Novartis reviews

4.0

80% would recommend to a friend

(9,049 total reviews)
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Vas Narasimhan

86% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Novartis has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 9,049 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Novartis employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Farmacéutica y biotecnología industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

9K reviews
2.0
Dec 29, 2013

IT management

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I worked for Novartis for more 10 years, first few years were great and the CIO actually knew what is needed and what the strategy was, he was very much a people person and actual had conversation with his staff and their staff. I was able to deliver 8-10 large systems which people still use today. Learned lots of things and charted the areas that we're not even thought of until recently. Current management is too busy trying find out what to?

Cons

Management does not know how to run the business and support the business technically. Directors and above are too busy trying to get promoted and not do anything for many years to show for accomplishments and these people are the one that gets promoted. Take a look at track record and you will see, people under them did the work and credit is taken by the director and they are getting promoted. It is like college club house and it takes long to get in, if you are not in get out. There is no way you will ever get recognized or promoted. No direction, lack of trust, egoistic and opinionated culture. Do not trust anyone. HR will only listen to management no matter what the facts are so better if leave and find other companies to work for and for less money. Long hours too.

2.0
Jul 1, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Novartis offers very good pay and benefits and there is excellent scope to make international moves inside the company.

Cons

There is a very high turnover of people in middle to senior management roles, with constant restructuring/reorganisation and reinvention of processes. This generates lots of change but without clear direction. Novartis is also very top-down driven, and there is a low level of trust from management and between colleagues. Perceived poor performance is usually quickly followed by a change in personnel, although this is often not done objectively. So if you want to build a long career in Novartis you need to stay nimble and avoid being closely associated with anything that might turn out badly.

2.0
Oct 25, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Hybrid working model, good location

Cons

Constant organizational restructures without notice (twice in 2025), resulting in toxic company culture; Routine layoffs target early career talent and new hires (senior management lacks accountability); "Permanent" positions eliminated almost immediately after start date; Lack of POC diversity; Excessive global bureaucracy interferes with local decision-making

Viewing 112 - 114 of 9,049 Reviews

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