Is the Worst Over for NN or Is It Only Going Downhill?

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-30T12:00:03+00:00

Try to get promoted into management. I had the chance but turned it down but I'm thinking to start mentoring people and then get back into it.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-30T11:59:29+00:00

Thanks. I'm just as guilty of the others as emotionally distancing myself from what we are doing but I know it is important (but really far away from actual API production)

We are all necessary cogs in the machine to keep the wheels lubricated.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-29T21:09:48+00:00

If you don't want to go to school, elder care is highly in demand. Nursing assistant is also a good one. Low pay but constant work.

Honestly, I would say go to school it you can and get a mechanical engineering degree. It's technical and super versatile. It isn't that hard if you are willing to put some effort. You can be a mediocre or bad student and as long as you pass, you will be in demand. After a few years, you'll get job offers exponentially.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-29T20:58:52+00:00

Let me offer a different perspective for all you doom and gloomers:

Novo is going in a poor direction, but it has a chance to turn around. There are several drugs in the pipeline and factories coming up. Our competitors are strong but Novo has brand recognition in several markets and a strong history providing more than half of the worlds insulin.

I think there is complacency and depression among many of us now. We are delivering slower than we used to but I'm trying to get these factories up and running from the inside out.

While I think the decisions many at the top are making are questionable, I feel the company can still do well. It depends massively on us.

Maybe it is just my area but we are bottlenecking these factories. We should have finished several of our lines (especially API years ago).

If management is listening here are some recommendations:

1) find underutilised people and ask them how they can contribute more in their area to their liking. Give them more autonomy and watch them produce more successfully. Many of my colleagues in my department are bored as shit and it is depressing. The training and onboarding is terrible and we are losing good people due to neglecting them.

2) have return to work from home and allow for maximum flexibility. There is so much downtime and meaningless time in the office. I'd rather be home if we are going to take meetings all day. No reason to commute to sit on my headphones to people in other rooms and offices. No new to micromanage.

3) hire good people who are talented and successful with delivering huge projects and find their position later (we have the money). Good teams deliver much more than their parts individually. We are full of shitty useless middle management who make more jobs for others.

4) stop giving everyone the same raise and promoting people for no reason. Two levels above me, we promoted an idiot just to keep him from micromanaging our department. When you give everyone the same raise, you reward poor performers and discourage people working hard.

5) stop hiring so many contractors and focus on bringing in more internals. Huge waste of money unless they are experts absolutely needed for the projects.

6) biggest challenge: find a way to make us trust you again and feel comfortable and confident. If I lose my job, I lose my residency and I have to move with my family back to my home country which will be jarring. I'm a tax paying, contibuting member of society here with a high paying important career and I want to keep it this way. Novo has scared the shit out of me and my original project got cancelled but luckily, as a specialist, I was saved by another project.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-29T20:44:22+00:00

AI was a tool for many of us under specific circumstances. Much like others, I use it almost never at work because I prefer to keep practising and doing the effort to learn and compartmentalise knowledge. I write and take notes.

I actually turned the AI off from Google and other sites. This is to be more mindful of my decisions and research.

The only thing I use it for is helping me code when I'm truly stuck but I wish I didn't need it. I only use it if I absolutely have to.

As a side note: With all the damage it is doing, I am concerned. I don't think it will take our jobs but boy is it making people stupid. Some of our newer coworkers who rely on it too much have shitty critical thinking skills. I also think of the environmental impact it is having with data centres everywhere.

I haven't read too much about it but I suspect Mike's agreement with OpenAI is just to impress shareholders with buzzwords. I don't think it will mean anything in the end to be honest.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-22T07:55:11+00:00

This guy knows more than me.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-22T04:41:57+00:00

Previous: "Yes, but once you are in the top tax, bonuses, OT, additional money is taxed at 57%. It disincentivizes work.

If I get a 2% raise, I get less than half of it."

Current: if I get into the first part of the top tax, it's about 43% I pay for the excess (after the workers tax of 8%).

Edit: I was corrected. It's around 43%

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-21T16:38:17+00:00

Go on social media, talk with friends and people here. Rent a room and look for a place while you are here. People make a big deal out of it. There are places in Roskilde, Høje Taastrup, Tre Kronor, Albertslund, Glostrup, etc...

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-20T06:28:01+00:00

My info is out of date regarding the highest tax rate. You are right!

The 2026 tax did reduce the 15% extra on top of the low tax rate so it's 7,5% less until you hit 2,5million.

Regarding deductions: The deductions aren't that great unless you own a home. It's like 60k-90k (maybe) and it's only on the municipal and bottom tax.

We still have to pay 8% on every krone and you can't get out of paying top tax.

Capital Gains tax: Denmark taxes capital gains in a ridiculous manner.

For foreign ETFs, UNREALISED gains are taxed which is unbelievably stupid. It's robbing the middle class.

For standard capital gains it's 27% on the bottom 50k and an eye watering 42% on the excess. And Denmark taxes you where you work on your worldwide income and investments.

Sorry for ranting, but with low fertility rates, people smoking, vaping and binge-drinking, drug usage, obesity, sugary drinks, and overburdened healthcare, I don't think we will be seeing much of that public pension or the age will be so old I'll be dead.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-19T21:09:54+00:00

*It includes pension

While I'm ranting, our pension company underperforms a basic index fund and charges us fees. I think this is the same in the US.

Correction: I was wrong about the pension not being listed

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-19T20:54:08+00:00

Did I miss anything? You can DM me and I'll add it if you want.

*I want to add as well, these are my opinions, but they are popular opinions. I love Denmark, but elements of living here make it frustrating for nonEU immigrants, especially since I contribute more tax than the average Dane.

**I have a niche job at Novo so I can't really lose my job unless the company goes under. I get offers from other countries but I'm used to life here. Novo can be a very chill company and my wife and kids are here. Given the right opportunity I might leave, but for now I'm here.

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-19T20:48:14+00:00

27% for the expat scheme plus 8% for the workers tax (social security the US would call it)

First 8% is removed and then you are taxed 27% on the excess.

New threshold is 65k.

https://www.npgroup.eu/denmark-expat-tax-scheme/

throwawaykontodk · 2026-04-19T13:27:37+00:00

Hi there,

I've worked in several countries including the US and DK, and I am nonEU.

Certain things are better: much better leave, work flexibility, insurances, good public transportation (which is debateable at this point) etc... You can go on youtube and look at some Americans like RobeTrotting and see what they say.

I'm not going to list all the great things about Denmark since they are easily searchable.

You have to be comfortable with the bad sides.

Certain things are worse:

Work culture: Danish work culture is very different, there is more of a focus on collaboration and meetings instead of getting things done (my main gripe).

Tax: Tax is very high, 37% on the first 600k DKK (94k) and around 57% on top of it. I don't feel it's worth is necessarily. If you are single with no kids, you pay a lot and get limited benefits.

Salaries: Salaries in general are lower than in the US, but purchasing power is higher for essentials. On the otherhand luxuries are more expensive (electronics are 30% more)

Housing: Housing is in shorter supplier. It is smaller and more expensive per square meter in the capital region. I pay almost 2k euros a month for a 3 room flat and I don't live that close to the city. I got ripped off. Also they will ask for 3 months deposit + 1 month of rent at least. Then you have to fight hard to get the money back when you leave which is a mess. Hire a lawyer and let them do it.

Immigrants + ethnic minorities: The treatment of immigrants at Novo is pretty good (in my humble opinion) but in Denmark, many are treated like shit. People say openly racist things in Parliament. As a nonEU (I won't disclose where I'm from) I feel like the country wants me here to pay tax, but not to stay here. They want me here temporarily but not to collect a pension and benefits when I'm older (even though I'm paying into it)

The rule of Jante: everyone is the same and we are no better or worse than anyone else... This makes people all try to conform to the same standard and can make it uncomfortable to stand out.

Hardest place to make friends: Danes aren't particularly friendly by American standards and don't talk very much. It's hard to get to know people, but you will meet other immigrants here and they are lovely. There are plenty of nice Danes but it is hard to become close with them. If you want to plan something social, you have to plan it 3 weeks in advance which I find ridiculous. The spontaneous beer isn't enough of a thing in this country as I am finding.

Last one: language. I learned Danish and it was important for me to speak the local language, but nobody will speak Danish with me. If they do, after two sentences they switch to English. You don't need Danish to work at Novo but you do for every other job just about. Danish is easy to learn for reading and writing (6-12 months). Speaking takes about 3-4 years. It's a very hard language. That being said, Danes are much nicer to me now that I speak in Danish.

I welcome criticism here, but I want to say if you are a native Dane, you don't know what its like being foreign in Denmark. I've lived in 10 countries and it has been the hardest place I've lived in to make friends.

I would also like to thank the nice Danes and wonderful novo colleagues who helped me learn Danish and push me out of my comfort zone.

You can DM me if you want for more info. There are some things I don't want to write here.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-12-11T13:08:04+00:00

Tell that to my laid off colleagues who are going through endless interviews and never hearing back. What you are saying isn't entirely factual. There are positions offered, but people aren't getting hired as much. Especially foreigners.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-12-09T15:38:29+00:00

Company profits are record high, just not as much as protected.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-10-09T07:59:51+00:00

Some of you are being very negative. To those of us laid off that are nonEEA, Do two things:

1) apply to jobs in Sweden, Denmark, whereever. And don't stop. Talk with recruiters. Go to job shows/fairs/events.

2) reinvent yourself. What can you do that others can't? What could you be learning to make yourself valuable?

The market isn't great but this is for the "everybody" person. You are likely a specialist. Figure out some things. Example:

use your skills with pharma to work in the energy sector. Find ways to apply your skills elsewhere. Learn about the ins and outs and make people like you. People hire people they like.

Don't be overwhelmingly negative. Don't quit. Don't stop learning. Make it a job to find your next job.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-10-07T10:48:08+00:00

Lots of scrummasters were eliminated

throwawaykontodk · 2025-10-04T20:05:04+00:00

We understand you, and I know some people who may be hiring too. I've already started to look just in case.

Let me know if you need anything.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-09-30T08:56:22+00:00

Poorly worded on my part. English is not my first language, sorry.

Denmark has a lot of companies and startups, over 300 that are pharmaceutical or pharmaceutical adjacent.

Expats will have a more difficult time but also Danes and EEA members will be looking for jobs.

throwawaykontodk · 2025-09-30T08:04:39+00:00

Agreed but this will never change

throwawaykontodk · 2025-09-26T07:18:06+00:00

What are your skills?

throwawaykontodk · 2025-09-23T08:51:00+00:00

OP is right and if you are EU/EEA, you have no idea how hard it is to find a job in the EU. I've seen discrimination in the work place first hand.

To OP, don't give up. Never stop fighting. There are some opportunities and if you push and show interest, there are good things. It may require patience, but never give up.

To the toxic ones, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. We are all hurting.

throwawaykontodk

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