Management ruins everything - Software Engineer Abbott Employee Review

1.0
14 Mar 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good benefits, stable job, interesting business problems to solve. Awesome healthcare tech products.

Cons

This was the worst software engineering job I've ever had. The reason came down to basically the worst management I've ever worked with. I have no doubt that there are other teams at this company with other managers that are great. I probably would have given 4-5 stars if I had worked on those teams. My manager's words didn't back up his actions. A shockingly immature software engineering culture was fostered despite the fact that the product we were working on was a world-class healthcare product being used in dozens of countries by millions of people. My manager was manipulative and twisted my words to seemingly always put me in a negative light. I never got decent work to do despite there being tons of opportunity that matched my skills and experience. My skills and experience were majorly overlooked and underutilized. The final straw was that despite my manager saying to me personally that I was "brilliant" and technically skilled I was threatened with a performance improvement plan. I asked my manager "Why?". My manager gave no legitimate reason. After pressing him further over several meetings I came away with the major feedback item being that I needed to format my JIRA ticket titles in a different way (which I did over the coming weeks, but is this a good reason for PIP-ing somebody?). My manager was demoted and his replacement came in and again threatened me with a performance improvement plan. I asked "why?" and he literally said. "I don't know. I was told that this was happening so I'm continuing it. Let me get back to you on that". For these reasons I left Abbott and got a promotion and pay raise in the process.

Explore other reviews about Abbott

5.0
3 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work life balance is great

Cons

Remote work opportunities are minimal.

2.0
1 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Strong brand recognition and leadership position in diabetes technology. * Opportunity to work with innovative products that positively impact patients’ lives. * Talented and dedicated colleagues across many functions. * Competitive compensation and benefits

Cons

Leadership quality varies significantly across departments, with some areas experiencing challenges related to communication and transparency * Expectations and role priorities can shift without sufficient communication or alignment, making it difficult for employees to understand how success is measured * Employees may not always receive consistent coaching, support, or constructive feedback needed for professional growth. * Some teams may experience a culture that feels fear-based rather than collaborative (Market Access) * Concerns raised by employees may not always be addressed through direct, productive dialogue. * In certain groups, the work environment can feel exclusionary or politically driven, limiting opportunities for meaningful collaboration.

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