At Novo Nordisk, we believe innovation thrives when different perspectives shape our everyday work. Our ability to leverage differences across our workforce is decisive for our future, it enables us to navigate rapid change, sustain employee engagement, and deliver innovation that benefits the patients we serve.
We recognise the broad range of experiences and skills in our workforce and are committed to strengthening how we leverage our differences, so everyone can contribute with confidence and impact in an inclusive, respectful environment.
This commitment is core to who we are and guides how we act. It is integral to the Novo Nordisk Way and embedded in our Code of Conduct.
Maziar Mike Doustdar
President and CEO
Three key strategic drivers guide our actions towards our ambition:
- Ensuring access to contribute by enabling meaningful contribution and proactively including different perspectives into decision making.
- Creating opportunities to succeed for everyone, by ensuring transparent and accessible processes for learning and development opportunities.
- Fostering a sense of belonging by creating an environment that values collaboration and innovation and where everyone feels respected and safe to challenge the status quo.
With a focus on driving everyday inclusion, we strive to shape ways of working that leverage our differences and enable every colleague to contribute meaningfully within a culture of respect and belonging.
Everyone has a role in putting this into practice. Our leaders create the conditions by inviting different viewpoints, listening with curiosity, setting clear expectations, and providing transparent, timely feedback. Colleagues live our values by integrating different perspectives into work and supporting one another through open, respectful dialogue.
To embed this, we drive systemic change through policies, practices and guidelines that foster everyday inclusion. We provide global frameworks and resources that local teams adapt to their context, ensuring participation is meaningful across cultures and geographies.
One Code supports us in living The Novo Nordisk Way, by setting clear expectations for how we work. One Code applies to everyone who works for, or on behalf of, Novo Nordisk and directs people to the resources they need to make the right decisions.
Novo Nordisk’s Labour Code of Conduct details how we protect equal treatment and opportunities for all employees, including a working environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Equal employment opportunity is applied to all stages of employment, including the recruitment process, working conditions, remuneration, development, promotion, termination or retirement in accordance with local conditions or requirements by national law.
For more information on our approach to good governance and sustainable business practices, go to our Principles, positions and policies.
Transparency around rewards principles, elements and processes to ensure confidence in pay decisions.
Ensuring pay that is sufficient to sustain a decent standard of living.
We focus on pay equity by ensuring:
- Transparency around rewards principles, elements, and processes to build confidence in pay decisions.
- Equal pay for work of equal value.
- Pay that is sufficient to sustain a decent standard of living.
We are increasing transparency around rewards for employees and candidates to strengthen a sustainable and fair rewards system and to ensure everyone understands how pay decisions are made, fostering trust and constructive dialogue.
Ensuring benefits that support employees through key life events and address the needs of a diverse workforce
- Caregiver Leave
Caregiver leave is an essential support for employees facing challenging family circumstances.
We offer a global minimum standard of two weeks' paid leave for employees who need to care for a dependent with a serious health condition, ensuring consistent support across our global workforce and providing the necessary flexibility during difficult times.
Our ambition is that providing caregiver leave demonstrates our commitment to supporting employees through key life events and recognising the caregiving responsibilities of our global workforce. - Paid parental leave for non-birthing parents
Parental leave is an integral part of the employee life cycle.
We offer a global minimum standard of 14 weeks' paid leave within the first year of becoming a parent, ensuring equal support for all parents and providing the necessary flexibility to balance personal and professional responsibilities.
Our ambition is that recognition of the non-birthing parents' right to leave will result in greater inclusion and equality for all parents.
When evaluating candidates for election and re-election for the shareholder-elected Board members, the People & Governance Committee and the Board considers the Competency Profile of the Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk A/S which includes diversity in terms of e.g., gender and other relevant criteria. In regards to employee representatives, Novo Nordisk A/S has employee representation in its Board of Directors and promotes the election to all eligible employees regardless of backgrounds. For selecting employees at Other management levels, Novo Nordisk A/S ensures a strong leadership pipeline of diverse talents through its commitment to promoting equality of op-portunities within Novo Nordisk A/S.
Novo Nordisk A/S has achieved gender balance as defined in the Danish Gender Balance Act for employee representatives in the Board of Directors and in Other management levels, however, it has not achieved gender balance for Board of Directors elected by shareholders.
1. For other management levels, the reporting only regards employees of Novo Nordisk A/S.
2. Ratio as of 31 December 2025. As of 31 January 2026, all employee representatives are women.
