Oppressive, depressing work environment. Nobody cares about how much work you have.
Pros
North Wales has a nice building with a cafeteria that offers a variety of food. The benefits are above average.
Cons
This company is the worst I have worked for. Operationally it is chaotic and you tend to feel alienated with no one to turn to. If you are a CTA with a director as your manager you will feel invisible. Nobody cares about how much work you have and work is distributed unfairly among protocols and employees. If you are on a Pfizer protocol you will be worked to the bone as perfection is expected. Take your time or PMs and CTMs will take advantage of you. It is the opinion of multiple PMs and CTMs that determine your value in reviews and ultimate raise if you are lucky to get beyond 1%. Promotions at the CTA level are almost nonexistent and entry level CRA positions are competitive as there are few openings per year. Your direct manager, if at the director level, is clueless about the multiple responsibilities that are not necessarily part of your job description. CTAs are expected to do CRA work for CRAs while not being compensated. It is not uncommon to be farmed out for tasks without being asked and to drop other priorities for unexpected "emergencies" which happens frequently. I was depressed in this role and witnessed others feeling the same pressure and unhappiness. I advise to save yourself from high stress, sleepless nights, anxiety, and feeling unappreciated. In addition to the workload I noticed the culture to be rather odd. Many people don't acknowledge your presence as you pass in the hallways and there is an air of depression and unhappiness among employees. You can hear a pin drop in the cubicles and people appear paranoid. A phone conversation is awkward since there is no background noise. In addition, after multiple attempts for resolution on stress and workload with an HR manager (who was based in Canada and handled over the phone), HR tends to point the finger at you and are generally unhelpful. I strongly recommend that you look for a job elsewhere. There are many CROs that value their employees, make people feel like significant human beings, and are better equipped to run a ship operationally.
