The New Shape of Work interview series addresses the challenges and uncertainty brought by the coronavirus, and how to transition to a more agile workforce for the future.

COVID-19 has compelled everyone to quickly shift to a new shape of work. As a result, we’ve seen a natural focus on the health well-being of our people. Organizations had to quickly assess whether they have the right programs in place to support employee health and well-being, and certainly mental health and resilience has been a hallmark for the last 18 months.

This is part one of a two part conversation with Tripti Jha, Chief Talent  and People Solutions officer at Novartis about the future of work. In this conversation, we discuss the shift away from seeing well-being as a benefit, as well as how the unbossed culture journey that Novartis started prior to the pandemic has allowed them to focus both on understanding and meeting employee needs, and working toward their vision and purpose for the future of working.

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Interesting moments from the interview:

  • Employee well-being

    "Employee well-being is not benefit. It's not positioning it as a benefit. Employee care, employee well-being is the responsibility as an employer, as an organization. Yes, it is self-responsibility; it is also the responsibility of enterprise companies. This is where you know the workforce connect with the organization."
  • Giving employees flexibility

    "Choice with responsibility is all about how do we give that flexibility and choice to associates to take care of themselves, to organize their work and life, to organize how they work in the teams, with the responsibility to take self-care with the responsibility to perform. And with the responsibility to help Novartis you know reach its vision and purpose, which is to reimagine medicines for our patients."
  • Recognizing mental health

    "If you look at the history of HR, the workplace has not recognized mental health, until very recently, as a form of care. And it's the world over so it's not one place or one company. We started our focus on mental health and emotional well-being a few years back. During pandemic, of course, this has been one where a lot of associates have given us feedback in a very gentle way."
  • Reimagining medicine for our patients

    "When we look back if there's one thing which was a key differentiator that really helped us strongly come through this pandemic has been our culture. And that culture has a few parts, because it enables us to focus on the purpose of the company, what is most important, you know, which is to reimagine medicine for our patients."

More episodes in this series

  • Future of work

    The ROI of supporting employee mental health

    October 07, 2022 | Episode 26 | 25:16
    Employees have been bruised by the events of the last two years and many are feeling a form of despair, anxiety and a lost sense of belonging. Employers can address mental health challenges through benefits and culture to encourage employees to bring their best self to work and, in turn, see a positive impact on productivity.
  • Future of work

    Total rewards at the center of innovation at SAP

    September 15, 2022 | Episode 25 | 29:19
    Learn how total rewards goes beyond compensation and benefits to support transformation and innovation of employee culture and careers at SAP. And how the balance between vision and pragmatism helps SAP to continue moving into a skills-based future with employees understanding how they fit in the transformation journey.
  • Future of work

    Radically transforming HR with BMW

    August 15, 2022 | Episode 24 | 20:46
    With tight labor markets, there is an increased focus on employee experience to help attract and retain the talent you need today and in the future. In this episode, Moritz Kippenberger with BMW discusses the need to radically transform HR operations to meet employees shifted expectations around work.
  • Future of work

    Delivering workforce security and flexibility with Unilever

    July 18, 2022 | Episode 23 | 23:08
    Workplace flexibility is high on the business agenda and organizations are looking at adjustments to their operating models. In this episode, Placid Jover, Unilever’s VP HR for Latin America, talks about a new approach to talent management that balances the need for critical skills and workforce flexibility to help both the company and employees succeed.
  • Future of work

    Redesigning work, working and the workforce

    May 31, 2022 | Episode 21 | 15:24
    Employers are managing through a tremendous amount of change. In this episode, Ravin Jesuthasan and Brian Fisher with Mercer discuss employers’ need for agility, and how technology, new operating models and cultures need to come together to help employers be successful in the future of work.

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