Abbott

Pros: I liked working here as a Research Scientist. The company culture is generally supportive, especially in our specific team within the medical device industry. They really value experience.
Cons: It's a huge corporate environment, so decisions move slowly. Sometimes it felt like innovation was stifled by layers of bureaucracy, especially when trying to push new ideas. Getting approvals could be a pain.
Advice to Management: Try to empower teams more for quicker decision-making. Cut down on some of the red tape, especially for innovative projects. This would really help us in the competitive healthcare innovation space.

Pros: The people you work with are usually solid. There's a strong sense of purpose in the medical device industry, which is a big plus. Good benefits package for an onsite role here.
Cons: It's a huge corporate environment, so things move slow. You'll run into bureaucracy often. Innovation sometimes feels stifled due to all the red tape.
Advice to Management: Try to empower teams more and cut down on some of the corporate layers. Foster quicker decision-making.

Pros: There's a good sense of stability working in the medical device industry at a large corporate company like Abbott. People generally want to help out, and it feels like a professional environment. As an Associate Product Manager, I've had good opportunities to learn about different product lines.
Cons: It's tough to get new ideas approved quickly, especially compared to smaller companies. The internal processes can be really slow for healthcare innovation. Sometimes the 'old guard' mentality holds things back on the Abbott Park campus.
Advice to Management: Try to find ways to speed up the innovation cycle and empower younger talent to bring new ideas forward. The company culture could benefit from being more agile.

Pros: I liked the stability of working for a big corporate like Abbott. The pay and benefits were pretty competitive for the medical device industry, and there's a lot of interesting work in diagnostics. You get to work on impactful projects in the Chicago office.
Cons: Career growth here is definitely a challenge, especially for R&D roles. It feels like you really have to fight for promotions, and internal movement can be super slow. Sometimes it felt like a dead end after a few years.
Advice to Management: Management really needs to create clearer career paths and make internal promotions more transparent for employees. It would help retain talent, especially for technical roles.

Pros: I like the hybrid schedule we have for my Clinical Research Associate role. Coming into the Lake Forest office a few days a week is fine. The benefits package is solid for a big medical device company, that's a definite plus.
Cons: True work flexibility is pretty limited though. Getting more than two remote days is tough, even for tasks that don't need to be onsite. It feels like they're a bit behind other healthcare industry players when it comes to WFH options.
Advice to Management: Management needs to really look at what 'flexibility' means in today's world. Allowing more true remote work options for roles that can support it would significantly boost morale and retention, especially for us in clinical research. Don't just make us come in for the sake of it.

Pros: The health benefits here are genuinely good, which is a big plus for a large healthcare company. My 401k match as a Clinical Research Associate was solid too. It's what you'd expect from a big corporate company like Abbott.
Cons: Annual salary raises aren't great; they barely keep up with inflation. It's tough when you see what similar roles in other medical devices firms offer. Your starting pay is decent, but growth feels slow unless you move up.
Advice to Management: Review the annual salary increase process. Competitive compensation for R&D roles could help retain talent against other large pharmaceutical companies.

Pros: The pay and benefits package is actually quite solid for the medical device industry, especially working as a Quality Engineer. You get decent health coverage and a good 401k match, which is a big plus. Job security is strong in this big corporate environment.
Cons: Leadership can be really inconsistent. Some managers are great, but many others just don't provide clear direction for project deliverables in the Santa Clara office. It's tough when you're trying to grow your career, but leadership seems disconnected from individual contributor goals. There's often a feeling of micromanagement rather than empowerment.
Advice to Management: Invest more in leadership training programs to ensure consistency across teams. Empower managers to support their teams' growth and provide clearer strategic direction.

Pros: I've had some decent work from home days, especially during COVID. For some R&D roles, you can arrange hybrid work, which is a big plus. It's nice to have that option for desk work.
Cons: But it's not consistent across all divisions in the Chicago office. Some lab-based teams in medical devices have really strict onsite policies. Can't easily pick your hours or days unless your manager is super chill.
Advice to Management: Standardize hybrid policies where possible. Especially for scientific roles that don't need constant lab presence. It would boost morale a lot.

Pros: I've learned a ton as an Associate Product Manager, especially with the scale of projects in the medical devices industry. You get exposure to a lot of different aspects of product development. The hybrid work model from our Lake County, IL office is pretty flexible.
Cons: Leadership can be really inconsistent, especially once you get above your direct manager. It feels like there's a lot of politicking rather than clear direction for the product strategy. Sometimes, decision-making is slow and frustrating for junior roles.
Advice to Management: Focus on developing consistent leadership training across all levels. More transparency in product strategy would help teams stay aligned and feel less frustrated by slow approvals.

Pros: The benefits are solid, especially the healthcare plans for the medical device industry. I also liked the stability of working for a big corporate company like Abbott. People in our R&D Scientist roles generally get good job security here.
Cons: The company culture here can be pretty old-school and slow-moving. It's often hard to get new ideas approved, and there's a lot of bureaucracy, especially in the Lake Bluff, Illinois office. Feels like innovation is often stifled.
Advice to Management: Try to foster a more open and innovative environment. Listen to your scientists and streamline the approval processes. Modernize the corporate culture a bit.