Genentech reviews

4.0

74% would recommend to a friend

(3,709 total reviews)
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Ashley Magargee

83% approve of CEO

55% positive business outlook

Genentech has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 3,709 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
1.0
Jul 8, 2017

At SSFP Seniority and Favoritism Win over High-Performance

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There is a lot that can be fixed. If you are a problem-solver, you may be happy here until the politics suck you in - which likely happens within weeks.

Cons

The goal at SSFP is always to make things "just good enough" to not get into trouble. It is not to truly fix, innovate, or improve. To a degree this makes sense because the pace at the site is exhausting. However, fast-paced does not mean efficient. Politics, bureaucracy, and inefficiencies such as unproductive daily meeting marathons and ill-organized and executed org restructures such as "Project Blueprint" paired with a "Lean" initiative that is doomed to fail long-term, suck time and energy from doing actual work. Many low-performers are able to hide in plain sight behind the site's busyness. Once over the hump of 5-7 years employment on the site and with enough of the "right" friendships forged, there seems to be a seniority code that protects folks from getting fired altogether and often even snatch up a promotion that clearly rewards loyalty and friendships, not contribution or skill. High performers with true motivation to bring change and produce quality work bump against the roadblocks set by the pervasive "just good enough" low-performer culture until they either adjust to it or leave the site in frustration. In my time here, I experienced several managers behaving unethically, creating environments of fear and favoritism. Escalating these issues to the next level of management resulted in either simply moving those managers to other parts of the organization or ignoring the issues altogether. It sends a loud and clear message to employees at SSFP: Managers have each other's back, no matter what. Seniority and favoritism win!

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Genentech Response
8y
Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns. Not only is Glassdoor a space where our employees can share their experiences, it’s also a platform that gives us an opportunity to dig into the feedback, discuss and identify where and how we might take action. We are committed to acknowledging what is shared in this forum, be it positive or negative. With the above said, we acknowledge SSFP is going through many changes and we stand behind our commitment to operate with integrity and respect. The steps we are taking with recent implementations are aimed at simplifying processes and promoting an environment of clarity and transparency. If you feel that reaching out within your team hasn’t been helpful enough, please consider reaching out to your HR business partner to explore other opportunities to navigate the situation.
3.0
Mar 8, 2017

Not this same Company it use to be...

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The Science, Benefits, Genentech Gives Back week. Upper management does remind employees that what we do makes a difference is peoples lives, which is a GREAT feeling.There are a lot of amazing and smart people at the company

Cons

Culture is more corporate and innovative. Promotions go to the same people. No longer hiring the best of the best in certain organisation. It feels as though positions are being filled just to fill them.

3.0
Sep 17, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really great perks, benefits, and pay. They still have the sabbatical program which I loved. Fantastic infrastructure to support research effort which can enable rapid progress. Relative stability since they have many products for sale and a fat pipeline. OUTSIDE of the research unit, seems to be good work/life balance and opportunities for career development.

Cons

The original Genentech is gone and has been replaced by a big pharma organization. As such the research effort is becoming increasingly unnecessary to the big picture. Leadership is very risk averse and has gone from a culture of innovation and risk, to one where they only want to do what everyone else is doing. The research unit is underpaid and poorly treated in comparison with other divisions in the organization. Career development for people working in basic research is not supported. Programs for these people to develop their careers beyond the bench are given lip service, but meaningful participation is either forbidden or highly restricted.

Viewing 67 - 69 of 3,709 Reviews

Glassdoor has 5,059 Genentech reviews submitted anonymously by Genentech employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Genentech is right for you.