Bad Culture: Prior to the Danaher acquisition, although Cepheid had its cultural and operational problems, it was still a fun place to work. People were friendly, willing to cooperate and assist improvement efforts. Employees had time for employee sponsored welfare activities like Halloween Pot Luck Parties, as one example. Today, no one has time for anything but trying to get their outrageous workloads accomplished and meet the Danaher visual metrics goals established and publicly posted in the effort to shame you for being behind in your goal; the public posting is what they call the "Danaher Way". The culture is more like Gestapo propaganda! Don't consider working there!
Rhetoric and deceit (management does not walk their talk): The management and Danaher corporation say one thing and do quite another. They spout rhetoric like "Go to Gemba" to make sure you know what is going on in your area which is essentially the age old method of "management by walking around". Yet you never see top executives anywhere asking how things are going; listening to floor employee concerns; taking notes; spearheading action. The only time I see my departments executive is when that person holds a staff meeting to spout even more rhetoric (i.e., propaganda). I love to watch the blank stares of the employees during these meetings. No one cares to hear it yet again.
Management is not employee friendly ad fat with hubrus: Prior to Danaher, my direct manager was genuinely concerned about our careers, work-life balance and general well-being and listened to our ideas taken from our experience. Senior management in the past was not. Senior management had always and still does sit in their ivory tower; never saying hello to lower level grunt staff or even walking around to be seen. When my manager was replaced with a Danaher goon, all that direct-line humanitarianism was gone. The new Danaher management is myopically focused on cost reduction at the expense of people. "Work More With Less" and "Profits Before People" should be the slogans they post on placards in the hallways along with their posters that say "Just Do It". What the heck do they think that slogan that says to their staff? In addition, many of the new management do not want to hear what you have to say because the "Danaher Way" is the only way, so get out of the way.
