Going Long on Benefits

At Novo Nordisk, Danish isn’t breakfast; it’s the style of benefits its employees share.

By Myke Folger | July 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Photograph by Hayley Young

The small staff of Novo Nordisk’s Seattle office benefits from generous policies set by the global pharmaceutical firm. Standing, left to right: Jill DeGreen, Alex Simon, Mary Mainville, Angie Hammond, Noel Balantac. Seated: Ida Mathiasen.

You’ve heard of free coffee, free soda and bagel Friday, but at the Seattle branch of Novo Nordisk, it’s free fruit for all employees—delivered weekly.

Talk about approaching wellness head on. Perhaps it is not surprising that as one of the largest biomedical and pharmaceutical companies in the world, with 27,000 employees worldwide (and just 47 in Washington state), Novo Nordisk addresses wellness with such direct and simple solutions. The company’s been at it since its founding in 1923.

A major manufacturer of insulin and other pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk takes care of its employees—or at least makes sure they take care of themselves. Here in Seattle, the company provides employees subsidized gym memberships, free flu vaccinations, three annual all-company events promoting sports and outdoor activities, and a $100-a-month gift card for sports equipment for all employees who bike to work. Each year, the company participates in the Hewitt Benefit Index to measure where it stands with medical/dental coverage among its peers. Novo Nordisk was ranked No. 1 three of the past four years compared with 15 other major pharmaceutical companies in its benefits group.

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There’s also an 8 percent 401(k) match, ergonomics experts who visit to provide employee workspace assessment, and company-paid lunch for all employees once a week. And, of course, the fruit.

Vacation benefits are similar to those at Novo Nordisk’s Bagsvaerd, Denmark, headquarters. All employees get 11 holidays, three floating holidays and up to 10 paid sick days annually. These benefits are on top of the 15 days of paid vacation for anyone with up to four years of employment. An employee who makes it to 15 years gets twice that—essentially a month and a half of paid time off.

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