The most soul destroying place to work. - Anonymous employee Catalent Pharma Employee Review

1.0
2 Nov 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Immediate colleagues - Though there is still a stab in the back attitude from many, there is also a camaraderie that usually emanates from communities at war.

Cons

Management are clueless.' Yes men' get on, if you have an opinion or anything to contribute to the further improvement and development of the company then don't bother, management will only want to listen if you echo their archaic views. They talk in a series of buzz words nut have no idea as to their meaning. you will hear mention here of systems used in many other companies , Kanban, Kaisen, OEE etc., But at Catalent these systems are unrecognizable, merely used to pay lip service to the idea of improvement. Management can never 'weather the storm' and as a result redundancies occur on average every 2 years. Even at Operator level a considerable degree of skill and training is required, yet this is clearly not valued. Routinely it seems, redundancies occur only to be reversed by recruiting 6-12 months later. Consequently those that remain spend most of their time training new staff. As for the training department itself, this is a very well populated department, but serves only as a 'tick box' exercise. Any important changes to crucial procedures or equipment are spouted to you whilst you perform another job. You are then expected to sign that you have been trained without the opportunity even to read an SOP. They are clearly in too much of a rush to reach the end of their 'to do' list. All in all from the ground up, an appalling place to work. The only upside is the shift allowance for working 3 on 3 off including weekends and nights, as a result of the allowance the yearly wage looks attractive, without this they would struggle to recruit or retain staff.. Without this shift allowance the wage is poor.

Explore other reviews about Catalent Pharma

5.0
12 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Had exposure to a ton of experiences and senior leadership is open to hearing ideas and suggestions at all levels

Cons

None I can think of, but I only interned for 3-4 months

1.0
26 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Colleagues in labs and manufacturing sites are knowledgeable, dedicated, and supportive of one another. - Compensation and benefits remain competitive within the contract development and manufacturing industry. - Employees gain meaningful hands-on experience with advanced gene therapy and biologics projects. - Certain facilities feature modern equipment that supports complex production requirements. - Occasional team events and basic perks help build occasional positive moments in the workplace.

Cons

- The executive team consists primarily of finance professionals with limited direct experience in biopharmaceutical operations and quality systems. - Substantial debt accumulation and strategic divestitures occurred without sufficient investment in core manufacturing infrastructure or process improvements. - High employee turnover and repeated layoffs have led to increased workloads, reduced staffing levels, and declining team morale. - Persistent gaps in training, documentation, and maintenance contribute to quality deviations and regulatory compliance difficulties. - Communication between departments is often limited, resulting in unrealistic timelines and frequent project delays. - The company faced significant financial pressures approaching instability prior to the private acquisition. - Professional development opportunities are minimal, recognition is inconsistent, and work-life balance remains challenging for most roles

4
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All