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Being the best place for the best people to do their best work
People: Joined-up thinking
We want to be the best place for the best people to do their best work, as individuals and as part of a team. How are we performing against that target? Very well, according to our latest leadership opinion survey, although there is certainly no room for complacency.
The race
The workplace is changing, and fast.
Attitudes to work and careers that were
commonplace just a decade ago now
seem outdated and redundant.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2010 there will be 10 million more jobs than qualified candidates in the US – and 16 million by 2015 as the last of the baby boomers retire. In fact, 76 million Americans will retire by 2010 and the number of workers aged 55 and over is growing four times faster than the labour force as a whole. In the UK, there is almost full employment. China has a huge hunger for skills and is already experiencing major talent shortages. This picture is repeated around the world as demand for knowledge workers outstrips the ability of the population to supply them.
The baby boomers have boomed and bust. In their wake, a new set of imperatives are taking root. There are fewer young people and what they want is different. Millennial children demand more social responsiveness, they want to make a positive contribution. Salary and security are no longer enough.
The response
In May, we carried out our biannial
leadership opinion survey which
benchmarks us against 39 other major
multinational companies. We achieved
the highest score of any company on
employee satisfaction, with 85 per cent
of employees who responded
expressing overall satisfaction with GSK,
up from 73 per cent in 2004 and some
20 points ahead of the mean score of
comparison companies. 90 per cent are
proud to be part of GSK, up from 83
per cent in 2004.
In fact in almost all cases, our scores were well above those of two years ago. Compared to our peers, we not only exceeded the mean but in several instances achieved the highest score as well.
“Following our last survey in 2004, we carried out an action plan to address the areas where we performed less than satisfactorily,” says Sherry Stuckey, VP Leadership and Organisation Development. “It’s great to see how much we’ve improved as most departments saw a significant increase in their scores in this year’s survey.”
Being the best place for the best people to do their best work
We foster a distinctive culture of high performance, responsible business practices and openness to new ideas
People are our greatest asset. That may be a tired cliché, but for us it’s also an undeniable fact of life. For all our investment in technology and products, it is people who discover new drugs and people who get medicines to those who need them most.
But ours is a competitive world. The race to attract and then retain talent is being run across every industry and in laboratories and offices all over the world. Recruitment is first or second on almost every organisation’s list of business priorities.
Independent endorsement
Our latest leadership opinion survey (see above ), shows that we’re making good progress. Almost across the board, our scores were well above those of two years ago. Many were also higher than the scores achieved by our peers.
An independent survey, compiled every two years by the Corporate Research Foundation in association with The Guardian newspaper in the UK, underlines those findings. “In the ‘Britain's Top Employers 2007’ survey, we posted the fourth highest score out of 100 companies,” says Dan Phelan, our head of human resources. “We scored 81.4 points, up from 73.5 in 2005.”
In November, JP Garnier was presented with the Hunt-Scanlon Human Capital Advantage Award. The award recognises JP’s commitment to attracting, developing and retaining top talent in a way that increases employee loyalty, customer satisfaction and shareholder returns.
In the US, we were named to the Hall of Fame by Working Mother Magazine for being listed as one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in the US for each of the last 15 years.
Looking ahead, succession planning plays a key role in the long-term health of the business and retaining the best people. “We have a wealth of exceptional talent at senior levels and are recognised for our ability to foster great leaders,” says Dan. “Planning is undertaken annually so that we can provide our leaders of the future with a career path that will develop the key skills they will need.”
Performing with integrity
According to the leadership opinion survey, 91 per cent of respondents agree or strongly agree that colleagues in their department show ‘commitment to performance with integrity’, maintaining the level from our 2004 survey.
“We have a wealth of exceptional talent at senior levels and are recognised for our ability to foster great leaders”
During 2006, we underlined our commitment to high ethical standards by raising awareness of our Integrity Helpline, which is available to all employees, contractors, vendors and others. All employees have an obligation to report adverse events for GSK products and can do so by clicking a button on our intranet homepage.
Reducing pressure
To sustain energy and performance, we need to help our people get the most from their working lives and to help them identify and address areas of excessive pressure to avoid stress.
“So far, nearly 1,000 teams from all over the world – more than 13,000 people – have participated in training to help them deal with work pressures effectively,” explains Bob Carr, VP Employee Health Management. “This consists of an online assessment that focuses on the sources of pressure and its outcomes. The resulting report is an effective and efficient way for a manager to address issues that may be impeding team effectiveness and organisational success.
“Does it work? Without a doubt. Teams who have participated in the process have reported pressure due to work/life conflicts down by 25 per cent and satisfaction with their work environment up 21 per cent, with a significant increase in willingness to experiment with new working practices.”
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Making a difference
Paul Smith joined GSK in 1996 as a laboratory chemist before gaining broad experience in procurement and manufacturing. Currently Manufacturing Strategy Manager for Infectious Diseases, he has an MBA with distinction from Tanaka Business School at the University of London.
“What’s so special about GSK? Working here gives me the chance to do the right thing and make a difference. A large part of my job involves HIV/AIDS and access to medicines – and I get a real buzz out of it. It’s true that GSK is a commercial enterprise, but it’s also a company that has the potential to do great good in the world. Life is not just about the share price!
“Since the merger, I’ve seen the culture evolve. Today, I’d say it’s become more business and results-oriented. At the same time, it’s a very friendly, pro-active environment to work in. Managers, including the senior executives, are open-minded and approachable. They listen to what people have to say.
“GSK has won a lot of recognition recently and I’m not surprised. I have friends in industry and government – and when we get together I’m one of the very few who wants to talk about the good things at work.”
