The New Reality of (what's left of) Merck Employees

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anonymous said:
Do people still work at Merck that are over 40? This was an entry level company for me. You get in, get trained, and move on to much higher paying Specialty/Biotech companies. Why would you ever stray here?
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What we have left is a bunch of 50 year old has been cc reps that got nowhere in their so called career. The end is near for cc-pc and that will be it. Unless seriously connected these slackers will be in the back of the line for a 60k contract job with mileage reimbursement. Having a Merck cc resume along with being over 35 is a death sentence in the job market. Best chance is to look now while there is a wee bit of time left. Otherwise your applicable job skills will land you a cashier job at a fast food joint.
 


















anonymous said:
Reading the posts about Merck's retirement musings led me to write this. It's time to acknowledge the reality…and Ken Frazieris not going to like what I have to say.

Over the last 12-13 years, Merck has actively minimized it's long-term costs by directly laying off tens of thousands of employees and also "encouraging" the departure of tens of thousands more. At the start of this mess, those in "protected groups" (an actual legal term) technically included employees over 40, but the white males had very little chance of successful age discrimination claims unless they were over 50 when they were pressured out. Hence, Merck was hesitant to target for removal those employees over fifty, in general, as those law suits would have made getting rid of those employees very expensive. Thus, we now have a much older sales force (average age is 51), with a smattering of contract reps and some very young reps that make very little and have virtually no impact on long-term costs (no pension for you!). So, those that were older back then are now retiring employees who are reaching that coveted goal, but it is indeed a shrinking group.

As a former senior manager, I can assure you that this is all true and accurate. Merck's demise began with the fall of Vioxx and was accelerated with the greatest series of R&D failures in pharmaceutical history. In short, Merck is where it is by its own accord. It's sad that more than half of the company's employees have been separated since then, with only a fraction having been replaced at a much smaller cost to the company, all because this company was so horribly managed.

As others have indicated, it is truly tragic that Merck's "leadership" has profited mightily since this all began.The billions of dollars (literally) paid to those executives who conceived and implemented the plan to sever the financial ---and often mental---health of our own fellow employees could have been used to soften the blow to those former employees and their families considerably. Instead, Merck's "leaders" have quietly enriched themselves while destroying countless lives with reckless abandon. It is truly shameful.

The anonymous nature of this forum affords me the opportunity to share this with you. Most of us with legal exposure to sharing information like this simply take their cash and drift away. I simply can't fail to acknowledge that thousands of very good people were made to look guilty as they were dismissed or, more often, pressured to quit by very underhanded means. It is a disgraceful organization.
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Be well!
 






anonymous said:
Frazier and his ilk should be applauded. No one is owed nor guaranteed a perpetual job. Frazier owes allegiance to the stock holders. Employees come and go and some are not needed going forward. In all likely the vast majority of the antiquated sales force will be as useful as buggy makers.
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Frazier is a carpet bagger, no scientific sense, architect of the biggest blunder in Pharma history. And an a-hole
 












You know what's sad? This post is completely true. The company's managers have literally been paid BILLIONS of dollars to fail miserably and screw tens of thousands of now former Merck employees.

And they got away with it.
 












anonymous said:
Do people still work at Merck that are over 40? This was an entry level company for me. You get in, get trained, and move on to much higher paying Specialty/Biotech companies. Why would you ever stray here?
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Yes. That is why cutting happens ever other year, to rid the over 50 lifers who have no skills and drain the tills.

CC is entry level at best and for those who eek this one out I have a surprise for you! I just learned that 1q 2020 your car will be tracked in addition to your iPad. Take a peek at the Amgen board who uses the same fleet partner/advisors. The initiative is already signed with Merck.

No hiding anymore.
 






anonymous said:
Yes. That is why cutting happens ever other year, to rid the over 50 lifers who have no skills and drain the tills.

CC is entry level at best and for those who eek this one out I have a surprise for you! I just learned that 1q 2020 your car will be tracked in addition to your iPad. Take a peek at the Amgen board who uses the same fleet partner/advisors. The initiative is already signed with Merck.

No hiding anymore.
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I thought they were tracking my car now
 






anonymous said:
Yes. That is why cutting happens ever other year, to rid the over 50 lifers who have no skills and drain the tills.

CC is entry level at best and for those who eek this one out I have a surprise for you! I just learned that 1q 2020 your car will be tracked in addition to your iPad. Take a peek at the Amgen board who uses the same fleet partner/advisors. The initiative is already signed with Merck.

No hiding anymore.
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Who really cares. When it's time to go, it's time to go. You can get stressed out but it does no good. There is nothing you can do anyway. Right or wrong, the results are the same. I used to get stressed till I realized it's the culture. If I make it past November, there is always feburary. Then there is always June. That crap can give you mega stress. Save cash and always have your resume up to date. You dont want to be flat footed. I am just waiting on a severance package. Until I get one I will bank good coin. The unemployment rate is low and most land on their feet. It's easy to get stress by this culture and fear of the unknown. I was but it causes me to do just enough not to get fired. Next RIF, if it's me, I will leave a happy person looking forward to my next chapter in life. No bitter feelings.
 






anonymous said:
Who really cares. When it's time to go, it's time to go. You can get stressed out but it does no good. There is nothing you can do anyway. Right or wrong, the results are the same. I used to get stressed till I realized it's the culture. If I make it past November, there is always feburary. Then there is always June. That crap can give you mega stress. Save cash and always have your resume up to date. You dont want to be flat footed. I am just waiting on a severance package. Until I get one I will bank good coin. The unemployment rate is low and most land on their feet. It's easy to get stress by this culture and fear of the unknown. I was but it causes me to do just enough not to get fired. Next RIF, if it's me, I will leave a happy person looking forward to my next chapter in life. No bitter feelings.
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Sometimes it’s a blessing!!! I am so glad I am not in this anymore!!
 






anonymous said:
Correct. Let's not forget that Ken Frazier has earned roughly $25 MILLION EVERY YEAR, while destroying the financial lives of tens of thousands of his employees. He is purely a piece of human debris and should be ashamed. Instead, he continues to "manage" this company into oblivion. Most of management and the entire Board of Directors should have been removed many years ago. They're all self-serving scum.
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That post holds true for many big pharma companies....just look at the Sackler family of Purdue....
 






anonymous said:
Peter Kim & Dick Clark royally screwed up when they abruptly withdrew Vioxx rather than working with agency to put a black box warning on it. They both weren't capable of growing the company, reorganize and cut. R&D discovered several drugs internally 3-10 years ago (Zepatier, Belsomra, Isentress, Januvia) but many great management & scientists discovering new drugs have been purged by self serving scientifically inept PowerPoint storytellers. They might be able to improve by first getting rid of Rich Tillyer, most of his reports Research senior managment. Bring back some management who actually know how to find good quality drug candidates.

Roger is a good evaluator of development candidates but isn't a strong leader discovering them.


"quote"
As a former senior manager, I can assure you that this is all true and accurate. Merck's demise began with the fall of Vioxx and was accelerated with the greatest series of R&D failures in pharmaceutical history. In short, Merck is where it is by its own accord. It's sad that more than half of the company's employees have been separated since then, with only a fraction having been replaced at a much smaller cost to the company, all because this company was so horribly managed.
Click to expand...
Well karma is a bitch!! I remember when Vioxx came out, the Merck reps in my territory sent out anonymous faxes to offices on how bad the Searle COX 2 inhibitor was after a few patients got ill...
Very unprofessional! I don’t feel sorry for you sleeve bags...
 






anonymous said:
Who really cares. When it's time to go, it's time to go. You can get stressed out but it does no good. There is nothing you can do anyway. Right or wrong, the results are the same. I used to get stressed till I realized it's the culture. If I make it past November, there is always feburary. Then there is always June. That crap can give you mega stress. Save cash and always have your resume up to date. You dont want to be flat footed. I am just waiting on a severance package. Until I get one I will bank good coin. The unemployment rate is low and most land on their feet. It's easy to get stress by this culture and fear of the unknown. I was but it causes me to do just enough not to get fired. Next RIF, if it's me, I will leave a happy person looking forward to my next chapter in life. No bitter feelings.[/QUOTE

Since the pension goes flat at end of year, there is not much of an Incentive to get rid of people since there are no replacement people out there. The company will just wait out the older workers.
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anonymous said:
This is the best thread I've ever read on Cafe Pharma. The original post says all you need to know about what Merck has become.
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and one of the worst parts of being a part of this organization was that all the hard work and integrity never mattered to any of them. it was always about "what have you done for me lately". and we all all utilities that are easily disposed of when they don't need us. that is just not the way to build a future for yourself or your family.

let's hope all the youngsters read this and make the necessary adjustments to their future. this company truly screwed over a lot of people, not just financially, but also messed with their work ethic and motivation.

my suggestion is for all to get away from working for corporations unless you start your own. better move is to work for the state or a university if you don't want to start your own business or do what great salespeople do, and that is independent selling.
 






anonymous said:
Reading the posts about Merck's retirement musings led me to write this. It's time to acknowledge the reality…and Ken Frazieris not going to like what I have to say.

Over the last 12-13 years, Merck has actively minimized it's long-term costs by directly laying off tens of thousands of employees and also "encouraging" the departure of tens of thousands more. At the start of this mess, those in "protected groups" (an actual legal term) technically included employees over 40, but the white males had very little chance of successful age discrimination claims unless they were over 50 when they were pressured out. Hence, Merck was hesitant to target for removal those employees over fifty, in general, as those law suits would have made getting rid of those employees very expensive. Thus, we now have a much older sales force (average age is 51), with a smattering of contract reps and some very young reps that make very little and have virtually no impact on long-term costs (no pension for you!). So, those that were older back then are now retiring employees who are reaching that coveted goal, but it is indeed a shrinking group.

As a former senior manager, I can assure you that this is all true and accurate. Merck's demise began with the fall of Vioxx and was accelerated with the greatest series of R&D failures in pharmaceutical history. In short, Merck is where it is by its own accord. It's sad that more than half of the company's employees have been separated since then, with only a fraction having been replaced at a much smaller cost to the company, all because this company was so horribly managed.

As others have indicated, it is truly tragic that Merck's "leadership" has profited mightily since this all began.The billions of dollars (literally) paid to those executives who conceived and implemented the plan to sever the financial ---and often mental---health of our own fellow employees could have been used to soften the blow to those former employees and their families considerably. Instead, Merck's "leaders" have quietly enriched themselves while destroying countless lives with reckless abandon. It is truly shameful.

The anonymous nature of this forum affords me the opportunity to share this with you. Most of us with legal exposure to sharing information like this simply take their cash and drift away. I simply can't fail to acknowledge that thousands of very good people were made to look guilty as they were dismissed or, more often, pressured to quit by very underhanded means. It is a disgraceful organization.
Click to expand...
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