These comments are specific to Project Services department and not indicative of all other departments...
- Workload is unrealistic and not sustainable. Most salaried project services employees (project manager, set-up manager, senior project coordinator, setup specialist) work 50-60hrs/wk just to stay afloat. There is no such thing as being ahead- or even caught up
-Poor work-life balance. Compared with other locations of Quintiles (70%), Project Services is ~45% satisfaction. Morale is not good...35% turnover rate...People are either quitting or getting fired because they can't work the ~50-60 hours needed. Most employees are actively looking for new jobs or trying to switch to another department
- Extremely steep learning curve (roughly 6 months). Training is given, but it is not consistent or comprehensive. If you do not get a mentor, or get a poor mentor, you will be unlikely to succeed unless you are extremely proactive in reaching out to other coworkers within your first month. By 5 weeks, you have so many studies and so much work that finding time for additional mentoring or training is almost impossible
-Too many systems for employees to learn (Lotus Notes, QLIMS, QLIMS2000, NewLIMS) and work with on a daily basis.
- Lack of experience in the employees- 50% of department (150 people total in project services) are newer than 6 months. Lots of errors being made due to inexperience or to being over-worked. Often difficult to find someone who can answer your questions on how to do something correctly.
- Employees asking for a reduced workload to help balance work-life are told that "there is no one to give the work to". So, more people quit, and the remaining people have to carry an even heavier load...which in turn causes more people to quit or get fired. It is a vicious cycle that keeps repeating
- Too many studies, too many different people on a study team. Most project coordinators monitor about 30-40 studies and report to ~10-12 different project managers. Project managers have to "bribe" their project coordinators with food and gifts to make sure their studies take priority over other project manager's. Most project managers have about 20-25 studies. Most studies take 2-7 hours/week to properly manage...you do the math on how there could ever be a 40 hr work week!!!
