Is Merck a good company to work for?

Merck has an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5, based on over 8,172 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 83% of employees would recommend working at Merck to a friend and 71% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Merck have been left by employees working as Co-Op , Intern and Internship .

Does Merck pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Merck employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Merck. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Merck?

83% of Merck employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Merck 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Merck?

Associate Director (235) , Director (190) , Intern (171) , Senior Scientist (163) , Sales Representative (117) , Scientist (94) , Associate Principal Scientist (92) , Senior Specialist (92) , Project Manager (88) , Manager (86) , Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative (59) , Associate Specialist (58) , Specialist (58) , Operations Manager (51) , Internship (49)

What are the pros of working at Merck according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are good (middle of road for pharma) Great when compared to other industries" ((in 742 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 509 reviews)); "Ambient friendly with good pay" ((in 348 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 335 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 288 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Merck according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 229 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and reorgs." ((in 138 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 108 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 83 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 76 reviews))

What are employees saying about Merck layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Merck layoffs and their outlook for job security at Merck in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Merck locations?

West Point , Rahway , Kenilworth , Durham , Philadelphia , North Wales , Elkton , Boston , Lansdale , Whitehouse Station , Summit , New York , Newark , South San Francisco , Los Angeles , Cambridge , Millsboro , Wilson , Whitehouse , Branchburg , Jersey City , Charlotte , Madison , Raleigh , Chicago , New Brunswick , Elkhorn , Washington , Houston , San Francisco

Merck reviews

4.1

83% would recommend to a friend

(6,160 total reviews)

Rob Davis

82% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Merck has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 6,160 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Merck employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

2.0

Nov 5, 2008

A smart research firm that's long been too complacent and traditional.

Senior research scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Enormous resources, _normally_ a place to pursue a stable career (except in this economy), you can make an important difference in peoples' lives, the work is challenging, the coworkers are smart and constructive (if rather bland), the technical management is generally quite good (far better than the non-technical hierarchy).

Cons

Very bureaucratic, hierarchical, top heavy, often uncreative, lacking imagination, too reluctant to take risks, FAR too much willingness to stick with tradition (old school/old boy). Strongly moving toward outsourcing (even of research). Already outsourcing over 80% of its IT. Way too much group-think among uppermost management. Upper management is incredibly oversensitive to legal threats of all kinds, even anticipating potential threats from employees themselves.

2.0

Oct 31, 2008

Change the culture

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Salary, salary, salary, flexibility, dedicated people, work/life balance. Their salaries are better than those in the other pharma sectors for administrative personnel. They encourage flex time - I am able to telecommute at the drop of a hat - but I am in IT and have the capability. The work/life balance is fantastic. I have had colleagues who got great time off for childbirth with complications, a colleague whos separation was put off because of the death of a very close member of the family. And most people are very, very dedicated - putting in more hours than required.

Cons

Awful Culture - I have worked at other big pharma in the NJ area and they are the worst. J&J ranks among the best of the best. The looked down upon status of administrative personnel - many of our admin's have college and advanced degrees and are still treated like second class citizens in the Merck world. There is no "management" track for the title and therefore we are considered lower than low. The constant atmosphere of "I am next to be laid off" - makes for terrible employee morale. Extreme offshoring - but then I work in IT. Non-recgonition and feedback.

3.0

Oct 27, 2008

Merck - Not what it used to be.

National account executive

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Merck still has some incredible people who are dedicated, intelligent and passionate about their work and the difference they make each day. While the quality of products and innovation is not what it once was at Merck, there continues to be a goal of creating novel compounds as opposed to me too products. While the benefits of most companies in the industry are pretty similar, I applaud Merck for not making significant changes in the benefit program in light of the difficult times that the company has experienced.

Cons

Senior Management promote in their image versus quality, this is likely the biggest disadvantage. Quality work is rarely recognized or appreciated if you are not on the favorite list.

Viewing 6103 - 6105 of 6,160 Reviews

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Merck

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A smart research firm that's long been too complacent and traditional.

Change the culture

Merck - Not what it used to be.

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