At Novo Nordisk, there is more on offer than our unique culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Our ambition is to provide a sustainable, equitable, and transparent rewards proposition — one that ensures every employee feels respected, valued, included, and proud to be part of our journey.
That is why we are committed to transparent rewards structures, pay equity and inclusive benefits. Through our Total Rewards Offerings, we attract, develop, and retain top talent with:
Our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career and life — empowering you to thrive both professionally and personally.
We are taking a natural step in developing our Transparent Rewards Proposition. Reward Transparency aims at increasing transparency around how your pay is determined as per the company’s rewards philosophy.
We are doing this by including salary ranges in job ads and giving you an overview of various rewards elements that the organisation provides to the employees.
We believe that by increasing transparency, we are not only creating a sustainable and fair rewards system, but we are also ensuring that everyone understands how they are rewarded.
Your competitive pay include your base salary, which reflects the responsibilities outlined in your role profile and serves as a fixed component of your total compensation. While it may vary by country due to local market practices and regulations, we are committed to ensuring our salary structures remain competitive and equitable.
We regularly benchmark our salary ranges against market standards to ensure alignment and fairness. Where you fall within these ranges depends on a variety of factors, including your skills, experience, and the competencies required for the position.
Salaries are reviewed annually, with any adjustments being influenced by market trends rather than individual performance. We recognise and reward performance through a variety of incentive and recognition programs designed to celebrate your achievements and impact.
Short Term Incentives (STI) / Annual Bonus
The Global Bonus Plan aims to drive engagement and motivation by recognising and rewarding employees based on performance. Eligible employees are assigned an individual target bonus percentage (STI target), calculated as a percentage of base pay.
The annual bonus is made up of two key components:
- 50% is based on group performance, reflecting the results of the business unit where you contribute.
- 50% is based on your individual performance, recognising your personal impact and achievements. This is determined by your line manager based on the individual performance, contribution and behaviour.
This balanced approach ensures that both collective success and individual contributions are rewarded.
Sales Incentives
For our sales teams, cyclic incentives are aligned with the Frontline Incentive Plan developed by the affiliate (unit) where the employee contributes. This approach ensures that incentives are closely tied to the specific business goals and market dynamics of each country.
Each affiliate designs their own Frontline Incentive Plan based on business requirements. This component applies specifically to sales roles, reflecting the unique impact and value our frontline teams bring to Novo Nordisk.
Equity
We currently have two global Employee Share programmes at Novo Nordisk.
Our Corporate Long-Term Incentive Programme (LTIP) is designed to incentivise and reward key employees in senior roles based upon the overall longer term company performance. LTIP targets are set as a percentage of base salary and are determined based on market benchmarks, job levels, salary, location & functional area.
All Employee Share Programmes - From time to time, Novo Nordisk may grant share programmes via Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), to celebrate and appreciate the vast efforts from all employees on key milestones for the company.
At Novo Nordisk, our benefits are designed to combine global standards with local market practices, ensuring every employee receives meaningful support—wherever they are.
Our benefits go beyond monetary compensation and may include:
- Health and wellness programs to help you thrive
- Time-off policies that support work-life balance
- Retirement and financial security plans for peace of mind
- Well-being initiatives that promote physical, mental, and emotional health
We believe in fostering a recognition culture through monetary and non-monetary recognition where employees feel valued and acknowledged for extraordinary contributions. Our recognition culture is built on the 4R principles, recognising the right reward for the right people for the right reasons at the right time.
