Where are all my Merck friends?

Got laid off in June And haven't really heard from too many of my "friends" back at Merck. Seems strange that someone who calls everyday suddenly has no interest in your life anymore. Could it be those "cluster mates" were just keeping tabs on you, making sure they could help you under the bus with your manager. Maybe label you as the reason sales were off in the territory, or that you were a mal-content. Well whatever the case I can truly say I am in a better place now. Good Luck and no hard feelings, actually no feelings at all. See YA!

 

They were never your " friends." They were co- workers. That's all. Everyone at Merck is concerned with themselves and that's it.

 

How true. The day I left Merck was the end of my "many Merck friendships". How foolish I was to think those imbeciles were ever my friends in the first place.

 

Management doesn't want us associating with dead wood. It might rub off and make us losers too

 

Working at Merck? We are already the deadwood of the pharma industry. Working at this company is a joke that is not very funny if you "work" here but very funny from the outside.

 

...I received plenty of "thanks, like the way you do this or that...blah blah blah..." all before the layoff.

Once the cut happened its silence. Seems once you get "knocked off" you suddenly lose your skills or inborn aptitudes.

Such a total farce...management has a way of manipulating and tainting minds...and those pals seem to become big drinkers of a Kool Aid big gulp.

 

Yes, but their will time come, and they will join the other 80,000 Pharma Reps
let go in last decade

 

I am still in mourning.

 

Adversity can shine light on reality.

 

Relief does, too. A little distance from Merck will help anyone, even the Kool-Aid drinkers. Once Merck doesn't matter, you see it for what it is.

 

OP here, Congrats to you, You win the douchebag response award. That's what I love about this old company so many predictable pawns still in the ranks. You really think you are better than your counterparts? I would put my resume up against anyone's that is still there. Multiple award winner, more than a dozen years in specialty. It never really mattered, get close to 15 years, new manager and new territory and TADA! Suddenly you can't sell anymore and core competencies go from a 5 to a 2 in 3 years. It doesn't take a genius to see what's going on. I cost too much compared to my counterparts, so it was time to target me out. So be it. I am still ahead of the game, just be careful the rest of you, there really aren't any friends, just people who want to be differentiated one spot above you so you get cut this year.

 

To the OP, you were extremely naive to think you had any real friends at Merck. We are on an island trying to survive any way we can, and if that means throwing a "friend" under the bus, I will do it in a heartbeat! Also, you must have been terrible at kissing ass, another skill I have taken to a new level.

I lie, cheat and steal, and have for years. I get away with all this because I am incredibly good at it! Too many of Merck employees are too stupid to know how to survive.

 

You are dead on. I did not kiss my last managers ass and that led to my removal. As to your other points, that says a lot more about you than it does about anyone else. I have integrity and personal pride. I will not lie cheat or steal, I even tell my doctors the truth. What a concept huh? IT is not stupidity it is about being able to live with yourself and be able to answer to a higher power when I leave this planet. In the end what did it get me? a large severance, and a new job that pays more with better benefits, and a company that truly treats it's reps with respect. You can ponder that for a while. Karma is real.

 

I don't mind kissing ass it provides job security and my managers like it.
You should have kissed ass too, you wouldn't be posting all day if you did.
I love Merck!

 

Well as mercenary as it sounds, that's exactly what you are here to do. Be mercenary, not make friends. Look out for you and your interests above all else.I had people I was friendly with but they weren't my friends. Some people don't know the difference. Assume credit were you can, avoid blame. "success has many fathers, failure is an orphan." As a matter of fact, I didn't really learn this cynical lesson until I came to Merck. Merck will teach it to you very quickly. Like the first day. That is corporate America, the bureaucratic way, no matter were you are, private or public sector. There is no such thing as Harry Truman's " the buck stops here." Look at our current President. He never has been wrong on anything. Even though almost everything he has touched has been a disaster. It's someone else's fault or he just denies there's a problem while looking around for more things to screw up. He is the perfect bureaucrat. It's form over function, activity over achievement, sizzle over substance. Just go make another speech and move on. The bureaucrat is after survival not friends. The bureaucracy must exist above all else, whether it actually functions or not is irrelevant. " Friends" just is not, never has been part of the equation. Such is Merck.

 

I made a point of not associating with most of my cow-orkers,

Most of my former department would stab you in the back rather than help you up. Most of the "golden children" were all in one social click and if you did not follow them you were an outsider. Was so bad that the first line managers actually made up derogatory names for the people not in their click. yet the Senior director was notified of this and the unethical behavior by people inside and outside of the department, but she ignored it as if she did something she would have to admit there was something wrong with the department.

Anyone in building 82 at West Point knows female senior director who sits on the first floor is nothing more than worthless witch who doesn't give a rats ass for her department, unless you kiss her ass.

From my perspective thank god I got out, I am now working in a better company making more money and with people who treat you like you are human!

 

Oh so you work in ACDS-SAS? That describes 95% of those bastards!

 

Get rid of reps and destroy their reputation too!

Hate to have to be the one to clue you in.....but doing this to anyone (especially to anyone who was loyal and hardworking) is despicable and professionally unethical.

 

Yes but it's impossible to cash a check for damages based on " despicable and professionally unethical." HR and legal has it all covered. The CEO is a lawyer for Chrisake.
It's the rock and proverbial hard place. They hold all they cards. Even though many have gone through it, the reality is, if they want to get rid of you they will and there's little that can be done. The entire job is just shifting sand.

 

Their just 'former' co-workers, nothing personal..believe me, most do think of you (or your situation) frequently enough..still get the question of 'whatever happened to...?' or "gee, it's been that long since the layoff?" or "He's really the lucky one to be outa here"..

Take the friends test this weekend...around 1:30 AM Sunday morning...pickup the phone and call 'your' friends..tell'em you got arrested for some minor infarction and need some bail money ie.CASH.. can they help you out?? That should narrow down your friend list to about 1 hand not counting the thumb.