An old-school employer who tries to improve presence in the Bay Area, but still retains the Chicago mentality - R&Amp; D Scientist AbbVie Employee Review

1.0
Sep 18, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very good team of scientists.

Cons

The company has a caste system. The caste is divided by grade. Managers have grade 18 and above, while minion employees have grade 17 and below. Minion employees are the life blood of the company, yet have no stock, 8% bonus with no performance modifier, and will have to jump through many layers of politics to get promoted. Meanwhile, managers will qualify for stock, 15% bonus with performance modifier ( up to 200% modifier), and exclusive access to fast-track promotion. As the company tries to consolidate three sites in the Bay Area and move to SSF, in the words of Tom Hudson, the company’s CSO, this move will bring more opportunity to everyone. Yet, what we saw in the past three years were fast track promotions to all the managers. Now there are a lot of Directors, Managers, Senior Directors, etc etc. The minion employees are left behind with no clear vision of advancement. At the same time, the managers have the privilege to work from home in their little castles for a foreseeable future, and the minion employees are all recalled on-site to work. To add salt to the injury, the company took back the free lunch benefit for onsite workers, and leave the employees struggle to find lunch. The implementation of Eat Club has been a disaster.

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AbbVie Response
5y
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We have a strong commitment to employee satisfaction and wish to discuss your feedback in more detail. If willing, please reach out to us at HRConnect.northamerica@abbvie.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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5.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

A very supportive team and managers pushed me to achieve more. Learnt and developed a lot of skills in my time there.

Cons

None that I can think of.

4.0
Apr 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Not bad as pharma companies go. Relatively good job security. A lot of lovely, smart and hard working people. Benefits team are generally receptive and benefits have improved. Less likely to lay people off than other pharma/biotech.

Cons

Your experience is almost entirely dictated by your managers. Adherence to official policies is super variable. Site is relatively siloed from the rest of the company, top-heavy, and academic. Too many PhDs, not enough entry level development to support projects and execution. Sometimes a lack of clear leadership or direction and bizarre "old school" pharma opaque communication. Very limited, once yearly opportunities for promotion. Bizarre pay /compensation penalties for taking parental leave that saddles two different calendar years.

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