Is Merck a good company to work for?

Merck has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 8,197 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 82% of employees would recommend working at Merck to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Merck have been left by employees working as Co-Op , Intern and Internship .

Does Merck pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Merck employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Merck. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Merck?

82% of Merck employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Merck 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Merck?

Associate Director (237) , Director (193) , Intern (171) , Senior Scientist (165) , Sales Representative (117) , Scientist (94) , Associate Principal Scientist (93) , Senior Specialist (92) , Project Manager (88) , Manager (86) , Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative (59) , Specialist (59) , Associate Specialist (58) , Operations Manager (51) , Business Analyst (49)

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

"Benefits are good (middle of road for pharma) Great when compared to other industries" ((in 758 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 520 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 333 reviews)); "Pay was good and the year end bonus was nice." ((in 307 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 282 reviews))

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

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 230 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and reorgs." ((in 148 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 113 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 81 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 76 reviews))

What are employees saying about Merck layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Merck locations?

West Point , Rahway , Kenilworth , Durham , Philadelphia , North Wales , Boston , Elkton , Lansdale , Whitehouse Station , Summit , New York , Newark , South San Francisco , Los Angeles , Cambridge , Millsboro , Wilson , Whitehouse , Branchburg , Jersey City , Charlotte , Madison , Raleigh , Chicago , New Brunswick , Elkhorn , Washington , Houston , San Francisco

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Merck

Merck reviews

4.1

82% would recommend to a friend

(6,177 total reviews)

Rob Davis

81% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Merck has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 6,177 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Merck employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

3.0

Oct 12, 2013

pharmaceuticals

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Merck is a good company to work for with strong ethics and values

Cons

The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing a lot of change and extremely restructuring is necessary for the big pharma companies to survive, Some may or may not be able to do this.

2.0

Oct 11, 2013

misdirected management

Engineering

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

still decent benefits. some empowerment for smaller things. the company is generous to the needy (free or discounted drugs).

Cons

Management's first priority appears to be promoting minorities. If you're a white male, don't bother applying. This strategy has left the company with leaders who can't lead, or develop a workable strategy. Their intent is to save their way to success, and the only way they know how to save is to layoff employees and outsource. "We have to cut costs to compete", yet Merck has built a new hanger to house their new larger jets. They talk empowerment, but everything gets approved by many layers of management and worse, committees.

1.0

Oct 11, 2013

The most dysfunctional company I have ever worked for.

Associate director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Can't think of any to list

Cons

Far too many to list here

Viewing 5368 - 5370 of 6,177 Reviews

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Ratings by category

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pharmaceuticals

misdirected management

The most dysfunctional company I have ever worked for.

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