First,I have never worked for Lilly, but I did retiree from a major pharma company’s HR department. I come to CP every few months to see what’s going on with various companies and their respective sales teams. As usual, nothing ever changes. No matter the company, the majority of posts are complaints about the company, culture, management, etc.
Let me tell you how you are viewed by UPPER MANAGEMENT & HR. Upper management/HR views you as a temporary commodity. it is very, very unlikely you will remain for over 7 years (when I was in it), whether you voluntarily leave or we get rid of you. That number usually drops. Retention is not as important as say it was 30 to 40 years. Why? We know you have very little meaningful impact anymore. Insurance reimbursement, rebates, etc., have seen to that. Decades ago, reps were able to do much, much more than you are allowed to do today. They sponsored local journal clubs and even applied for CME credit for a local program! They had far more face-to-face time with physicians and were able to be more than just sample droppers. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
In re culture, that has changed in every company in America. People now change companies an average of 7 to 9 times in a career. The eliminates loyalty in both directions. The “what have you done for me today” philosophy is what matters. If you leave, no big deal, there are hundreds of resumes out there for your job. In fact, open territories often do very well for months.
I could write pages on this but it would get boring. Suffice to say you are easily replaced, and not as valuable as you once were in many ways. Since very, very few of you have an actual pension plan where you work (not that would endear loyalty!), the best plan is to move where you can make a significant salary increase. You are paid far better than the average worker. Remember, you do not have a “profession” , you have a “job”, and one that is filled with many insecurities.
