GRAIL reviews

2.9

42% would recommend to a friend

(218 total reviews)

Bob Ragusa

39% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

GRAIL has an employee rating of 2.9 out of 5 stars, based on 218 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The GRAIL employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

218 reviews
1.0
May 10, 2021

Horrible work culture

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cool product Mission focused Some talented/friendly employees

Cons

-Comically poor timeline planning, leadership wants it all now and often asks for the unrealistic burning out employees -Favoritism promotions prioritized over merit ones -Most of the legacy employees, been with GRAIL >3 years are formally inexperienced and promoted due to tenure. They also tend to the most unfriendly, unhelpful employees promoting to the toxic culture - Culture is work-obsessed, emails and instant messages are sent at all hours of the day and often well after work hours. This is promoted as "fast-paced" but really is just toxic - The people are the worst of any company I've worked with, they have no risk tolerance, large ego's and regularly political games Where to start with the cons at this place: - Compensation at this company is mostly oriented toward stock, of which management is getting disproportionately rewarded while driving employees to work "harder and faster" to reach goals that will make them wealthier. The sheep employees are more than happy to tow the line - People don't take days off...because nobody else takes days off. Not uncommon to see people working here who have taken <5 days off in a whole year. Those who are off have an implicit expectation to work partially...because everyone else does - People are proud to work late and on weekends, "for the mission." Some people wear it as a badge of honor. Management encourages this expectation and it bleeds over to the individuals who you know, don't want work to be 100% of their lives - Company is coming off a product launch of which the employees went above and beyond to pull off in accordance with the above hilariously unrealistic timelines. Management's message: Let's work even harder to hit our next priorities faster...so we can get richer, ahem sorry I meant to bring the product to more patients faster - The legacy employees at this company are the worst, and their toxicity is enabled by management. - Switched to a 5 year vesting program on new RSU grants - Can't make a decision, and stick to it. Decisions are revisited, again, and again and again and often elevated to the executive team to finally arbitrate. Did I mention that said executive team can arbitrarily overturn any decision made at the lower levels...so much for empowering teams - Did I mention that any work-life balance is nonexistent? - Many times, recognition is not appropriate. There are certain individuals across the organization who are "doers" and work in an effective, friendly, inclusive, and practical way. These individuals are leaving for greener pasture because their contributions are either not recognized or not rewarded

avatar
GRAIL Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at GRAIL. We appreciate your dedication to GRAIL and its mission to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are striving to improve transparency across all levels to ensure more business decisions are understood company-wide. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your feedback directly so we can make GRAIL an even greater place to work, and hope you will reach out to your management or HR business partner.
1.0
Apr 30, 2021

Underqualified people working in silos

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Technology holds great promise for detecting cancer early

Cons

Really underqualified middle and upper management; whatever level you were in pharma, you deserve a two step upgrade if you come here and be prepared for your supervisor to have a lot less industry experience than you have.

avatar
GRAIL Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at GRAIL. We appreciate your dedication to GRAIL and its mission to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are striving to improve transparency across all levels to ensure more business decisions are understood company-wide. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your feedback directly so we can make GRAIL an even greater place to work, and hope you will reach out to your management or HR business partner.
5.0
Apr 14, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Some really exceptional engineers here. Additionally, they handled COVID very well and have been very accommodating to engineers. Management keeps the riff raff at bay and it's easy to focus on work and just get things done. GRAIL has a lot of money to spend on its engineers to make them happy and it shows. Also helps to be working for a company that actually has a positive impact as the industry is full of people promising to save the world; GRAIL is sorta actually doing that.

Cons

A recent product launch left a lot of people really burnt out and it's not clear how the company plans to address this long term. Short term spot bonuses and lots of accolades for high performers helped, but leadership still seems to be working out big picture operations and it's a bit too opaque. I hope they can figure it out though, and the current calm is maybe deceptive.

avatar
GRAIL Response
5y
Thank you for sharing your favorite parts about working at GRAIL and our opportunities for growth and improvement. We are continuously working to ensure that all employees feel valued and heard. Thank you for contributing to GRAIL’s success!
Viewing 181 - 183 of 218 Reviews

Glassdoor has 240 GRAIL reviews submitted anonymously by GRAIL employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if GRAIL is right for you.