sales representative

territory sales manager

inside sales representative

regulatory affairs specialist

senior financial analyst

Supernus-Pharmaceuticals

Culture: 
Out of all the many places I have worked, Supernus has to be one of the worst work cultures of my career.

If you want a job where everyday feels like high school, this organization might be for you. Which is a shame, because there are a lot of good people who work here, but their concerns are often overlooked and brushed over in favor of the more vocal and troublesome employees (who often have been with the organization for many years).  

I noticed this behavior extremely early on, not only directed at myself but other employees as well. Some of these troublesome employees truly believe they're the King/Queen of Supernus; which, when your behavior is constantly upheld and rewarded by management, how could you not!  The way they treat management is completely different than the way they treat the rest of the employees. There's no profit in sucking up to a random analyst, but to the VP of Sales, heck yeah there is! So a lot of their behavior is just not noticed by higher ups, because they put on a completely persona when they're meeting; but when I say it is noticed by everyone else, it really is noticed by everyone else. 

This high school like culture, creates a very toxic and anxiety inducing work environment. A singular person can drastically change the vibe of a room upon their entrance, and not for the better. These same people constantly harass and report other employees for the silliest of infractions (someone left early,  a snack basket wasn't properly organized), but they themselves constantly break the rules in more serious ways (purchasing a car on their work from home day, working a wedding on their WFH day, taking extended lunches, never at their desk and wandering the building to talk to people, active bullying of employees, using company credit cards to purchase themselves lunch for a meeting they're not a part of, etc...). This blatant disregard of policy/rules is often overlooked by higher ups. 

All of this creates and fosters an environment of toxicity, that demoralizes a lot of good people! And at some point, these good people (who are actively looking for other jobs!!), will find something else, and all you will be left with is the worst of the worst of employees. Which is why the turnover rate is astronomical throughout the corporate office, and why a majority of people are actively looking for jobs elsewhere. 

In order to succeed at Supernus, you must be willing to either overlook these things or partake in them. Some people are just able to come in, do their job and leave, but when you have lack of work (see Workload below), this makes it hard to do. You begin to see the the cracks in the smiles and fake pleasantries of people around you.

I've worked with difficult people in my lifetime, but when your values and mission does not align with the behaviors of your organization, it's hard to find a middle ground with these people. For example, in healthcare, everyone is doing their job with the patient's wellbeing and health as the main mission/goal. Everything you do, is for the patients, which makes it easier to work with people who you might not get along with outside of work. 

At Supernus, everything you do is to help the company continue to make MORE money, so they can spend it all on their executives and field sales representatives. Which is reflected in the attitudes of some of the more difficult employees. When money is your end game, not the care of the patients using your drugs, that attitude will be reflected directly with your employees. Perhaps this view is skewed, as I was primarily in marketing, but I think marketing is perhaps the most important place to remind your employees that our patients come first. And I never got that impression that Supernus even cared about their patients even a little. But hey! They got that big celebrity endorsement, for a drug that most insurances (including your own at Supernus!) does not even cover! 

Culture TLDR:// High school mean girl culture; fosters a sense of complacency; focus is on making money, not the patients; employees are demoralized and not happy with environment that is being fostered; high turnover rate. 

Workload: 
I  truly believe this company has no idea how to utilize their executive assistants/administrative assistants. I was constantly looking for meaningful work to do, asking anyone and everyone if they needed help. The little work I did receive, was primarily meeting scheduling. Which is fine, but not enough to keep a person busy to warrant commuting in DMV traffic for. The work I did receive, was not meaningful or challenging in any way. Mailing people $500 headphones when you received a $700 bonus and a 2.8% raise (which didn't even cover the COLA in one of the most expensive areas in America), just demoralizes a person. I truly went into this job, expecting a lighter workload than my previous position, but not this light of a load. On average, I did about 10-15 hours of work a week (at MOST! Majority of the time,  this was even less!), and even though the pay was fine, it was not enough to deal with: certain employees in office; to sit at a grey cubicle; surrounded by grey doors and walls; and the nearest window facing the grey parking garage; with nothing to do to keep you occupied/busy. 

I believe if I had a more diverse, challenging and interesting workload, a lot of the culture I could have overlooked/missed, as I would have been busy with actual work. Instead, I sat and watched this place as an outsider, and I did not like what I saw. 

Workload TLDR:// Little work that is neither meaningful or challenging in anyway. Leaves you bored, which causes you to notice the work culture more clearly.  

Management: 
I didn't mind a lot of the directors/VPs. Again, I do believe they did not know how to utilize an administrative assistant. I think they spent a long time working with people that were pretty incompetent, that they just got used to doing everything on their own. I was never given a chance to grow and flourish in this company, nor learn anything about pharmaceuticals at all! Every position I've head, I was given chances to learn how the company/organization works. To learn about all the different parts that makes the cog wheel turn, but here, they truly prefer the ignorance. If you are ignorant to how things work, then you can't question anything. 

I truly would suggest to management to come up with a job description for these roles, and be open to giving weird tasks to your admins! Yes, a few of the admins are fine with their minimal work, but I think you'd be surprised of the talent that is there, if given a chance to grow and expand. 

Management also actively enables the work culture mentioned heavily above (which isn't even as detailed as I could get). When they are alerted to unsavory behaviors of certain employees, nothing ever comes out of it. This causes other employees to feel unheard and to feel that the treatment they're receiving is fine and approved of. 

I do think there are some in management positions, who are just not fit to be managers/lack the proper training to be a good manager. Some managers will take the credit for all the work, despite not knowing how to do the work themselves. This fosters, again, a sense of complacency. Why should I go above and beyond if you can't trust me to do the simplest of tasks/take the credit for the work I did? 

Management TLDR:// Fine for the most part, does not know how to utilize admins, could be more active in employee's work life, enables some of the more toxic behaviors of employees, fosters complacency. 



When I first joined Supernus Pharmaceuticals, I had an excellent onboarding experience. The managers, directors, and SVPs were hands-on and straightforward. The work-life balance was manageable if you met all the work requirements. The company culture was distinct, with effective communication across all levels, and there were numerous company events to participate in. The healthcare benefits were exceptional, with great mental health support. My first year was good until...

By the following year, things took a downturn after our department lost a manager. Supernus allows too many organizational changes, leading to confusion. Managers became overly critical, with one being especially condescending and unsupportive. My director often gave conflicting instructions and additional work, leading to a stressful environment. On one occasion, a director gave me unclear instructions and, after several revisions, reprimanded me and asked if I wanted to quit, despite it being the director's fault for the unclear directions. The work culture felt restrictive, and the compensation did not reflect the level of stress endured. The work-from-home policy, my least favorite aspect, was viewed as a privilege and might be revoked.

The supply chain management team is expected to shrink over time because managers refuse to change old ways and adapt new methods of working. The supply chain department had petty work-from-home rules that did not make sense. Directors would get upset if emails weren't frequently sent on Fridays, simply because they knew most employees worked from home on those days. It's like the directors didn't understand the need for peace, and it showed because the department was constantly under stress. Additionally, employees were expected to attend company events that were often far away, requiring travel that was not reimbursed. You were told to be grateful for these events, even when they weren't necessary, and it was expected that you take time out of your day for them. If they found out you had a second job, it was highly frowned upon. The SVP of the supply chain department was too relaxed, never addressing any of the issues happening and turning a blind eye, though they were pretty agreeable overall.

The CEO should ensure that organizational structure changes come only from the top. Directors often create unsolidified processes that slow down business operations. They should stop being overly dramatic when things don't go their way. Efficiency should be prioritized, even if it means deviating from established processes. Directors need to collaborate with employees rather than burdening them with unnecessary tasks. Entry-level employees should not be doing the work meant for higher-ups. Managers need to provide clear and consistent instructions to avoid confusion and stress. Address the issues within the supply chain department to prevent further shrinkage. Recognize the importance of work-life balance and avoid petty rules that disrupt employee peace. Ensure that company events are meaningful and necessary and provide reimbursement for travel-related expenses. Lastly, be more accepting of employees having second jobs, as it is a common practice in today's workforce.

For anyone considering working here, I encourage you to take your time and do what is comfortable. Always stand firm on what you will not do.

Overall, it’s a good entry-level opportunity in the pharma world. Just push back on what you're comfortable with.

Your typical day at is starting at 8:30. Buying snacks, coffee, picking up lunch for offices. As a rep you talk to your offices about why your medication is more effective to treating the disease state you are in. You finish your day at 5:00 pm. Essentially this what this company wants you to believe how your day will look like. 

This place is outdated and rotten with old age senior management that have been in the industry for decades. Unfortunately, this company has serious issues with change and adjusting to the current state of pharmaceutical industry. They are very rigid and unable to handle current market challenges. Internally they operate like a cult. Any concerns or problems you bring and you will be banished from any promotions. In my experience working here, I have never seen such lack of miscommunication between senior and junior management. Every time a change happens in regards to things that effect you on a daily basis nobody seems to know what’s going on. Managers are a bunch of yes man that got promoted too quick and lack any real leadership or advanced thought process. There is no support system in this company. Only if you have experienced tenured reps in your team. By the way things are looking, not much experience will be left in the future. I can’t stress taking everything with a grain of salt that they tell you about how wonderful this place is. I will leave you with this, there is a reason why they don’t take reps from other pharmaceutical companies. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company events and picnic were fun to attend and a short getaway from work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Senior management is strict about company and department policy and rules which creates tension between management and employees 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Strict and sometimes not friendly. Caused worry every day concerning rules. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Mostly boring secretarial type work. Not having challenging work at lower levels. Upper management made a lot of money while the rest of the staff were struggling to get by. Company does not pay well at the middle management level.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I enjoyed working with my co-workers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
During the Co-vid outbreak it was somewhat stressful.  My job required daily interaction with co-workers.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment included teamwork.  Everyone is happy to assist to get the job done in  a timely and efficient manner.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You clock in, acquire your assignment(s) for the day and complete your work and go home.

What is the best part of working at the company?
the quality department personnel

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
GMP Operations senior manager creates tension and conflicts with other departments.  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Overall there is optimism about current products in clinical trials and development.  There are some staff that have remote work options. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
busy, no support as there are no coworkers provided to train or perform tasks while even while I was on vacation.

Basically all positions are pretty secure; it's very rare to see someone fired.  That said, we have seen an increase of people departing their position from the labs, and low salary has always been the reason.  There are also no clear time tables for promotions, so bosses are free to implement their own if they so choose (i.e., a mentality of oh, you have to be in this position for XX years before being promoted, even though these "reauirements" are not in the employee handbook).

The interview process was with 5- 6 people . I was excited and willing to work for the company however they lead me on . And didn’t follow up with me like they should have. This company is not  flexiable at all . If you are looking  for flexibility during these difficult times Covid etc this company is not the one for you. They wouldn’t even negotiate with me . Everything was no . They do not allow there employees to work from home .

Everyone wanted to be in a position to manage and or micro manager. this made for extremely difficult work environment.  

Those persons who had been with the company for a long period of time developed a buddy buddy system and camaraderie which also led to newbies being unable to perform according to the way in which they were taught or trained.

They are a great company with strong communication and great opportunity to get into the industry. The job provides you the ability to run and manage your day as if was your own business. They have great open communication and listen to their employees. They truly value input and work as a team to be successful together.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sales representative 43 salaries reported	$82,500 per year
Territory sales manager 50 salaries reported	$108,650 per year
Inside sales representative 5 salaries reported	$50,750 per year
Regulatory affairs specialist 6 salaries reported	$120,667 per year
Senior financial analyst 6 salaries reported	$86,917 per year

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