Employee well-being is a core part of your business culture
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.
Interesting moments from the interview:
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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
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Future of workMay 28, 2025 | 58 | 32:32In this episode we discuss the well-being of university students and ways employers can prepare for and support the next generation of the workforce.
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Future of work
The Skills-Powered Organization
April 28, 2025 | 57 | 33:43This episode Ravin Jesuthasan, Mercer’s Global Transformation Leader, and Tanuj Kapilashrami, Chief Strategy and People Officer at Standard Chartered Bank discuss the transition from traditional job structures to a skills-based approach in talent management, the importance of agility and systemic skill development. -
Total rewards
Using the power of data to drive pay fairness and transparency
March 26, 2025 | 56 | 31:50Hear how proactively using data for informed compensation decision-making and effective communication can help create a positive workplace culture. -
Future of work
Delivering the future of work at Anglo American: the CLO role
February 28, 2025 | 55 | 33:56Hear from Anglo American about the importance of talent agility and continuous learning in response to rapid changes in the workforce and technology. -
People strategy
Bridging the gap: C-Suite and HR priorities for success in 2025
January 22, 2025 | 54 | 44:29In this episode, we share a preview of the results from both Mercer’s 2024-2025 Global Talent Trends survey report and 2025 Executive Outlook survey. -
Future of work
A microscope on total rewards: Trends for 2025
December 12, 2024 | 53 | 27:422025 is a year of action for rewards professionals who need to address pay gaps, align compensation philosophy, and prepare for legislative changes.
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