I'm interested in a new position with GSK, but posts are discouraging. Every pharma company has tests, why is everyone so upset? What are simulations? Any input would be appreciated.
Run-Don't walk. Stay away from this rotten company. The simulation and tests are how we are incentived and how are annual pay raises are supposedly decided upon. Oh...if you are female and have ethnicity you will do better than a male. Only apply if you wear a skirt or dress!
Ask around about "Patient First." As part of this initiative, basically, a part of incentive comp and performance ranking, includes field reps being required 4 times per yr, to take a test (via computer) and an over-the-phone verbal test or "simulation" covering 3 areas 1. product and disease knowledge 2. business acumen or how well you know the "business" of medical practice and factors that affect healthcare decisions (such as Obamacare changes, impact) and 3. Customer Engagement, a highly complex selling skills platform. You are expected to know practically verbatim any and all training manuals which you read to prepare for these assessments and simulations. It is not open book and no one may discuss any aspect of it with anyone else. Period. In fact, everyone signs off on an "integrity" pledge. You can guess how much actual integrity is involved when ranking and bonus dollars are at stake. Here is the kicker - you do not get to see your score, ever. You simply receive extremely vague feedback, which is useless. Therefore, there is no guidance on how to improve and you never know how your "performance" on these assessments and simulations translates into your individual performance, ranking or bonus dollars. It is a terrible system, especially b/c its tied to IC and literally every rep hates it. No exaggeration. It is a direct result of GSK deciding to no longer pay reps on individual territory sales - which is part of an overreaction to the DOJ settlement and CIA from June 2013. Other pharma companies operate under CIA's but have not chosen to implement such a ridiculous IC plan. This one decision has had the greatest impact on lowering morale in the company, which is as low as it's ever been, company surveys prove it. Not sharing scores on tests for which you are paid does not make sense in any way, no matter what the company says. BTW, GSK says the methodology of blinding the scores is necessary to gauge learning and improvement. This makes sense to no-one, except the psychomatricians (look it up) who devised this scheme and sold it to GSK. If you can wrap your head around this, then you have a chance of getting on board, because this is only one area of the job that you cannot reconcile as making sense. The company thinks it's great. What management may or may not know is that reps are not excited to work for GSK, they simply put up with it. It could be an intentional weeding out...I don't know. Many have left out of frustration. For most it goes like this: point out the ridiculous and get your voice heard to have changes made for the better, hear some empty, pacifying feedback, keep up the fight and think that something will change, realize that all your feedback, although solicited, is viewed as meaningless unless you tell them what they want to hear, stop speaking up, just keep your head down, go through the motions and collect your paycheck, which, all in all, isn't that bad for what you really have to do.
Here is the truth about this Stupid Ass Crap. Most people including reps, managers, and directors Cheat on their tests. Oh would I guess 99% of the people. You have one group who takes their tests 1st quarter they in turn give the questions to the folks who take theirs 2nd quarter. How amazing that the people that take their tests 2nd quarter do amazingly better than those who completed theirs 1st quarter. I type my answers up prior to assessment and phone simulation. I would have to say that I score a 95-100% on both my assessment and simulation. That has gotten my the ranking of Distinguished and Distinguished Plus. I have had nice bonus's and my year end pay raise great!
I really appreciate the responses. Especially #3 poster, providing indepth information - that really helps - thanks for taking the time to respond. May I ask how long you typically need to prepare for these tests each quarter? I'm really interested in knowing how much time prior to these tests that you all feel you need to prepare. Thank you in advance for your guidance on this.
I don't know who you are, but this is probably the best description of "the Situation" in the sales force I have ever seen written. bravo, touche', here-here, kudos, fine sir!...or ma'am...
