Have you ever stopped yourself from applying for a position with a high profile, life sciences organization because you thought it wasn’t worth it?
Have you ever stopped yourself from applying for a position with a high profile, life science organization because you thought it wasn’t worth it? Many professionals believe that in order to work for large companies, they must give up other benefits and sacrifice their personal life. The most recent BioSpace Ideal Employer Report published comprehensive survey results that evaluated how employees perceive recognizable organizations. Over 2,700 life sciences professionals participated in the survey, sharing their thoughts on what company attributes were most important to them and which organizations were the most prestigious.
The results of the study showed that life sciences professionals believe the top five ideal employers are: Genentech, Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, and Novartis. Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, and AbbVie were also highlighted within the top ten organizations. There was a stark contrast noticed between how current employees view their organization, and how outsiders perceive that same company. It was discovered that many organizations have a public perception problem, because their employees tended to rank them higher on desirable attributes than those who never worked there. Here are the top 5 misconceptions about life sciences employers.
1. They don’t have flexible work hours
It’s common for professionals to assume that if they work for a large organization, that it will be overly demanding and stressful. For people with children, elderly parents, or other family circumstances, flexible work hours are usually prioritized heavily. The BioSpace Ideal Employer Report found a variance of approximately 30% between how insiders (who actually work for an organization) perceive flexibility of working times, and how outsiders (who don’t work for the company) assume flexibility would be.
2. The team dynamics aren’t good
Most professionals have worked in a negative or toxic environment at some point in their lives. One of the biggest reasons for unhappiness on the job involves team dynamics amongst colleagues and co-workers. The survey noted an approximate 27% difference between how insiders rated team dynamics within their organization, and how outsiders rated those same environments. From the outside looking in, it seemed easier to project thoughts of discord among teams.
3. They don’t have flexible working locations / offer remote work
The ability to work remotely or have some degree of flexibility in working location is also highly valued among employees. This allows someone to handle medical emergencies, unexpected events and chose to live in a suburban or rural area. There was a difference of approximately 26% between how participants who are insiders at a company viewed this flexibility, as opposed to outsiders.
4. The culture wouldn’t align with my values
In the past, many companies only focused on the bottom line and didn’t put as much effort into organizational values and how they treat their employees. For those reasons, outsiders often assume that they won’t be in agreement with how a company does business. When asked about the attribute of an organization having a “culture that aligns with my values” there was a variance of approximately 24% when comparing insiders and outsiders.
5. They aren’t progressive on issues like diversity / CSR
In addition to values, a lot of life science professionals are observing how their company handles strategic initiatives such as diversity and corporate social responsibility. There is overwhelming research to support how decision making done by diverse groups yields better results. A difference of about 22% was observed between insiders and outsiders, who rated organizations on their progressiveness on issues.
The BioSpace Ideal Employer Report revealed many misconceptions outsiders have about life science organizations they’ve never worked for. Overall, actual employees of companies ranked their organization higher on every attribute studied than outsiders did. Current employees believe that there is more flexibility in work hours and location, better team dynamics, more aligned corporate cultures, and progressive actions on strategic initiatives. What thoughts do you have that might not be true about large organizations?
Porschia Parker-Griffin is a Certified Coach, Professional Resume Writer, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. (https://www.fly-highcoaching.com) She empowers ambitious professionals and motivated executives to add $10K on average to their salaries.
