There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about job hunters wanting quirky perks where they work. But when it comes to life at a major pharma company, the basics matter most. According to reviews on Glassdoor — a leading site for company profiles and employee feedback — competitive salaries, benefits, work-life balance and excitement about innovation are just a few of the factors that make the top five best places to work in pharma stand out from other companies.
Employee reviews matter to job-seekers, according to research from Glassdoor. So which Big Pharmas get the best feedback?
To find out, we dug through comments on Glassdoor, which uses star ratings up to five (the average company rating across all industries is 3.3). We also examined other factors, like DEI initiatives, awards and employee benefits, to highlight some of what makes each of these companies stand out.
Here’s how the top five pharma companies stacked up:
1. Merck & Co.
Glassdoor rating: 4.2 stars
CEO: Robert Davis
Percentage of reviewers who approve of CEO: 91%
Percentage of reviewers who would recommend the company to a friend: 84%
What reviewers said: Employees appreciate the teamwork and smarts of their co-workers, the competitive salary and benefits, and Merck’s innovation, values and ethics.
Standout facts: Merck not only counts the blockbuster Keytruda among its accomplishments. The company has also racked up numerous awards as an employer, including being named among the best place to work for LQBTQ equality by The Human Rights Campaign; a top 50 employer by CAREERS & the disABLED magazine; a top place for Latinos to work by Latino Leaders magazine; and one of Glassdoor’s 100 best places to work in 2023, among others.
Read more:
For Merck, understanding maternal mortality is the first step toward equity
Merck’s New Jersey campus is getting a biotech makeover
2. Johnson & Johnson
Glassdoor rating: 4.2 stars
CEO: Joaquin Duato
Percentage of reviewers who approve of CEO: 89%
Percentage of reviewers who would recommend the company to a friend: 85%
What reviewers said: Employees frequently cited a good work-life balance, a company mission they believe in and a great culture.
Standout facts: J&J has been working hard to recruit and support employees with disabilities. In 2020, it joined The Valuable 500, a group of 500 large public-sector corporations committed to ending disability exclusion in the workplace. It also scored 100% on the Disability Equality Index, a disability inclusion benchmarking tool; counts the Alliance for Diverse Abilities among its Employee Resource Groups; and works on disability recruitment efforts with Lime Connect and Rangam.
Read more:
Janssen and Legend’s longtime collaboration lands a CAR-T win at ASCO
Economic crisis? J&J execs say that won’t stop them from hitting $60B target
10 years proud: Pharma’s top companies for LGBTQ+ inclusivity
3. Pfizer
Glassdoor rating: 4.1 stars
CEO: Albert Bourla
Percentage of reviewers who approve of CEO: 85%
Percentage of reviewers who would recommend the company to a friend: 80%
What reviewers said: Employees liked Pfizer for its benefits, pay and amenities, positive culture, meaningful work, and opportunities for growth.
Standout facts: Pfizer was ranked among America's Greatest Workplaces 2023 by Newsweek, the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune, and the Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes. In addition, every year, an independent compensation expert studies the company’s pay equity. In 2023, the study found that Pfizer compensates female employees 99.4% of what their male colleagues are paid across the globe and that in the U.S., minorities are paid at parity (100%) with non-minorities.
Read more:
‘Eris’ and other new COVID strains accelerate vaccine push from Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax
Behind Pfizer's new quest to target a 'transformation' in pharma
4. GSK
Glassdoor rating: 4.1 stars
CEO: Emma Walmsley
Percentage of reviewers who approve of CEO: 85%
Percentage of reviewers who would recommend the company to a friend: 82%
What reviewers said: A good work-life balance, generous pay and benefits, and a good company culture are a few of the perks employees liked about GSK.
Standout facts: In 2022, GSK changed its health and well-being benefits to be fairer and more inclusive. These changes included a global minimum of 18 weeks’ parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers for all family; a minimum of up to four weeks’ paid leave for care of a family member at the end-of-life or facing a serious health emergency; insured benefits for same sex partners, wherever possible; and a new financial well-being service and mental health training.
Read more:
This GSK clinical data leader embraces the ‘Rubik’s cube’ problem: solving for all sides at once
Duty to serve: an Army officer’s unexpected path to GSK
5. Sanofi
Glassdoor rating: 4 stars
CEO: Paul Hudson
Percentage of reviewers who approve of CEO: 85%
Percentage of reviewers who would recommend the company to a friend: 78%
What reviewers said: Employees frequently said they like Sanofi’s work-life balance, benefits, job stability and security, and culture.
Standout facts: One of Sanofi’s commitments to workplace inclusion is around gender equity. As of 2022, women represent 49% of its overall workforce and 42% of senior management. It has also committed to ensuring 40% of its executives and 50% of its senior leadership are women by 2025. In addition, it grants all new parents 14 weeks of paid leave and has committed to doubling its spend on women-owned businesses by 2025.
Read more:
How Sanofi is taking a ‘creative’ approach to dealmaking
Sanofi's chief scientist on why 'this is the moment' for AI in Big Pharma
