Boehringer Ingelheim has been ranked first among the top employers in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry according to the 2007 Top Employers survey conducted by Science. Science's annual survey polls employees in biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and related industries. Each company received a ranking on the basis of whether it treats its employees with respect, whether its work-culture values align with employees' personal values, and multiple other factors.
In the past few years that Science has carried out this survey, Boehringer Ingelheim has climbed up in ranking, from 8th place in 2005 to second place last year. This year, Boehringer Ingelheim has reached the top ranking, recognizing the companyâs strong commitment to innovative thinking throughout the product pipeline, from the laboratory to the marketplace, while establishing an excellent working environment.
"This success has not been created overnight. Rather, it is a result of decades of Boehringer Ingelheim's dedication to research and innovation as the drivers for producing new and better medicines for patients," states Mikael Dolsten, Executive Vice President Pharma Research at Boehringer Ingelheim, highlighting the critical importance of innovation. "In a strong science-driven industry, we direct our projects in a climate balancing continuity and change in which we constantly challenge ourselves by seeking a creative dialogue with internal and external experts."
Recruiting the right people, inculcating them with the corporation's values, providing them with scientific challenges, and including them in discussion of the companyâs goals have played major roles in Boehringer Ingelheim's success.
"Our process started in the early 1990s, when we developed a corporate vision which was reloaded in 2004 with a concept called 'Lead and Learn'", explains Hans-Joachim Geppert, head of Human Resources at Boehringer Ingelheim. "The guiding principles of this vision have resulted in a great culture of trust and loyalty among our employees, who remain with the company for an exceptional average of 13 years" he adds.
This year's Science survey identified 19 additional companies to represent the top 20 of the best employers from the list of 477 companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
Equally attractive to current and would-be employees, Boehringer Ingelheim's management aims for nimbleness in its operations. Dolsten points out that "the company has the critical mass and resources to discover new innovative drugs and, at the same time, strives to be a simple, dynamic and efficient global organisation".
Science's 2007 Top Employers Survey
Respondents to the Science Top Employer web-based survey are asked to rate companies based on 23 driving characteristics, including financial strength, easy adaptation to change, and a research-driven environment. Survey respondents were asked to write in the names of companies they considered best, average and worst employers. They then rated these companies on 23 different attributes. Attribute categories included Corporate Image, Leadership and Direction, Financial Prowess, Work Culture/Environment, Work/Life Balance, Academics and Collegial Exchange, and Compensation and Benefits. Survey responses were analyzed by Senn-Delaney Culture Diagnostics & Measurement, which used a mathematical process to assign a unique score to rate the companiesâ employer reputation.
The report is based on a total sample of 3,157 people in the industry. Nearly one-third (29%) of participants came from outside the United States - primarily Western Europe. Details of the survey results and individual company rankings will be published in the 12 October 2007 issue of Science.
About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the worldâs 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 137 affiliates in 47 countries and 38,400 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.
In 2006, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.6 billion euro while spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.
For further information, visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.