Corporate Culture V's Curing Cancer - Anonymous employee Varian Medical Systems Employee Review

2.0
11 July 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great people and and good cause (to cure cancer). Their product line is solid and they are leaders in their field with their current product platform.

Cons

An aging workforce with an ingrained old-school culture make it difficult to compete with Silicon Valley's standard of living, flexible work-schedules, and innovation mindset. Busy is encouraged more than results. (Back-to-back meetings, excessive travel for upper management...) Bonuses are non-existent for individual contributors, and the company has a large middle management layer that seems to prefer working in silos even within their own departments. Decisions are often made behind closed doors by upper and middle management, and information is offered to employees on a "need to know" basis. This autocratic leadership style with no accountability has given middle managers free reign, and ideas are often met with "that's not how we do things here". Younger employees, <40, often struggle with inconsistent work policies, lack of growth opportunities, average salaries, and capped raises. Sadly, curing cancer is sometimes not enough to surpass this stifled corporate culture.

Explore other reviews about Varian Medical Systems

5.0
19 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Innovative products with high competition and market leader

Cons

Poor management decisions can lead to mismanagement

5.0
17 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are multiple complex projects in development with large, international, and very talented teams. Company benefits are excellent. Culture is great.

Cons

Funding was rearranged and as a result ~35 employees were laid off in the Austin office in 2024.

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