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 3.9 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 (234) , 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 (55) , 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 751 reviews)); "There has been some really great people that have worked in Durham but many have left." ((in 511 reviews)); "Pay was good and the year end bonus was nice." ((in 336 reviews)); "Working in maintenance the work can have pressure at times but overall has a good work/life balance." ((in 333 reviews)); "The culture was great and very inclusive" ((in 282 reviews))

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

"Poor management; lack of trust between management and reps" ((in 220 reviews)); "Frequent layoffs and reorgs." ((in 140 reviews)); "Merck discovered this ticket and Manager Y and his/her boss called to discuss with me." ((in 112 reviews)); "upper management seems confused; jobs get eliinated" ((in 82 reviews)); "Poor leadership and talent management" ((in 70 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.

Merck reviews

4.1

83% would recommend to a friend

(6,155 total reviews)

Rob Davis

82% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.9

Culture & values

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Career opportunities

3.5

Senior management

Merck has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 6,155 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 Farmacéutica y biotecnología 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

4.0

Mar 23, 2009

Great time- but future unknown

Supervisor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1) Schering-Plough is a high paying employer within the Pharma industry. The bonus structure is one of the best and they are very generous with the annual pool allocated. 2) Schering-Plough is very structured and the HR policies are detailed. They try to develop employees in several ways. 3) Schering offers the freedom to venture in areas outside your comfort zone, even if that is a development opportunity- in important projects. Usually in a big corporation the size of Schering, employees tend to be in silos.

Cons

The motivation level at present is at rock bottom after the Merck aquistion.A large part of this has to do with the uncertainity. Several employees (including myself) have worked very hard for the past 6 years, only for the EMT to leave at the end of the year.

3.0

Mar 21, 2009

Ex-Merck employee comments on the company

Senior investigator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

One of the major pharmaceutical companies in the world. Until the Vioxx scandal was considered one of the most respected pharmaceutical companies. Salary, facilities, opportunity for research and publications are nice.

Cons

Massive layers of managers who do the least amount of work while garnering the most compensation. Pretty much like every corporation in America, and as long as you can become one of them you'll be fine. If not, then be prepared to be treated unfairly. Managers also brazenly attempt to attach their names to patents and publications even when they had little or no justification other than being in your line management. Workers are afraid to challenge this fact for fear of being given poor career advancement or even worse being downsized. Politics are more important than getting work done.

4.0

Mar 12, 2009

schering plough sytem

Lead systems analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working at Schering Plough was very good experience for me , schering plough is always keen to implement new software and systems . This is a very good advantage that i got.

Cons

In Schering plough some times management empoloyee comunications were missing.

Viewing 6034 - 6036 of 6,155 Reviews

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Specialist - Assets & Rights Management

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Merck

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Great time- but future unknown

Ex-Merck employee comments on the company

schering plough sytem

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