what ever happened to all those surveys?

[Anonymous]

how do you think the organization will package the wonderful results this year? I am sure it will be another year of improvements and great results! I don't even know why they bother to do them, every year we are ranked high performing with a few token weak spots and nothing ever changes.

I don't think anyone gets the fact that change has to come from the top but its the same old people doing the same old crap.

I am sorry but Mark Timmeny asking us to bring issues forward and do things differently just shows how out of touch he is with the working environment. Hey Mark, take a stroll thru 1A and see how much confidence there is in speaking up and raising issues, ask around, how does leadership respond to feedback, is it possible that anyone who raises an issue gets personally berated and belittled....at Merck???? does leadership throw a temper tantrum if someone has the gall to speak up??? do they get publicly humiliated and shunned? are the ass kissers the only ones promoted?? those are the 2nd line Poster children for dysfunctional management.

burning platform is toast
its safe to speak up (if you want to lose your job)
sure, we will show courage and candor (to brown nose publicly because you fear losing your job)

so much potential, so much leadership dysfunction....

 

[Anonymous]

Seriously there is no leader at merck.

 

[Anonymous]

Seriously there is no leader at merck.

This is real simply, surveys are good the Merck will jump around like they are the best place to work and all is well in whoville. If they are not good then it will be the managers fault. The managers dont represent the company properly to change the attitude of the reps about the company. Believe me you guys love to kill managers here but managers are under more pressure about results than you are and things like the surveys, no matter the questions are held against them.

 

[Anonymous]

Seriously there is no leader at merck.

Not true- call him over at Happy Valley.

 

[Anonymous]

Surveys are used as manipulation tools. Not worth the cost of the paper.

 

[Anonymous]

I am a manager and actually I saw the survey results and how senior management is actually packaging it. The results are crappy. Really crappy on leadership. Things are far worse in one particular division than anywhere else. For you all who are reps out there know that GHH is far better than the rest (more ass kissers in sales?)
It is so bad I don't see how they will actually deal with it. But then again they can be as confident and self-assured as the North Koreans.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, no more talk about these surveys serving any useful purpose - for you or for the long-term health of the company. Just dutifully fill them out as if your boss and your boss's boss is looking over your shoulder. Figuratively, they are. Acting on unfavorable results is not what you are being asked to do. Providing responses is. And those responses are a product of your own particular perspective, such as a need to stay employed or provide for your family. Any intrinsic desire to answer truthfully should be tempered by the likelihood of confidentiality breach, the possibility of future repercussions, and the total failure of the surveys to accomplish their purpose. They are no more consequential than a child's coloring book. And you are not required to stay between the lines.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, no more talk about these surveys serving any useful purpose - for you or for the long-term health of the company. Just dutifully fill them out as if your boss and your boss's boss is looking over your shoulder. Figuratively, they are. Acting on unfavorable results is not what you are being asked to do. Providing responses is. And those responses are a product of your own particular perspective, such as a need to stay employed or provide for your family. Any intrinsic desire to answer truthfully should be tempered by the likelihood of confidentiality breach, the possibility of future repercussions, and the total failure of the surveys to accomplish their purpose. They are no more consequential than a child's coloring book. And you are not required to stay between the lines.

By lying and saying everything is great perpetuates the growing problem. Why not be honest and tell the truth. Many of us are going to be forced out of anyways. You cannot expect the salesforce to be successful if you constantly threaten to fire them or constantly force iniatives that customers despise. The reason we are in this mess is because there are too many yes people in positions of influence allowing a few insane bullies ruin this organization.

 

[Anonymous]

By lying and saying everything is great perpetuates the growing problem. Why not be honest and tell the truth. Many of us are going to be forced out of anyways. You cannot expect the salesforce to be successful if you constantly threaten to fire them or constantly force iniatives that customers despise. The reason we are in this mess is because there are too many yes people in positions of influence allowing a few insane bullies ruin this organization.

Lying or telling the truth changes nothing. The problem is perpetual. So it cannot be perpetuated any more or less by a survey filled out honestly or dishonestly. Cynicism wins. The bullies obviously don't give a rip what you or I think so why even bother to push back. Nobody should ever again take any personal risk by believing that you will be turning this hole around. It is toast.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in HQ finance and our group felt duped when they included survey result scores in the 2010 bonus scorecard AFTER we had submitted answers. That was total BS because the reason for the (low) scores was management but we got dinged for telling the truth.

So we debated either continue with the deserved low scores, lie with high ones but hold our bonus harmless or rank high but comment on each point how it was a lie and we just wanted to protect the bonus they were trying to screw us out of. But then, POOF, almost all the comment sections went away on the next survey. For the most part we continued to give the deserved low rating and then made specific comments in the one or two spots at the end.

FU Merck!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm in HQ finance and our group felt duped when they included survey result scores in the 2010 bonus scorecard AFTER we had submitted answers. That was total BS because the reason for the (low) scores was management but we got dinged for telling the truth.

So we debated either continue with the deserved low scores, lie with high ones but hold our bonus harmless or rank high but comment on each point how it was a lie and we just wanted to protect the bonus they were trying to screw us out of. But then, POOF, almost all the comment sections went away on the next survey. For the most part we continued to give the deserved low rating and then made specific comments in the one or two spots at the end.

FU Merck!

You are a certifiable dumb ass if you are so naive as to include comments on these surveys. Any manager with half a brain (OK so that's only 5-10% of managers) can pretty much pinpoint who is who on these surveys as-is and certainly so if you write comments.

 

[Anonymous]

You are a certifiable dumb ass if you are so naive as to include comments on these surveys. Any manager with half a brain (OK so that's only 5-10% of managers) can pretty much pinpoint who is who on these surveys as-is and certainly so if you write comments.

Well a group of us do it and we're all still standing. We're not passive/aggressive like most management, we say what we write all the time. Everyone knows who we are and what we think. If they target us there would be anarchy and they know it.

The truth can hurt some but sets all free!

 

[Anonymous]

These surveys are never anonymous!

Years ago the surveys were mailed in for tabulating. This increased truthful responses. The most truthful results are provided when the survey is given on a paper format and reps have a couple of days at an annual meeting to insert responses into a box.

When surveys are in a computer format the results are not truthful. The company knows this. They purposefully do not want to have an open format where employees are more confident of confidentiality. The survey is more a political tool than a tool for improving corporate results.

 

[Anonymous]

Check out this link. It's an outside website that employees can provide reviews of Merck. Not surprisingly, people listed as a director had wonderful things to say about Merck but those posting as anonymous or sales had not so nice things.


http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Merck-Reviews-E438.htm

 

[Anonymous]

I am a manager and actually I saw the survey results and how senior management is actually packaging it. The results are crappy. Really crappy on leadership. Things are far worse in one particular division than anywhere else. For you all who are reps out there know that GHH is far better than the rest (more ass kissers in sales?)
It is so bad I don't see how they will actually deal with it. But then again they can be as confident and self-assured as the North Koreans.

so what was the deal? are we no longer the best company to work for anymore? Is our engagement slipping? Is the field lower than HQ? (not possible) Who's group was the lowest?

It doesn't matter, nothing will change, I don't know why the hell they even bother. Nothing has changed since they started doing them and every year things have gotten a tad worse. Remember the burning platform? Remember all the initiatives? Safe to speak up -- what did they ever result in?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

So the question I would like to ask Mark Timney, if culture starts with leadership and trickles down, are they taking a look at leadership in the divisions that are really low or are they going to come up with some half assed excuses like "well, there were layoffs in those departments so we expected it to be low" HELLO --- we have been dealing with lay offs for 7 years now --- uuugghhh so freaking frustrating.

 

[Anonymous]

These surveys are never anonymous!

Years ago the surveys were mailed in for tabulating. This increased truthful responses. The most truthful results are provided when the survey is given on a paper format and reps have a couple of days at an annual meeting to insert responses into a box.

When surveys are in a computer format the results are not truthful. The company knows this. They purposefully do not want to have an open format where employees are more confident of confidentiality. The survey is more a political tool than a tool for improving corporate results.

A few years ago a couple of reps in our district received an email from the region secretary........................ the email quiried to send in the "Anonymous" surveys. How did they know that these two specific reps did not send in the "Anonymous" surveys? Because the surveys are not anonymous.....

 

[Anonymous]

A few years ago a couple of reps in our district received an email from the region secretary........................ the email quiried to send in the "Anonymous" surveys. How did they know that these two specific reps did not send in the "Anonymous" surveys? Because the surveys are not anonymous.....

WHOA!!!

 

[Anonymous]

so what was the deal? are we no longer the best company to work for anymore? Is our engagement slipping? Is the field lower than HQ? (not possible) Who's group was the lowest?

It doesn't matter, nothing will change, I don't know why the hell they even bother. Nothing has changed since they started doing them and every year things have gotten a tad worse. Remember the burning platform? Remember all the initiatives? Safe to speak up -- what did they ever result in?? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

So the question I would like to ask Mark Timney, if culture starts with leadership and trickles down, are they taking a look at leadership in the divisions that are really low or are they going to come up with some half assed excuses like "well, there were layoffs in those departments so we expected it to be low" HELLO --- we have been dealing with lay offs for 7 years now --- uuugghhh so freaking frustrating.

Exactly why everyone needs to embrace 15X15 and enjoy!

FU Merck!

 

[Anonymous]

By lying and saying everything is great perpetuates the growing problem. Why not be honest and tell the truth. Many of us are going to be forced out of anyways. You cannot expect the salesforce to be successful if you constantly threaten to fire them or constantly force iniatives that customers despise. The reason we are in this mess is because there are too many yes people in positions of influence allowing a few insane bullies ruin this organization.

i agree what have you got to lose at this point, we haven't done anyone any favors by parroting what leaders want to hear - then they have the excuse "oh we survey you and you tell us that we are a high performing company?"

so we better start giving OUR honest feedback - if for no other reason than to lay it at the feet of leadership -- ok folks you want to hear how toxic this culture is - here you go --- now be leaders and fix it - start with yourselves and your own team - are you promoting ass kissers and yes men or are YOU listening to the voices that are telling you what you don't want to hear and acting on it and responding to it with more than bullshit excuses?

there are some major bullies out there in positions of leadership - people who belittle others and promote people just like themselves. (dont believe me, look at mr 17%) So its not just the bullies and bullshitters its those they promote that need to reconsidered, because that is what is perpetuating the toxicity.

Be honest, tell the truth... and hope for the best.