In a recent blog, we talked about attracting candidates to your organisation with your employer brand. Today, we look at company culture, and what defines a great culture in your post-pandemic pharmaceutical, medical device or life science organisation.
Your employer brand is the beacon which attracts candidates, whereas your company culture is the values and ethics that underpins everything your company stands for.
Demonstrating a great culture is an excellent way to attract candidates and retain employees, and also to keep your customers and clients happy.
But since the Covid-19 outbreak, what it means to have a great company culture has changed. A great culture creates engaged, happy employees which in turn can increase productivity by 20%. Many teams have faced challenges due to the pandemic; strengthening and providing a great culture for your employees should be something on the top of all responsible employer’s to-do list this year.
Pharmaceutical, medical device and life science companies must now reassess their company culture to deliver what candidates and employees are looking for in an employer.
Today, we share the four crucial elements of great company culture in our post-Covid world.
1. Clear Mission and Values
The Covid pandemic has been a huge catalyst for change. It has also been the perfect opportunity for companies to showcase their mission and values to the world.
Pharma, medical device and life science organisations, have been instrumental in the fight against Covid, and this has caused significant changes in many of these organisations.
Has the way your team and organisation operate changed in recent months, and if so, how?
Have you expanded your team, changed the usual working patterns, employed new talent in areas dedicated to helping fight the virus?
In pharmaceuticals, for example, some companies have gone from being providers of regular drugs to producing critical life-saving medicines daily – and this should be reflected in the way you portray your culture to the outside world.
Is your marketing team working on getting your mission and values out to the world? Whether your mission and core values are based around product development, distribution or research, showcasing to the world that you are passionate about the work you are doing in the wake of Covid is a great way to strengthen your culture.
2. Employee Experience
As an extension of your mission and values, providing a great employee experience in our post-Covid world means prioritising employee safety, stability and security.
The pandemic has been one of the most significant threats to public health in a generation. Likewise, the economic instability that threatened some sectors has been an added challenge. Even though the pharmaceutical, medical device and life science industries have remained stable throughout, there has been movement in some areas, such as sales and marketing, technology, and H.R.
As an employer, providing a great employee experience means reassuring your teams that your business is strong and that you are transparent with them in terms of your organisation’s future business plans.
For example, employees working in a medical device organisation who hear rumours that there may be job losses, or where there are frequent and disruptive changes to business plans, management or operations, will quickly start to become disengaged.
A great post-Covid employee experience means maintaining an honest dialogue with your team and prioritising their wellbeing.
3. Creating a Community
Creating an organisation where the employees feel part of a community, rather than simply performing a task, will enhance your employee experience.
As human beings, we all strive to feel part of a community, and your pharma or life science employees want to know that they are part of something important.
The following are ways to enhance the spirit of community in your organisation:
- Assess your team to see if every individual is in the best possible role that fits with their values and skillset.
- Encourage your team to share and respects each other’s opinions.
- Celebrate your team’s successes regularly and emphasise the importance of the team rather than the individual.
And make sure leaders and managers in your team are aware of the importance of maintaining an excellent sense of community, a place where everyone is respected, treated fairly and are encouraged to work together towards your company goal.
4. Innovation
Finally, innovation has been at the heart of every successful pharmaceutical, life science and medical device organisation in light of Covid-19.
Never before has there been such a need for innovation; fostering an innovative culture not only keeps employees engaged, but it drives the life-saving work that your company will have been focused on this year.
There has been a big focus on research and development in the pharmaceuticals sector since Covid-19 struck; nearly a quarter of the innovation-related deals announced between February and July 2020 were directly related to Covid-19.
What has the focus on innovation looked like in your organisation? Have you increased budgets or strengthened your training programmes? Bringing in new talent to drive innovation is something you might also want to think about.
Finally
Company culture is going to be what defines the successful pharmaceutical, life science and medical device organisations in our post-Covid world.
If you want to improve the culture in your organisation, and you need new talent to do it – we can help.
Get in touch with us here or call us on +971(0)4 442 0921 to talk to one of our recruitment experts.
Thanks,
How Kinetic Can Help
Kinetic source professionals locally and internationally for leading multinational, regional and local Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices companies, including Consumer Healthcare organisations.
If you need help sourcing the best candidates for your pharmaceutical or medical device organisation who will help drive your business forward this year, get in contact with us today.