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Thermo Fisher Scientific

Engaged employer

Good people, fulfilling work, bad deadlines, fair amount of bureaucracy - Scientist I Thermo Fisher Scientific Employee Review

4.0
6 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Coworkers are pretty relaxed and easy to get along with, there is good team building and comraderie. There are very few 'problem' hires and the company does work hard to make sure people arent going to be a pain to work with. Changing departments to make lateral career moves is supported very well. The department I am in is not required to mark a minimum percentage of employees as requiring performance improvement, so there isn't the same rat race fear that you will get passed over for bonuses or merit increases just because you were not ranked in the top x% of employees. Pay tends to be on the high side for our area for middle and higher band positions. The company does show inspirational patient testimony of how our jobs impact patient lives, which is a nice morale boost.

Cons

Thermo is a large corporation and internal promotions are based on a business need. This can lead to stagnation at all levels in departments with low turnover. Typically the only way to get a promotion is to bounce between departments or external companies and thermo. Bonuses are tied to site performance, if other departments really drop the ball it can tank your bonus even when you do everything flawlessly. Higher tiers of bonus pay and merit increase are locked behind being designated a 'clear strength's to the company, which is typically limited to the top 5% performers per department. This means you may be competing with people multiple pay bands higher than you who have far more chances to link their execution to profit generation. Lower band pay can be really rough considering the work expectations and education requirements.

Explore other reviews about Thermo Fisher Scientific

5.0
22 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Strong management and benefits and work life balance

Cons

Low pay and low yearly increases/ bonuses. Can be hard to advance

1.0
20 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you're stuck in the Greenville area for some unfortunate reason, it's a job.

Cons

This place is functionally a mafia. The same rotating cast of "old head" people that have been at the site for decades watches each other's backs, and overworks everyone else. God help you if you're actually capable or smart, because they will overload you as much as possible, while ensuring that they, and their pals, do as little as possible. They really have no concept of capacity management at all. There is no math, metrics, or even mild logic that goes in to how they define R&R or distribute work. No one really knows how to do anything at all. Things that sound simple, like shipping a sample for instance.. Well, clear your afternoon. It doesn't help that all of their systems are completely antiquated. I should also note that you won't get any support on anything really, from training to execution. No one wants to be here, and it's so obvious. The place looks and feels like a prison because it is. It doesn't even pay that well compared to other pharma companies! That barbed wire isn't there to keep people out, it's to keep them in.

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