Looks good from the outside, not so pretty working in it - Anonymous employee Parexel Employee Review

1.0
2 Mar 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

PAREXEL does offer decent benefits and very generous time off. Good place to learn the industry, but you should only stay a year or so and move on

Cons

PAREXEL is by far the most dysfunctional company I have ever worked for. A terrible management structure as well as processes and SOPs that will leave you scratching your head. Far too many chiefs and not enough engines. LEAP has been an absolute disaster and has partially led to such a high level of dissatisfaction and stress amongst all employees. Very very low morale and I do not know a single person in study start-up that is not looking at other jobs or even actively interviewing. It only takes new hires 2-3 months before they realize how you are consistently put into no-win situations and have unrealistic expectations put onto you with almost every study. The Project Leads and COLs can be okay at times, but for the most part they do not have the slightest clue on how to manage teams and prioritize tasks. They take people with squarely science backgrounds rich with high levels of academic achievement but with little to no work experience in the real world, and stick them into these project lead roles. They simply can not handle it. PXL needs people with more of a business background leading these study teams. There is also virtually no work-life balance. If you work say 55 hours one week, watch out because they expect that to be the norm .. then ask you why you can't do 60 or 65 in terms of productivity the next week. People were leaving PXL in droves last fall and will continue to do so once the economy perks up. PXL is quickly developing a reputation for high turnover

Explore other reviews about Parexel

5.0
6 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great company! Great benefits and flexibility

Cons

Not the highest pay, but ok

4.0
10 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

full service CRO, lots of capabilities and resources for global studies. good at linking up resources/talent to study needs. very inclusive and good at recognizing talent. people are seen and best contributors are usually taken care of.

Cons

lots of changes being rolled out with limited transparency. contracting can be challenging. site payments and study closeout are areas that need improvement.

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