Constant turnover and constant changes without a clear vision - Anonymous employee Alcon Employee Review

2.0
11 Nov 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The salary is good and the location is excellent, right at the Fribourg train station There is a gym and yoga courses in the premises. 5 weeks vacation. But standard in Switzerland The company is a division of Novartis, which offers potential opportunities of advancement (if given the opportunity) The company has very good and interesting products related to eyecare.

Cons

People are burned out and dissatisfied as they have so much work to do and not enough people to do it. There is also a long time reputation for constant layoffs. The training offered to employees is difficult to obtain, and the company doesn't seem to want to invest in their people, although they keep stating they do just to be in compliance with their own policies.. Line and upper managers are constantly being replaced. There is no job stability due to constant changes going on. As it is a division of Novartis, it has also become very bureaucratic.. People are so immersed on their work that they loose perspective of what the company is all about.

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Pros

Flexible Schedule Good Culture Good Benefits

Cons

The pace of work can be very fast or inconsistent.

1.0
5 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

none nada nunca abandon all hope ye who enter here

Cons

Working here makes me want to unalive myself daily. It's a typical corporate environment with lots of rules and processes that do nothing for efficiency or production and are only applied to women, minorities, or high performers that carry the team but don't have the right anatomy, look, or last name for promotions and growth. But don't worry, if you have a family connection and absolutely no skills or intellect and like to schmooze but hate work you'll probably get promoted often and rapidly. Working here over the last several years has truly drained any previous ambition I entered the workplace with. The lack of work life balance and low pay contributes to a slow descent into a sloth like existence because I can no longer afford to do outside activities and barely pay my bills, and when I do have free time it's typically interrupted by some arbitrary coworker crash out over a minor inconvenience. I find myself taking on bad health habits to make it end sooner and because you'll need to conform to being chained to your desk and sitting at your desk at least 8 hours of the day to last. bathroom breaks-ha who needs those!

4
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