Decent for Pharma, but watch your boundaries
Overall, work-life balance at MSD is okay, especially for a big pharmaceutical company. It really depends on your specific team and manager, but you can usually make it work with the hybrid model.
I liked the hybrid work arrangement; it gave me flexibility. As a Research Scientist, most of my lab work was onsite, but I could do data analysis remotely. My team generally respected boundaries, which is a big plus in drug development.
There are definitely crunch times, especially during project deadlines or urgent clinical trials. It's easy for the workday to stretch past 8 hours, and some managers expect constant availability. It's a corporate environment, so things move slow sometimes.
Encourage managers to consistently enforce work-life boundaries for their teams, especially during critical phases of drug development projects.