18 Pros and Cons of Working for Johnson & Johnson

Johnson and Johnson is a large company.

They manufacture a wide variety of healthcare products, medical devices, prescriptions, and personal care products.

They are known as the largest and broadest based healthcare company in the world.

The company was founded, and is still based, in New Jersey.

They’ve been in business more than 130 years.

They currently have 260 subsidiary companies in more than 60 countries globally, and employ 140,000 people.

Pros of Working for Johnson and Johnson

1. Work-Life Balance

Most employees state that Johnson and Johnson provides a good work-life balance.

Based on the company’s website, work life balance is a priority.

They emphasis this with their re-ignite program, which is designed for those who have left the workforce and want to return.

2. Medical Benefits

Johnson and Johnson provides medical benefits that most companies haven’t even considered.

This includes special needs assistance, medical travel benefits that cover travel expenses if you need care that you can’t find locally, and lots of mental health resources.

They offer coverage for same-sex partners, and medical and surgical coverage for trans individuals as well.

3. Unique Benefits for Parents

The company also offers some unique benefits for parents.

They offer parental leave for all parents.

This includes maternal and parental leave, adoption, foster parents, and surrogacy.

All employees receive 8 weeks of paid leave during their new child’s first year.

Another striking benefit is breast milk shipping.

Breastfeeding mothers who are traveling as a part of their job can ship their breastmilk home, safely, quickly, and at no cost.

Johnson and Johnson provides prepaid refrigerated boxes that are cleared by customs to accomplish this.

They also offer fertility treatment coverage up to $35,000 for those trying to conceive.

4. Diversity and Inclusion

Johnson and Johnson puts a high value on diversity and inclusion.

According to Diversity, INC, the company has scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index.

Surprisingly, Johnson and Johnson have always been at the forefront of inclusion.

When the company was founded, 8 out of 14 employees were women.

Today, they are the only company to endorse the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.

They have also pledged $100 over the next five years to promote health equity solutions for communities of color.

5. Interacting with Different People and Departments

Many positions within the company allow employees to interact with many different people and departments.

Employees enjoy working with different groups of people, and seeing how things work in other departments.

6. Learning the Manufacturing Process

Employees involved in the manufacturing process or related positions have the opportunity to learn about different aspects of the manufacturing process.

This can open up new positions within the company, or allow you to get a manufacturing job at a different company.

7. Unique Learning Opportunities

Employees state that they are offered unique learning opportunities, because the company works in so many different fields.

They may become involved in the pharmaceutical manufacturing or research process, medical device testing, and a wide variety of other areas.

8. Upward Mobility

Johnson and Johnson provides plenty of opportunities for upward mobility as well.

You may move up in the field you were in when you started working with the company.

You can also pivot away from your initial field, into a new field within the company.

Jeff Mathers is a great example of this.

He started his career in pharmaceutical research.

Today, he is the Vice President of Commercial Technology, Software Engineering, R&D Platforms and Architecture for the company.

9. High Retention Rate

Johnson and Johnson is rated in the top 20% compared to companies of the same size when it comes to retention rate.

Nearly half of employees stated that they wouldn’t consider leaving the company, even if they were offered higher pay.

76% of employees stated that they look forward to going to work each day.

Cons of Working for Johnson and Johnson

1. Rejects Innovative Thinking

Johnson and Johnson claims to be innovative, but employees tell a different story.

They say that the company simply wants to stick to what works, rather than improve processes or listen to new ideas.

This is a common issue with many companies, especially those who have been in business for many years.

Like people, they can become “set in their ways”.

If you are comfortable maintaining the status quo, this isn’t a big issue.

However, if you have a desire to be innovative and forward thinking, you may find this a bit stifling.

2. Poor Management

This seems to vary between locations, or perhaps departments.

A few employees praise their managers, and state that they have a good working relationship with them, where they feel able to address concerns and ideas.

Other employees say that management is often poor.

One employee who worked as a quality engineer stated that upper management would encourage them to cut corners, and that most of the management team knew little about the job or standards required by the company.

Some employees also stated that there was unhealthy competition between managers or departments that created unnecessary stress.

One employee also mentioned not being able to take sick time, because his manager wouldn’t approve it.

3. Outdated Technological Infrastructure

Several employees mentioned that the technological infrastructure was outdated.

In some cases, this varied from department to department, which made work and communication between departments difficult.

Johnson and Johnson seems to be in the process of updating their infrastructure at some facilities.

A few employees mentioned up-to-date technology.

4. Poor Training or Resources

Employees often complain about a lack of training, and struggling to do their job because they lack adequate resources to do so.

A few employees mentioned that it’s common to receive no training when you move to a different job or team within the company.

5. Long Hours

Despite the company’s commitment to providing a healthy balance between work and life, many employees report having to work long hours.

It seems to be expected at some locations or some departments.

Some also say that their hours are inconsistent.

One issue seems to be frequent meetings, that can occur from morning until late at night.

6. Poor Quality Food

It’s common for employees to complain about the food available in the cafeteria.

Johnson and Johnson is a company that focuses on health, yet their cafeteria options seem to fall short of this standard.

Employees state that the food offered is low quality, and isn’t considered healthy.

It is, however, inexpensive.

7. Lack of Ethics and Legal Concerns

Johnson and Johnson has long been a pioneer when it comes to ethical behavior.

However, in the 15 years, there’s been some concerns about their practices.

They’ve dealt with a steady stream of lawsuits.

Their troubles began in 2010, when they had to recall more than 288 million products, including Tylenol, Benadryl, and Motrin for a variety of reasons.

Some products had too much of the active ingredient, while others had higher than allowed levels of inactive ingredients.

Still, others were contaminated with bacteria, wood, or glass particles.

Eventually, shareholders filed a lawsuit.

Instead of seeking compensation for lost profits, the shareholders sought to implement changes to prevent future losses of quality, reputation, and products.

The company is still undergoing issues due to poor quality control and slow or ineffective responses to concerns.

Employees state that quality control is often lacking, and that they are encouraged to put profits over quality.

This creates unnecessary stress and concern for ethical employees, who want to provide a safe and effective product for consumers.

8. Unfairness Within the Company

Several employees have stated that managers sometimes take credit for the work of those below them.

These employees say that it can be difficult to move up in the company, because there’s a lack of recognition for hard work.

Other employees stated that some employees would not perform their job duties, leaving the employee to do more than their fair share.

It seems that the company can be “cliquey”, with people who are liked by management allowed to get away with poor performance, while other employees are expected to work harder.

9. Self-Motivated Career Growth

Some people view this as a con, while others think it’s a benefit of working for the company.

Essentially, if you want to develop your career with this company, you must advocate for yourself.

You’ll need to develop your own plan to move up in the company.

Some companies place a high value on guiding employees to learn new areas or move up.

Johnson and Johnson places this responsibility on their employees.

If you are self-motivated, there are certainly opportunities and training available.

However, if you need outside motivation or guidance, you may struggle to improve your career.