5 of the best places to work in pharma, according to employees

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