Skip to contentSkip to footer
      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Alcon

      Engaged Employer

      Alcon reviews

      3.7

      67% would recommend to a friend

      (2,538 total reviews)
      avatar

      David J Endicott

      77% approve of CEO

      64% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Alcon has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,538 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Alcon employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology industry (3.5 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      3K reviews
      3.0
      Mar 6, 2014

      Alcon is not the same since purchased by Novartis.

      Regulatory
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Alcon had many great people, good benefits and flexible work schedule.

      Cons

      Employees constantly worried about being laid-off due to Novartis's never-ending "re-organization". The environment changed drastically and Alcon was no longer an employee-friendly company. Novartis was all about the bottom line & adjusting head-count. Employees were expected to do the work of 2-3 people. The stress was overwhelming.

      4.0
      Mar 6, 2014

      Time of transition

      Global clinical and regulatory affairs
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Lots of opportunities, company benefits and campus perks, collaborative environment. The main campus has lots to offer including a first-class gym, an excellent cafeteria with gourmet meals. The team members are great to work with and care about those around them.

      Cons

      Take-over by Novartis created a lot or reorganization, leadership disconnected from team members and looking to protect themselves, heavy turn-over all lead to lower morale.

      5.0
      Mar 5, 2014

      Driven company with strong position in the market and the overall direction to keep it there

      Engineer ii
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - Diverse project opportunities in many fields, lots of opportunity for gaining experience working with diverse project teams with a variety of skill sets. - Company culture on the whole supports professional growth and development, sees it as an investment in the company's future - Alcon historically reinvests about 10% of its income into the R&D budget, which for a $10 billion/year company means the R&D division has nearly $1 billion/year budget (spread across multiple areas). - Alcon's benefits on the whole are excellent, but have taken a hit in the last few years - R&D model in the last few years has been "aligned" to a science-centric approach.

      Cons

      - Large companies have momentum which is difficult to overcome, especially with the legacy products which make the best money. This tends to foster lots of "incremental upgrades" and support activities for existing products rather than breakthrough new ideas, especially in the medical device divisions. - Innovation is desired by the organization but sometimes difficult to come by, especially from long-term employees. "We tried that 15 years ago and it didn't work" is a common refrain, despite technical advances. - It's easy to feel overwhelmed in such a large company. - Alcon recruits the best talent, which means lots of graduate degrees, PhD's, and medical doctors. It seems employees with advanced degrees are more likely to be promoted to supervisory and technical lead positions, regardless of actual aptitude.

      Viewing 2359 - 2361 of 2,538 Reviews
      Related searches: Alcon jobs | Alcon salaries | Alcon benefits | Alcon interviews
      ReviewsAlcon reviews

      Glassdoor has 3,514 Alcon reviews submitted anonymously by Alcon employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Alcon is right for you.