Woof!

Anybody care anymore?

probably not.
The managers have taken their booty and left, they pretend to be caring folks now.
The working employees have laidoff, the remaining are just hoping...

Most people seem to have given up. It's not possible to do good work under current conditions. Management doesn't know because they don't want to.

Pfizer = Killer of companies and careers . I have never seen such anger , apathy and mistrust in my life . You are right . everyone has either given up or is scrambling to get somewhere else in the company . Except thats like running from foxhole to foxhole in a mortar attack. Eventually they catch up to you . This company has nothing but contempt for its colleagues. Cant get rid of them fast enough . They cant even pretend to give a crap. I am embarrassed for them .

My job is ok at Pfizer, but I smile every time I get my paycheck and bonus in March....kinda keeps me going. I think every company has good things and bad things; we have a great CIO and some other good senior people, you always have the losers and disgruntled employees but if its so bad and you are so great, why don't you go somewhere else? Just ask'n

I'm not the one who replied o 8/10, but would be happy to offer my input on the impact Pfizer had on me after they took over Wyeth. Busy days turned into busier days. Busier days turned into unmanageable days. Bathroom breaks and lunch were eliminated on most days. If I was lucky, I was able to take 5 minutes at my desk to jam some food down my throat, usually while on another conference call. The 15 people on my team got eliminated and replaced with 4 HP contractors. The replacements were simply not the caliber of the folks they replaced. This, when combined with the reduction of about 15 to 4, meant that the number of client escalations to me grew expone3ntially, adding still more to my already crazy days. Several times I experienced heart attack symptoms while seated in my office. I often had to physically run from building to building and arrive sweating and out of breath, in order to accommodate the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back meetings. Oh...then, after spending an average of 5-7 hours in meetings, I had to squeeze in time to read, research, and respond to approximately 100 e-mails per day. Oh...and then, after all of that I had to actually do my work. Oh...and then after heading home from a 10 hour day, I'd have to manage my family time around the conference calls we had to do after hours because we couldn't fit them into normal business hours. Then, after about 3 years of that, the jagoffs sent me packing. One last note...my story isn't unique. I suspect there are a number of others who would report the same thing.

I think many people stay because the job market hadn't been very good. I have run into many high caliber people who have indicated that they just come in and do enough for the paycheck. I can see that our BT management has no idea how quality work actually would look. There's no point trying to excel when there's no real chance that a boss could recognize such capability. There are some things I try to do well because I find them professionally and intellectually challenging. Management is only getting productivity because we don't want to contribute to our coworker's stress. That gets something out of people, but not their best. Pfizer isn't about "best". It is all about "adequate".
I do believe Ian Reed sees some of this, but I wonder if he realizes just how entrenched we've gotten in mediocrity.

Pfizer in its current form doesn't really care about IT -- get it?

The current CIO was the fourth or fifth choice because they couldn't get anybody to take the job. It is a totally commoditized function; Frank clearly doesn't believe that IT has any true business value and has caused it to be managed pretty much the way you'd manage HVAC -- as strictly overhead.

If you think the CIO is good, that's a sign that you've never been part of a really strong, strategically thinking IT team. That is long, long gone at Pfizer. The current guy got the job because he bends over and takes it with a smile.

The physical signs are all around you -- pay attention. Notice how slow the network is in 260? Could it be because they're re-deploying elderly equipment because there's no budget for better stuff? There's your sign.

So, all that said, Pfizer was very good to me but I have since moved on. I'm not bitter, and I did well, thank you very much. But if you're a talented IT resource and you get a chance to go, TAKE IT. It would be worth a pay cut to get your life back and actually be treated like a valued, contributing employee. There aren't even good separation packages anymore, so there's really nothing to wait for.

I too, can share my story; I had a full head of hair, a beautiful wife, three loving kids and a team of a dozen high-performing "own it" employees. We provided excellent service and I had plenty of time to enjoy life, and fight world hunger and poverty. Then Pfizer bought Wyeth; my staff was cut, my wife divorced me, my children ran away with Novartis management. I had to work 24/7. What time was left (which was none), I waited outside the cafeteria begging for scraps of bread and old lettuce that fell on the floor. I snuk in a good crap, only when my boss wasn't looking or on a management boongle to a remote island or cruise. My staff was cut to only two contract employees, couldn't communicate as their Indian dialects where unrecognizable even to the AsiaPac. I slept under my desk at night, afraid to miss a IM or late night call from Australia. I sprinted between building to fit in "a five minuter" discussion as all meeting went back-to-back, around the clock as my job responsibilities followed the sun. My pay and level were cut to just above "sanitation engineer". I had to start biking to work.... Then I had a major stroke and HR sent me a dead flower for consolation. Then the building heat was turned off and I caught pneumonia and had to get my torso amputated. I then had to 'wiggle" to work even on cold, dark days. Life is hell at Pfizer, please tell me what is wrong with my life?

That last post was very, very funny.

So glad I got Rif'd in Wave G last year, life hasn't been better. Good luck ya'all.

The ask for 2014 is more budget cuts, where do you think that will come from? Be a good boy scout and be prepared.

"10-05-2013, 07:15 PM" just doesn't get it, and there's absolutely nothing funny about the later response. The scenario going on at Pfizer (and likely at the other pharmas) is precisely the reason that the United States' economy is in trouble, and precisely the reason the middle class as we know it is being reduced to mere ashes. Cutting staff from 15 to 4 and then bleeding the poor remaining 4 is abusive. They figure, what the hell...as long as we get away with it, why not keep beefing up the paychecks and bonuses for senior and executive management, and screw the folks who actually do the work. Forget about letting them eat dinner with their families and contributing to the community, or going on vacation without bringing the damned electronic leashes along.

If a business can't succeed without abusing the employees, then poor decisions are being made. It's greed at it's very best. An honest 8 hour day of hard work from the staff should provide the decision makers with what they need to run a viable business. If it's not enough, point the finger at them.

hey mr. 11-05-2013. Get a life and a real attitude. If you're only worth being "abused" by your employer, then its only your own fault. No one, including a corporation, owes you anything. Its called Capitalism and is the thing that makes our country great, not some Communist scheme of "faireness" or getting what is "owed" to you. If you are so great, and your company is bad, why aren't you working somewhere else? Oh, wait, you can't get another job as "good" as the one you had a Pfizer. Sounds like Pfizer made the right decision to can you.

Wow. What a complete douchebag you are! Sorry, mate, but I side with the intelligent, clear thinking one on 11/5. You're a complete idiot. I'll bet you do "special" favors for your boss at Pfizer!

My gosh, "12:44". Can you really be as stupid as you appear?? The answer is "Yes!" Your kids must be pretty embarrassed of you. I understand they went down to the public services office to beg to go into a foster program. Your neighbors probably laugh at you on a regular basis. You probably water the lawn in the rain. I'll bet your teachers in elementary school all spoke to your parents about getting you a tutor. It wasn't an issue for you later in life, because your education ended at the 6th grade. Best laugh I've had all day.

I guess when you can't win an argument on facts, you resort to personal insults. I hope the person who wrote the last two replies feels better because he obviously has some personal "issues". Best of luck camping out on Wall Street with your friends.