Janssen prioritises staff retention as global war for talent escalates
Retention of existing staff has become every bit as significant a priority as recruiting new talent, remarks John O’Neill, the vice-president of quality control with Janssen Phamaceutical.
The healthcare company has made an art of keeping its top talent happy, with a remarkable 96.4% retention rate for full-time staff. Janssen is part of the Johnson & Johnson group, which employs close to 3,000 people in Ireland alone and more than 125,000 people worldwide.
Janssen has two main operations in Cork, one in Ringaskiddy, the other in Little Island. The company manufactures treatments for everything from migraine and fungal infections to epilepsy and schizophrenia. The company is developing vaccines for HIV and influenza, and it provides a vaccine for ebola to the World Health Organisation free of charge.
Questions around talent are always prominent in the “credo” which guides company values.
“We always put the patient first in everything we do. That ‘s our first priority,” said John O’Neill.
Our next priority is our commitment to our employees. Creating a great place to work is vital for our business.
“We’re also very committed to engaging with communities, locally, nationally and globally. I have done some work with communities in Asia Pacific. That kind of work can be a reality check.
“Every year, we survey our staff to make sure we are living up to the commitments in our credo. We get very honest answers back. That’s also a bit of a reality check for us.”
Mr O’Neill outlined some of Janssen’s talent acquisition and retention strategies to members of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) at a briefing in Maryborough House Hotel, Cork, this week. The briefing was titled ‘Talent Management in a Changing Landscape’.
During the briefing, Ken Murphy, a director with event sponsors CareerWise Recruitment, said his company has doubled its head count in the past year.
CareerWise has expanded its operations in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Shannon, with demand growing for its executive and contract recruitment services.
Meanwhile, Mr O’Neill told the HR managers and others present that geography was among the main reasons people have given for leaving the company. One former member of staff recently moved to take up a role with Regeneron in Limerick.
A week or so later, the talk in Janssen’s canteen was of reports back from Limerick, where Regeneron staff members are said to enjoy access to a nail bar.
After a quick phonecall, Grapevine can confirm the rumours of beautiful cuticles to be true; Regeneron does have a nail bar.
Janssen, of course, also delivers high grade employee care. The Health Force 2020 programme has sought to inform all staff of opportunities to manage their health. By the end of this year, 90% of all Johnson & Johnson will have been updated, with a full 100% of all staff informed by the end of 2020.
“It’s there for all those who want to do the programme, which of course isn’t everyone,” said John O’Neill. “That said, the longest queue in our canteen now is often for the salad bar. More people are using the gym and monitoring their own fitness.”
Janssen is watchful across the topics of interest to workers. In broad terms, about 70% of the company’s roles are full-time and 30% part-time. The company is monitoring whether this flex model could be an issue for some people.
Janssen tries to find a balance in this area, so it outsources some functions it doesn’t view as core. It also monitors the skills challenges in relation to retaining QPs (qualified persons).
The pace of change within the pharma sector is also creating its own challenges. With the rise of generics, drugs which once dominated global markets for 15 years might now only have a three-year life cycle. That leads to a greater need for upskilling.
“The war on talent starts with retention,” says O’Neill. “We find that people are interested in continuous personal development. We broaden that to all people across the site.
People come in with one set of skills. We bring training and courses on-site to ensure people can keep growing with us.
“We are creating some new opportunities in data analytics and the internet of things (IoT). We want to be sure that our existing staff know that they can aim to take up those roles.”
Janssen invites staff members to participate in programmes, including the youth-focused Óige, the in-house JSCI mentoring initiative, as well as Build (languages) and the Grow programme, which ensures people get practical insights on any potential they might have to switch jobs within the company.
“We get people to work for six to nine months on a project, where they get to work in a new role. It is an inclusive opportunity for people, and we make sure that the potential for a permanent role is mentioned.”
In terms of capturing emerging talent from third level courses, the Johnson & Johnson group created placements for third-year college students, who gain paid work experience with the company. The group hosts 22 postgraduates who work with the company, with a 65-70% retention rate.
Janssen fully accepts — regardless of how attractive they manage to make their workplace — many students will use their qualifications to find work overseas, often to satisfy a desire to travel before settling down.
