Opportunity to make a difference, but unstable work environment - Anonymous employee Merck Employee Review

3.0
14 Sept 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Merck makes important medicines, such as its pediatric and adult vaccines. Manufacturing these medicines, and developing new medicines, is an important public health contribution. - Merck's strength is its organizational experience with clinical development and the regulatory environment, and in manufacturing of complicated medicines. - Lots of good experience to be had, in a variety of functional roles from discovery to development and manufacturing, from quality to regulatory to technical science and engineering jobs.

Cons

Merck is trying to re-invent itself as a low-cost manufacturer, and leader of the field, but all while minimizing the amount of money spent. Upper management turnover is quite high, and leads to a very unstable environment, with a high rate of change, and minimal acknowledgement of the challenges this brings. The implicit message is that employees should be happy to have a job, and they should suck it up and work harder.

Explore other reviews about Merck

5.0
20 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work from home (that may not always be a perk, but it is now for writers), choice of flexible hours (7 AM - 9 AM starting), friendly, helpful people, great bosses, people very interested in their jobs, plus a lot of educational benefits, you are trained on all aspects of Merck and your job.

Cons

I cannot think of any, though sometimes work from home has its drawbacks, because the employee doesn't get all the information that an onsite employee would.

4.0
2 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Over my tenure, I had the opportunity to work alongside highly talented and mission-driven colleagues dedicated to improving patient outcomes. The organization provided exposure to cross-functional collaboration, leadership development opportunities, and meaningful work supporting healthcare providers, patients, and community stakeholders. I appreciated the company's commitment to innovation, professional growth, and serving patients through scientific advancement.

Cons

Like many large organizations, priorities and organizational structures evolved over time, which occasionally created uncertainty and changes in responsibilities. Decision-making processes could sometimes be complex due to the size of the organization, and navigating multiple layers of stakeholders occasionally impacted speed and execution.

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