Pros
401k Match is fantastic, excellent maternity and paternity leave. Paid time off, benefits and paid vacation are all decent. Pay is competitive. Alcon has a lot of potential and these are all very positive things.
Cons
Favoritism is rampant at the Houston site and it’s causing extreme high turnover and an erosion in morale. Non-favored employees don’t get promoted, so why do more? And favored employees got there by doing nothing so why not continue to do nothing? For the non-favored employees, management would also give them a development plan to help them get to a management position but it’s all BS. For example, one employee with purchasing experience was told in order to be a purchasing manager, they would have to work as an analyst first before they can even apply for the manager role. So this person would work hard and try to follow the roadmap that was paved out for them by management and to their dismay, another person with no experience as an analyst or purchasing gets the purchasing manager role and will now be managing them. This is just one of many stories but that’s the reason why many people are disgruntled. Unfortunately for Alcon, a lot of us didn’t start our careers here so when we hear BS, or when we are lied to, we look for opportunities elsewhere and immediately we start doing the bare minimum. Highest turnover will point you to the department where favoritism is a problem. There’s a reason why five people left within a span of 1.5 years in one department. But on a positive note, I have Alcon to thank. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have enough hate/motivation to drive myself to apply for bigger opportunities at Indeed everyday on company time. So keep up with the favoritism and the BS development plans so those who work hard at Alcon can leave for bigger and better opportunities elsewhere and contribute to those companies that take care of them. That’s my wish for all those that slave away at Alcon - don’t listen to what your manager tells you, that you need to do this and that and you’re not good enough for this and that. Please get a second opinion today by applying to the job that you feel you are qualified for and best of luck to you. And for those that want to sign on and work for Alcon... it’s great if you’re over the age of 55 or if you’re fresh out of college trying to gain some solid work experience.
