senior scientist

director

investigator

delivery driver

scientist

GlaxoSmithKline

Responsible for ensuring all customer, item, price and trade route data is in place to meet requirements of GSK Trading Services, Consumer Trading Services, GSK Export and ViiV Healthcare invoicing teams. This includes the automation of Sales order Processing & Finance Functions through the electronic invoicing process and also managing the data integrity across the entire trade route.
•	Responsible for collating, analysing and aligning data setup in multiple systems and relating interfaces (e.g. SAP, JDE, Babel, MGX), across both the Demand management & Financial processes. 
•	Ensuring full Trade Route analysis is completed for Trade route setups and data related issues together with ensuring all Trade Route implementations are fit for business purpose within agreed SLAs
•	Root cause analysis of customer queries & data related issues including report running. Responsible to identify opportunities for process improvement initiatives to support the requirements of key stakeholder groups
•	Setting up and amending Trade Routes, Items and Pricing related data on behalf of GSK Trading Partners
•	Ensuring that e-invoice failures are resolved and completed in a timely manner. Responsible for maintenance of various Trackers and Spreadsheets
•	Working with VAT Team to ensure correct application of VAT and Trade Route governance, Ensuring interface data is set up to support Electronic Trade and demand transmission interfaces
•	Work closely with the Continuous Improvement Team to try and identify trends working towards better ways of working
•	Liaising with IT to resolve e-invoice hard errors to ensure continuity of e-invoicing and financial matching process
•	Supporting Business Analysts with new business initiatives. Ensuring that all queries/requests received are captured & actioned within SLA and escalated when required. 
Achievement: I received an award in recognition for exceptional customer service displayed myself and for developing a solution to deal with continual E-invoice failures. The current process in place was to raise the failed invoices in question ‘manually’. I took time to root cause the issue. For all the concerning failed  E-invoices, I collated the data, got visibility of the problem(s), found a trend and was able to retrigger ‘batches’ within the system which were being problematic. As a result we no longer had invoice failures of this nature saving time and money for all concerned. This process was endorsed by all my superiors and was rolled out as a standard way off working across the entire department

The money is excellent considering that you only need numeracy and literacy to get in the door. Most production jobs start as temp roles, and if you happen to join when they have built a new production line you can get a full-time job quite quickly. Or you can stay as a temp and still get a bloody good wage (typically £11 - £15 per hour plus shift allowance, so say £17 per hour averaged over the shift pattern)

I worked there for 17 years, 7 of them as a temp. I think I enjoyed my years as a temp more than the last 10 years, but that might be because I was getting old. However, working shifts for 17 years has really affected my health.

My advice for anyone looking to join GSK in the production or warehouse area: volunteer for every additional role you can (e.g. safety assessor, COSHH assessor, work-place trainer) - this shows good attitude, and gives you an excuse to get off line to go to meetings. And then apply for the next shift coordinator job that comes along. Get to production coordinator and you will never have to work a shift that you don't like ever again.

I didn't do this, which is why I'm no longer working for GSK.

If you can follow straightforward procedures (very very important - you're working with medicine), keep a straight face while listening to pure-grade corporate bollocks on a regular basis, and you can turn up to work on time, the work is very easy and the money is very good.

As with any big corporation, there is an over-abundance of middle management, all of whom have to justify their existence by being busy. And if you progress past Operator, this will seriously impact your day on a regular basis. . 

There is a certain type of person (of which I am one) who will not be able to just keep my questions internalised. and in 30 years of employment in various jobs, I have ALWAYS attracted the attention of this type of manager. And not in a good way. If you are chuckling while reading this THIS MEANS YOU. Seriously, If you have a better poker face than me you will be fine. 

This review applies only to production / warehouse roles at GSK Ware; laboratory assistant roles are poorly paid and not protected by union recognition (unlike production and warehouse roles, where Unite is the recognised union). The GSK R&D site, which is across the road from the manufacturing site, is completely organisationally separate from the manufacturing site: I have no idea how they stack up as an employer. 

Recommended employer, if you can COMPLY!

Good luck!

GSK is an integral part of our society as they provide many key consumer healthcare products and medicines. Having completed an industrial placement with Biopharm R&D my interest in the company grew. I was struck by how dedicated GSK scientists are in developing the next generation of drugs. I am passionate about drug discovery and believe the science carried out at GSK is world leading. I learnt many important laboratory skills and techniques whilst on placement and I also made significant personal gains including a real improvement in my ability to communicate with people, team working skills and confidence.  On a daily basis my work involved culturing cells and preparing them for experimentation, including cell lines and primary cells. I would run immunological assays, carry out confocal microscopy and flow cytometry to gather relevant data. Knowing how to use these techniques meant I was able to generate high quality results and decide on the next experimental steps to take. At GSK I was particularly well managed, and was always able to get in contact with my supervisor should I need any assistance. I met with my supervisor and group on a weekly basis to present my findings and discuss what the next steps should be. Teamwork is an essential tool in any discovery project. The ability to listen to, exchange and debate ideas with a group of scientists is a valuable skill and allows a collective thought process to emerge. Being part of a team enabled me to consolidate these skills. The culmination of my year was a presentation to the Biopharm R&D Department entailing the purpose of my research, the processes I used and results obtained. This was probably the most challenging aspect of my work placement but the confidence and communication skills I acquired over the year allowed me to deliver my presentation in a professional and succinct manner and then answer questions. For me the most enjoyable part of the job was working as part of a team to generate data to characterise the molecule we were working on and demonstrate that it would be effective should it be taken into the clinic. I enjoyed the satisfaction of generating results that were meaningful to the group and my time at GSK made mademe realise the possible future career I could have.

Culture: It's a large organisation with very limited development opportunities, promotions and pay rise. Company claims to want people to be at their best and come to work with the smile yet forces 85% into the no reward box and importantly 5% into underperformance with financial repercussions - the claim pertains to keep efficiency up but really it is about restricting expenses on people performance. This inevitably leads to injustice, employee discouragement and competitiveness. GSK do have a fantastic matrix teamwork culture with organised research units and numerous technology platforms to deliver science, but a fake team spirit is felt which is presumably induced by a hidden culture of fear and competitiveness at least in part. GSK is not an average company it's a leading organisation employing highly skilled staff - everyone should be individually recognised and rewarded to the level of their commitment and successes but it's clearly not the case and often great performance is ignored.
Management: It's common place that overall, management at GSK don't really invest in their people by actively committing to develop & champion them. Laziness? Complacency? Lots employees may need to look out for themselves using available intranet tools, mentors etc. "Employees leave their manager not the company" is also true at GSK. 
Trust: GSK brands itself with internal and external slogans to inspire. To increase trust internally GSK would need to inspire its people through a real appreciation of everyone's work - not just the leaders and a minority of other staff, not just a big "thank you all for your hard work". GSK would need to completely rethink its rather hypocritical and cheap reward system. If GSK acts like this internally how can we trust that the patient focus is genuine?

My overall experiment at the company was good. I learnt a lot from my team whilst working there and developed some good laboratory skills.
For the negative part I found there was lots of micro managing in place. At one point I was reporting to 3-4 different people whilst others in the same team where reporting to one or 2. After talking to others I found this to be the case site wide. I found some staff are so pressured to meet targets that they put them self under too much pressure to perform and end up crumbling leading to multiple staff taking time off for various stress related illnesses in multiple departments in the short time I was working there. This was certainly the case in terms of my superiors which is why I was micro managed a lot as the members of staff who where my superiors where under to much pressure to complete their normal job and manage a person and their projects on the side as well with no real training or support in doing so. I found it obviously difficult to communicate through the right channels which was very strange for me and I had worked in other similar roles and gotten on just fine. 
Although stated there isn't, if found in my department there was a sense of blame culture, and you were severely judged for making mistakes and every mistake you make even down to a simple spelling mistake on a piece of paper work was documented on an excel spread sheet for the whole team to see and it was almost like a competition and people would brag about their mark over yours.
There are some benefits, the Christmas socials are fun and the site director is nice and helpful and although he is a really busy man he makes time to talk to people site wide no matter what role they are in which is admirable as some directors for companies I've worked for I've never even seen in the flesh despite working there for years.

A typical day at Glaxo involves starting at 7:30am and finishing at 3:30pm, logging on to the system, carrying out daily duties such as order release, chasing bounced cheques, speaking with mass market customers in regards to retro credits, resolving issues that arise within a 48 hour window, liaising with the Market abroad to ensure that the customers receive the best and most respectful service etc.
At Glaxo I learned how accounts work in other countries and how one must adapt to provide the best service possible in regards to the different laws and regulations. I have also learned how to communicated effectively with a team of 200. 
I have also learned on how to manage the workload which can become overwhelming, this is all about organisation and learning to prioritise etc.
Working for such a global company meant that turnover of staff was very high and this includes management. However management that had remained really cared about their staff and ensured we were all listened to and looked after.
The workplace culture is very good. Glaxo as a company always looks after its staff. Simple things like tea and coffee are provided, working from home, flexible hours, always an activity or something fun you can be apart of. We would have parties in the parking area in the summer with ice cream vans, fun games, music, BBQ, all year round we have the games area where we can unwind etc.
We have great bonus structures which helps with motivation, as well as private healthcare, discounts in many shops etc. They offer a fantastic package. 
The most enjoyable part of this job is having such a great team to work for and understanding people around. In addition, getting to know people from different cultural backgrounds has been fantastic. I have learned to say Good morning in at least 6 languages so far.

I cannot comment on other sites as this would not be appropriate.

GSK Worthing is currently undergoing a very large transition and as part of Primary it is frustrating

Normally my 12.25hr day/night shift is hectic and you leave with a feeling of a  good job, done well, lives saved.

Currently, it is chaos huge amounts of management, very little direction. If I could walk over to Worthing secondary where it is more established that would not be a problem.

A typical day/night at work requires tankers, in-process and finished product testing in the pharmaceutical market.

The only co-workers I have are my on-site customers. They all want you to test THEIR samples but I have developed a relationship to ensure that they know if their sample in delayed it is because they are in a queue and there is only me.

Management, are like ants. 1 person per shift and their must be 5 people that give you jobs to do!  However, like everything else it get's put in queue and you deal with it when you can.

Co-Workers are they guys also on shift and I see them for a 15min handover.  You learn some with leave the place in a mess, some will use the last of items and leave you in the **** some are very helpful. Working 1 per shift means they know when they leave it is not their problem.
The hardest part of the job is the straight switch from 12.25hr days straight into 12.25hr nights, especially during summer weekends when you can't sleep.
I find the most enjoyable part of my job is when it all works. I try to make a plan (even before I leave home) work out when certain things should occur and it all works out

Joining as a graduate GSK appeared an exciting workplace where I expected to grow. Once the honeymoon period wore away, the real GSK emerged.

Unrealistic expectations were created to make people fail. For example: Setting tasks to complete on team-away days and then complaining the individual did not attend the away day prioritising work or the work was not completed because they attended the away day; setting objectives for employees and stating the completed objective has no value for the company, requesting reports and placing individuals on performance review because although reports were delivered (occasionally ahead of time) management were no forced to read them; not attending one-to-one meetings which were cancelled by management.

GSK's values are great for an external environment but not practised across GSK. There is great emphasis of writing development objectives but that is where development ends. There are many stories to entertain regarding GSK. My favorite including candidates rejected for internal roles but then asked to train the nominated candidate.

Speak Out channels do not work. Whilst it's great to see responses to reviews requesting people to speak out, it's pretty much paper based suggesting to external audiences there is concern and action.

A typical day at work included:
1. Contributing to the weekly and monthly calendar planning
2. Knowledge gathering on open books for hospital appointment, hospital meetings, and primary care functions. Effectively communicating the information gathered with the local team
3. Face to face  meetings, PowerPoint sales promotions, promotional lunch and dinner meetings 
4. Preparation and studying for new product launches
5. Reading recent publications/papers on the company products and competitive products
6. Communicating with the ASM the daily activity, highlights of the day, and any new information on competitive products
7. Visiting local pharmacists for gathering information on Rxing patterns for the month
8. Sales report on daily activity using Marksman32 system
9. Attending meeting (national and international)
10. Sponsoring customers to attend national and international meetings

Excellent relationship with all the ASMs, higher management, and co-workers. 

Best part of the jobs was promoting superior products, working with  excellent co-workers, and great relationship with all the customers.

Hardest part of the job was continuous dinner meetings ( two to three per week) and not having a voice or a vote in company decisions making processes such as mergers or take-overs.






The fact I worked there for 20 years says a lot - they are a great company to be a part of.  They're big - so yes sometimes things go a little awry on the fringes - but overall I believe them to be ethical and have good intentions.

They run fairly standard 9-5 hours for office staff and the dress code is at your managers discretion.  Obviously nothing too outlandish allowed and if you're customer-facing you need to make an effort.

They are great at supporting their staff, in that if you really want some training and have a good reason, they'll try to accommodate you.  They provide secondments and encourage their staff to better themselves.

All of the people I've worked with directly have been great. Friendly, helpful, and generally a pleasure to work with.  This is at the worker-bee level and their managers, and even most of the directors.

GSK have a history of looking after their people, and if you were loyal to them, they were loyal back.  Sadly that was the old days, and as with so many big companies, the share holders run the show now.  Staff are regularly let-go as teams are downsized, outsourced, or just removed to try and scrape out a little more profit.  Good people go, weaker people stay.  Job security is no longer a selling point for GSK.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Senior scientist 6 salaries reported	£46,333 per year
Director 17 salaries reported	£93,953 per year
Investigator 3 salaries reported	£51,667 per year
Delivery driver 23 salaries reported	£13.37 per hour
Scientist 9 salaries reported	£49,500 per year

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