Rigid Hierarchical Culture with Limited Openness to Change - Anonymous employee Abbott Employee Review

Abbott Dubai operates under a highly hierarchical culture where senior leaders tend to position themselves above others, which creates an environment where employees often feel undervalued. Innovation is not encouraged — the culture strongly prioritizes following processes over critical thinking, and new ideas are generally not welcomed. The work environment is heavily influenced by long‑tenured employees whose perspectives can feel rigid and resistant to change. Speaking up or proposing alternative approaches is culturally discouraged, and doing so may even put your position at risk. Work–life balance is also a major issue. It is common for employees to work very late hours, sometimes even past midnight, and this is normalized rather than addressed. There is an expectation to simply “do things the way they have always been done,” which limits growth, efficiency, and morale. In terms of systems and processes, the company uses tools like Copilot, and relies on manual Excel‑based workflows for core processes, which results in inefficiency and unnecessary complexity. Lastly, boundaries between personal and professional matters are not always respected, which can make the work environment feel intrusive and uncomfortable.