Moderna is not a healthy place to work. This goes beyond workload and pace. The culture is aggressive and toxic, and it’s taking a toll on people after they work in this environment for a while. Some people in non-clinical research are immature and unprofessional but their supervisors do not bother to address their behavior which further deteriorates relationships with other departments. Politics is overwhelming. Some group heads lack leadership and empathy for employees who went above and beyond for their work. The company has grown exponentially since Covid and they hired lots of middle level managers who manage a few people but don’t directly work on programs or studies. This is just odd because other companies in the industry are trying to reduce redundancy and so many levels of management (Bayer is going boss-less) but at Moderna there is an unusual number of directors and senior directors roaming around. Not sure how much they really do or contribute but their slaves (direct reports) are severely overworked and many have developed physical and mental health issues. Turnover rates are high and people go out on long-term leave and often don’t come back. When there is no room for career advancement after you put in so many hours for your work, there are no other options but to move on.
