senior scientist

scientist

systems integration specialist

senior associate director

associate director

Boehringer-Ingelheim

Typical workday had a dept project meeting & construction coverage & Trackwise CAPAs & training, 
I learned much about myself and the pharma industry working with cross functional teams, 
Projects were in 4 factories and an R&D facility with a pilot plant at this location, 
It built great confidence in me and with my peers from successful project work with 1100 people, 
Most of management was supportive they were very favorable and appreciative of my work,
Workplace culture around the dept during lunch we all sat together to talk work & family,
Hardest part of the job was scheduling project field work in two different factories at same time,
Most enjoyable part of job was to receive a Reach for Excellence award for a project well done
I received four Reach for Excellence awards during my 12 years at BI


Working at BI is a decent first job out of college for a lot of biology majors who are taking a gap year or couldn't make it into medical school (most of the cases for my coworkers). You're called a lab tech but really you're not doing much lab stuff, you just happen to work in a lab to physically make the vaccines. Super physically demanding, you're always moving, twisting, bending, grabbing things. It's tough at first but you get used to it. Learning all the processes is super overwhelming, but they teach you that at the beginning. You're required to work in a heatroom, and moving back and forth in it, will make you super sweaty so if heat is not your thing, might not be good for you. It's also a lot of repetitive movement on the wrists, so carpal tunnel and tendonitis is a concern. You're expected to work on a weekend rotation as well (once a month basically.)
If you find the right lab, you can have the best coworkers and enjoy your time, but the wrong lab can make the job hard and dreary. There is so much gossiping and drama that it really doesn't feel like a professional workplace. There is training on harassment but it doesn't seem like anyone takes it seriously. 
Once you catch your stride and find the right lab, the workday is enjoyable. A decent first job, but it's more of a stepping stone for most people than a forever job. Benefits are nice. 
The temps do the same job as the full time employees, but are paid less. They also don't get the goodies that full time employees do. It is nice that BI will give things to their employees however, though they exclude the temps.
Team leads are nice, but not always helpful. If the labs are struggling ( callouts) they don't come in and help sadly. They come in for morning meetings but just deliver more side work for the labs to do.
Despite being the largest department, other departments will not come in to help. When those departments are short however, then the labs are expected to help, and it causes a lot of tension between the departments.
Overall 6.5/10.



My days started very early and were packed with a lot of discussion and coordination ( I worked in R&D ) there are basic tasks that need to get performed every day 7 days a week 365 day a year. Those tasks take about 4 hours , then break 15 minutes and check emails again then back into the vivarium depending on the day of the week you may have certain things that need to get accomplished . In between doing your work you will interact with your direct management and employees from other departments which typically added more tasks to your already busy schedule.  Then 12:00 you would normally  take lunch  for 30 minutes, after lunch check emails again.  Address emails of importance if need be , go back to vivarium and finish what needs to completed plus get things ready for the next day . My typical day ended  at 2:15 pm  but let me assure you most days didn't end at that time. there are many meetings and assignments and urgent things that are unforeseen that come up  regularly . Hardest part of the day is staying focused on the task at hand because you will be asked to do things that were not on your mental schedule . Management in my experience is always very helpful and I could always reach out to them for help or even an extra person to help if need be. The most enjoyable part of the job for me was always taking my canine companions whom I was responsible for out to the play area and giving them their daily exercise and enrichment. You typically learn something new or different almost every day working in the animal husbandry or toxicology department. You have to have be patience  and be to able multitask  because there is a lot to do every day.  staying focused and consistent  and use your tools and your voice . You  can always reach out for help and you will get it .

As an Onsite Support Specialist, your actual IT skills aren't used. You're more like a gopher that is knee jerk reacting to requests. Zero training. Zero health insurance.

You aren't given administrator access or basic tools to do your job. Even basic things you don't have permissions to do, You're always waiting on other people. Which leads to people waiting on you. 

Bosses and employees do "drive bys" and interrupt your work. That means walking up to your cube or snagging you on Skype or Teams. No one seems to use tickets or email, when you're supposed to. (If you know a person's Teams or Skype, you know their email)

The corporate it structure is global. Everything is pre decided. If there is a problem with a computer, even a simple fixable one, the answer is to swap and re-image.

The company suffers from too many "silos of data." it's gotten out of hand on a global scale (serious, not joking.) Data is lost, stale, and mismanaged. No one knows what system to look in to find things, as multiple topics are split up. As of right now I can count 7 different DMS systems, email, skype, teams, they are trying to use OneDrive as drive letters. Even the Learning System for the company is oddly broken. For some reason they have a Yammer and multiple search portals. There's a serious lack of structure and care.

This is a process driven company, but there is too much red tape. 

Onboarding is horrible. People expect you to know the entire company and what you need to do without explaining things. A lot of this job is finding out how badly things are set up.  
  
Simple projects drag on too long because of hand offs to people not physically there. Parts of IT are in Spain, Brazil, India, Philipines, and the USA. The way it works is very modular and disconnected.

When I joined Boehringer Ingelheim five years ago, the culture was exemplary—arguably the healthiest workplace environment I had ever experienced. I was fortunate to be under the leadership of an exceptional manager who had been with the company for over 16 years. He was an ideal leader… motivational, knowledgeable, and compassionate … and played a significant role in mentoring and developing my skills.

Unfortunately, recent organizational changes have significantly altered the culture. The collaborative, empowering environment that once existed has been replaced with a far more rigid and siloed dynamic. Many of the new leadership appointments, while technically proficient, lack the interpersonal skills and strategic vision that once made this a thriving organization. The cultural shift has resulted in decreased psychological safety, diminished team morale, and an overwhelming increase in ineffective meetings.

The work has become increasingly challenging, not due to the nature of the role itself, but because of the lack of direction, support, and alignment. My current leader is stretched thin and unable to provide guidance, leaving many of us to operate in isolation. I continue to give my best and lead strategic efforts with dedication, but the overall environment feels more like an unsolvable maze than a forward-moving organization.

I hold onto some hope that with the recent hiring of a new president, positive change may be possible. However, the damage to the culture has been significant, and without intentional and empathetic leadership from the top, it is hard to envision a return to the dynamic and inspiring workplace we once had.

While I remain committed to excellence in my role, I am actively exploring new opportunities, as there are no clear signs that the current trajectory will change.

The employer is a very high stress level employer to ever work for. These managers and human resources say they will keep your information secret. Pay scales are all blown different directions. When I worked for Fermenta Animal health this was the ideal employer to ever work for. These people were great people. Boehringer bought them out then they picked us off one at a time.. Then One by one the Big Employer Boehringer did everything in their power to kill out our production and fired us one by one. Reason??? Because they discriminated us. Seems the employees with children were the first to go, this was noticed by more than one employee. The atmosphere in the plant was miserable with all the back stabbing cutthroats by area managers that was our bosses would talk about you if you ever went to any of them for a personal reason my friends its completely throughout the plant I can guarantee you this. They thrive on talking behind your back about your issues you have secretly talked to them because you thought you could trust them. Wake Up Folks. They get this so called Best employer because of the hiring all the time well its simple they fire all the time as well. Got to have employees because they fire right and left  and the bosses stab each other as well, its a friggin zoo out there I truly think and I would almost say yes to this is the actual Boehringer Family are not even near this defiant with each other. I am a well seasoned ex employee because I had children and used their insurance. Yes I said it They let you go if you use the insurance for your children. I have a good friend in the team of directors and this was secretly told to me. If you have a disabled child you better not use the insurance. I have been there 20 years I know what I am talking about. Seems about 80% of the ratings were all FORMER EMPLOYEES see what I am telling you.

I have worked for Boehringer Ingelheim for almost 5 years now.  The work can be physically taxing, depending on which department you work in.   There is a lot of standing, walking, very repetitive lifting and loading.  Management in my department has certain leaders that lack integrity, empathy for employees and some lack mental stability.  While there are great leaders at this company union workers rarely get to see or speak with them and due to a fear based environment any feedback on supervisors is rarely communicated to those great leaders.
The pay is very good, but like I said, money isn't everything.  I work 3 twelve hour shifts and it is hard on the body and the mind.  I do not see my kids for three days.  The job is physically demanding on your back and ergonomics is unheard of.  Most supervisors and managers in my department do not care about their employees or what their employees have to say.  It's an environment that is based on the idea that we pay you more than anyone else so we can treat you however we like.  And that's when they get you paycheck right, which is about 60% of the time.  
Human resources is not a safe haven for employees to run to either.  Unless you like having someone role their eyes at you and speak to you in a condescending manner the entire time.
Bottom line is, in my department, most management treats you very bad, the morale is low and most workers have given up and do not do any work, which makes it so much harder for those of us that do care about our work.  For most workers I know the only enjoyable part is punching out.

Literally every piece of equipment is always in a state of disrepair with ad hoc measures being implemented as stop gap measures instead of making proper repairs or corrective actions. The hoteling area is littered with broken equipment parts, unused equipment parts and rotting food. Sometimes the food is left out for weeks on end. On a good day it's just disgusting to look at, on a bad day it's absolutely revolting. The hoteling area looks and smells like a homeless encampment. 
In the production area, the hallways are always littered with parts and equipment of unknown status.  Needed new equipment is ordered and delivered but cannot be released for production because of a bureaucratic maze of stupidity often for years on end. With no one ever held accountable for its implementation. Programming for the equipment operations is not written or correctly tested and is riddled with errors, placing operations on hold for hours. Instructions are often disseminated to operators via nonGMP sources. Simple operations are often very complex/confusing and it's easier to solve a Rubik's Cube than to run a CIP/SIP, because of the use of unreferenced multiple source documents needed. Operators often are unsure where the written procedure ends and” tribal knowledge” begins even during critical operations. Furthermore, Management is fully aware of the shortcomings but lacks the intellectual horsepower and the abstract reasoning skills needed in order to correct the situation. Further exacerbating the situation, management has a comically grandiose schedule that cannot be met unless they work their staff like a they are in a Dickensian workhouse.


The company has only given lip service to the issues it has with corporate culture.  Local teams and first line sales leaders are typically good.  If you win President's Club you will be a shining star for one quarter, but when your sales slip, you quickly return to your status of just another cog in the wheel.  The managing board of directors are very Fixed Mindset leading to significant limitations on product availability.  You will do well in Major metropolitan territories where the largest Managed Care Plans and National Accounts are catered to.  Unfortunately, if your territory is in "The Middle" of the US, you will likely have a variety of small plans with no coverage for your products.  If your competition has access, you will be goaled for their market share even though you have no access for significant growth.  As you can imagine, the mid-west is consistently under-represented in Sales Contests, Awards and Promotions.  Field sales managers have raised concerns about low salary, limited Incentive Plans, external hires into senior positions instead of promotions from within and corporate decisions that favor the Major Metropolitan areas in several forums at all levels of the organization but the concerns fall on deaf ears.  This works to your advantage if you are looking to get hired, but after a few years, you will notice you are stuck in the same role and the career progression you applied for was given to an external candidate.  If you live in New York, Florida or California, jump at the opportunity because you will do extremely well.  Anywhere else, you have about 3 years to find another job.

As I noted, it all depends on the position you have. If you're an administrative assistant, you're treated with disrespect. I've endured 3 years of torture working for two people in the Legal Dept. You're not appreciated and the lawyers break down their assistants to the point of crying either in the restrooms, cars, or at their desk.

As for benefits, it was the best. The cafeteria has good food. The campus has their own gym, which was nice with clean functioning showers.

I used to break out in hives because of the job, amazingly, the hives cleared up when I was terminated.

I used to get a kick out of my boss; I used to go to school since BI offers tuition reimbursement. I would pay for my tuition and my boss would hold off for 3 months to approve the form when my grades were A's & B's. I felt she would do it out of spite.

Human Resources doesn't help when you go to them for advice. Once you do go to HR, you're on the hit list for termination.

The admins are very clicky to the point that you don't feel welcome. In addition, if you didn't fit "their approval" on how you dressed or looked, they would join forces to sabatoge you and your job.

After I was terminated, I was informed that my two reporting managers went through five admin assistant's in one year. It helped me heal from the ordeal I went through.

I look back and thank God that I'm no longer there because I'm healthier mentally and physically since my employment ended at BI.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior scientist 12 salaries reported	$126,333 per year
Scientist 14 salaries reported	$101,857 per year
Systems integration specialist 30 salaries reported	$44.25 per hour
Senior associate director 8 salaries reported	$192,838 per year
Associate director 5 salaries reported	$166,500 per year

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