Review of the Black and Latinx experience ONLY - Anonymous employee Biogen Employee Review

2.0
Jul 30, 2018
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay, Great benefits (summer hours, eoy shutdown, unlimited sick, LTI, Bonus)

Cons

Biogen likes to boast that it is on the forefront of diversity and inclusion. That might be true when it comes to white women, but it is not the case for Blacks and Latinos. Hiring and promotions for Blacks and Latinos are practically non-existent. When one is hired, s/he is brought in at a lower level than his/her peers and usually stays at that level for eternity, even though the education and experience usually exceeds their peers. Promotions are practically non-existent. Boston and Cambridge are notoriously bad for promoting Blacks and Latinos. Due to their liberal image, they don't want to be accused of "Affirmative Action", so the standards are so high for Blacks and Latinos, they are unattainable in most cases. White men and women? They do just fine and will be promoted on a normal or accelerated schedule. There are many former Administrative Assistants (usually blonde) who have been put in much higher positions entry-level than most Blacks or Latinos. In fact, the unspoken secret at Biogen is that the lower job levels (1-6) are for Blacks and Latinos. And they stay there for their entire careers. HR, PO&T, R&D, Finance, Corporate Affairs, Legal, Compliance, have no Blacks in Leadership positions of VP or above. There are a couple Latinos. In fact the finance department doesn't seem to have any Blacks and maybe a few Latinos. Except for R&D, there are not even any Directors in those departments. They claim they can't find any "qualified" applicants. What other company doesn't have a Black person in a leadership position in HR?? The HR department JUST started hiring Blacks. How is that the "forefront" of D&I. Biogen is getting its butt kicked by the other Biotechs in this area. If you are Black or Latino and are thinking of working here, negotiate the highest level you can, because you'll have that title for a long time, probably your entire Biogen career.

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5.0
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Pros

excellent company and great work culture

Cons

I do not have any bad comments, it's perfect

5.0
May 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits package is strong and competitive, which adds a lot of overall value. There are many internal departments and career paths, making it relatively easy to explore new roles and grow within the company. On-site cafeteria is a convenient and appreciated perk. Many colleagues are highly experienced and have been with the company and industry for years, making them great resources for learning and mentorship.

Cons

Promotion policies can be limiting—there seems to be an informal rule that prevents employees from being promoted more than once in a year, even for high performers. Salary could be more competitive compared to market rates. Equipment and internal systems feel outdated and could benefit from modernization to improve efficiency.

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Biogen Response
3d
Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed and constructive feedback. We’re glad to hear you value our competitive benefits, diverse career paths, and the opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues, as well as perks like our on-site amenities. We also sincerely appreciate your candid input on promotion timelines, and compensation. We recognize how important it is to reward high performance, remain competitive in the market, and provide efficient tools that enable our teams to do their best work. These are areas we continue to evaluate and improve through ongoing reviews of our talent processes, compensation programs, and technology investments. Your insights and suggestions are incredibly valuable as we evolve, and we encourage you to continue sharing feedback to help us strengthen the employee experience and support long-term growth and success. Any additional feedback you can provide related to your experience is always helpful. You can do so confidentially by emailing talentfeedback@biogen.com. - Maria, HR
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