At Novartis, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment that treats all associates with dignity and respect.
We believe it is important for people everywhere to Stand Together for equity and social justice. We believe unequivocally that Black Lives Matter. As a company focused on improving human health globally, we recognize the disparities in healthcare facing Black communities and other communities of color, and we are working on numerous fronts to address those disparities.
Novartis has long been committed to diversity and inclusion and we strive to set an example as an inclusive organization. We have stated emphatically that Novartis has zero tolerance for racism or bias of any kind, and we expect and encourage every Novartis associate to respect and strongly uphold the D&I commitments outlined in our Code of Ethics, including:
- Creating a diverse and inclusive environment that treats all associates with dignity and respect;
- Educating our associates on inclusivity and providing all associates with equal opportunities to contribute to our company and advance their careers; and
- Listening to different communities with a learning mindset, to do what we can to contribute to building a world that is safer and more inclusive.
Standing together, we are using our voices to promote positivity and work toward creating a better, more inclusive organization and society.
Gender balance and pay equity
We believe that achieving true equity means achieving gender balance in management. Novartis was the only pharmaceutical company to join the United Nations Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) in 2018, which publicly committed us to achieve gender balance in management and improve our pay equity and transparency processes across all our countries of operation by 2023.
What’s more, we were the first global pharmaceutical company to support the United Nations Standards of Conduct for Business and actively promote Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Intersex equity awareness. Our LGBTQI associates and their allies have opportunities to connect through our Employee Resource Groups and PRIDE-related activities.
Disability Equity
Novartis recognizes the need to provide a work environment in which individuals with disabilities or medical conditions feel welcome and respected. As such, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable associates with disabilities to have access to the same opportunities as every other associate.
A Multifaceted Approach to Health Equity
Novartis believes an important way we can achieve greater health equity is to address persistent disparities in the way healthcare is approached, accessed, and delivered. This infographic details some of the many ways we are confronting these disparities in innovative ways, such as promoting greater diversity in biopharmaceutical clinical trials and supporting education programs that raise awareness about diseases and treatments.