome or Botox Lots of fringe benefits (food, swag, etc.) Beautiful campus with on-site benefits Respect within the industry A lot of friendly people

Cons

Inconsistent environment across the company- I think sales/marketing and research is fairly well treated and most people I know were happy in their roles. Roche seems to be leaving them alone. Manufacturing seems to be a different story. Middle management focused on managing up to the detriment of their reports. As cost-cutting pressure is applied, a lot managers are more concerned about their own necks and spend a ton of time politicking on their own behalf (which I understand). This makes their reports feel neglected or, worse, the s**t rolls down hill. A lot of individual contributors are leaving for development opportunities elsewhere, which is a shame. There's nowhere to go at Genentech....

3.0

Sep 13, 2016

Decent but could be better

Statistician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits and Stock Options are Nice

Cons

Corporate bureaucracy, rigid structure, operates like a dinosaur

3.0

Sep 3, 2016

Poor IT management. No focus on careers. Disposable "contractors"

Senior software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

people have high regard and respect for work place. still many talented individuals work here and making great contributions but "silo". nice compensation and benefits. right mix of diversity in work force (ethnic, cultural, geographic).

Cons

much of IT is very poorly managed. too much reliance on contract resources. FT employees find it easy with disposable "talented" contract resources to get away with credit. no wonder the "contract" work force obviously feel left out in success story. all this right under the nose for first, mid level managers many of whom are managing groups, strategy with less to no relevant expertise and lacking vision, or not knowing exactly what is in it for company in longer term, and apparently unaware of "who" the real deal in delivering things. this could be either being naive (bias/favored) OR ignorant of actual impact them selves. they don't grasp the importance of "career" options and the value of people who really want to see company succeed.

Genentech Response

9y

Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We’re sorry you had a bad experience working with IT. Our company structures are ever-evolving and ever-changing to adapt with the times. While you may have had a different experience, we do value our contingent workers and continue to try to create an environment for all of our employees – including our contingent population– to do their best work. If you take a look at our newest “Why Work For Us” section of our page under the “People” tab, we’ve done a feature on this group of our community. There you can read about some of the changes we’ve made to be more transparent about how much we appreciate the work they do. Thanks again for your feedback.

Viewing 364 - 366 of 3,713 Reviews

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Genentech

Genentech reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Pick your spots

Decent but could be better

Poor IT management. No focus on careers. Disposable "contractors"

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Genentech