How to be a great workplace in pharma and healthcare

In such a highly competitive and dynamic industry of pharma and healthcare, how do you carve out a reputation as a successful organisation that is the employer of choice – one that is pushing the boundaries of science and modern medicine but also prizes its people and is true to its values? Three companies that have achieved the coveted title of Best Workplace in Pharma and Healthcare 2022 give some clues to the ingredients in their secret sauce.

Amryt Pharma

Amryt Pharma was founded in Ireland in 2015 with the original “singular goal” of finding a treatment for patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a distressing and painful genetic skin condition. “It’s often described as the worst disease you’ve never heard of,” says Stephen Joyce, senior vice-president, global head of marketing and corporate communications and head of APAC with Amryt.

The company soon broadened its mission to helping patients across the rare and orphan disease space, and has rapidly expanded in recent years, with two major acquisitions. With four approved therapies for different rare and orphan diseases, Amryt now has a major global footprint.

“When I joined in 2018 there were around 20 people in the Dublin office – that’s now over 100 and more than 300 globally,” Joyce says. “That year we did $10 million of revenue and we are now guiding the markets that we are hoping to do $260 million in 2022.”

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He attributes this success to the “clear purpose” of the organisation, one that is shared by everyone who works there. Drawing up a set of values “from the bottom up” has helped crystallise the mission of the company. “We are all trying to make the lives better of those rare and orphan disease patients, who are so often forgotten and that clear purpose is very real. Often there can be lip service paid to your values or mission but the patient focus is very tangible at Amryt.

“That clarity helps when we bring teams together cross-functionally and internationally, really driving towards that shared purpose and common goal,” he adds.

This begins not at the onboarding stage but from the first steps of recruitment, and Amryt selects candidates whose values closely match its own. This is because they are joining a “family”, Joyce says. “We regularly hear from our people that it is great to be part of this family and they make strong connections with their peers here. But they also feel they play a great part in owning and shaping what we do. It’s about listening to employees as to what will make a difference for them,” he notes, adding that diversity and inclusion is a crucial element of this.

Industry benchmarking has ensured that salaries, bonuses and benefits packages are competitive and employee wellbeing is a priority – staff enjoy weekly personal trainer visits and can avail of wellbeing days throughout the year.

“In today’s marketplace you’ve got to differentiate yourself,” Joyce says. “When you’ve got all the basics in place, your differentiator has to be how you treat your people. It is also the value proportion – it might be the softer stuff but that’s what drives culture. It’s the sense of inclusion and belonging.”

Lennox

An Irish company that supplies scientific, industrial and laboratory goods, Lennox was founded in 1923 by four businessmen: Robert Lennox, who served as managing director, Charles Russell, Lionel Rosenthal and John Pride.

Leslie Brett, the current chief executive, says their efforts and vision 99 years ago built a company “with a strong foundation that has adapted over time”.

“As a company we are dedicated to delivering best-in-class scientific, manufacturing, production and laboratory solutions by combining 100 years of experience with the latest technical expertise. We are agile and innovative in the way we do business,” she notes.

According to Brett, this has built a level of trust for their customers but also the wider public.

“Customers appreciate the level of expertise that we offer, from our customer services team to our sales team and technical services team, we communicate peer-to-peer with our customers,” she says. “They also rely on our stable supplier network, reputable brand partners, reliable delivery through our logistics fleet and our enhanced warehouse capacity. As leaders in our industry, we are constantly evolving to support and drive our customers’ technological and scientific innovations.

“The wider public knows us for our strong legacy as an Irish company as we continue to evolve. In 2018, we opened our Cork office to serve the region’s tech and pharma clusters. In 2022 we acquired Focus Scientific Solutions, a Meath-based provider of specialist and general laboratory equipment and experts in installations and validations. This resulted in us becoming the largest independent Irish company in the sector.”

Still, Brett asserts, the company’s “greatest strength and priority” is its employees and their ability to satisfy their customer base. “We remain committed to building a positive work culture based on trust, collaboration and teamwork.”

Being recognised as a Great Place to Work has solidified this commitment, she adds. “This recognition has further fuelled our commitment to innovate and create new solutions that not only bring benefits to our customers but also advance our industry as a whole. Going forward we will continue to live by the standards set out by this award to ensure that we continue to provide a great working environment while having our customers’ interests at our core.”

The title is a testament to the talent and hard work of a team, Brett adds. “The process of getting to this stage allows your business to step back and reflect on the changes you might want to consider in order to facilitate a working environment where employees can thrive and excel. It will also allow a company to see how far you have come while also prioritising what you want to achieve in the future.”

Alcon

Alcon Inc has a 70-year heritage and has evolved to become the largest eye-care device company in the world. With complementary businesses in surgical and vision care, Alcon now works in more than 70 countries and serves patients in more than 140 countries.

“We have a long history of industry firsts, and each year we commit a substantial amount in research and development to meet customer needs and patient demands,” notes Marie Butler, senior HR business partner with Alcon Ireland. “Our leadership is grounded in cutting-edge innovation and breakthrough technology, transforming the way we treat eye diseases and eye conditions.”

She attributes this ongoing innovation to a clear set of values and behaviours. “The V&Bs are important to deliver on the company’s mission of discovering new ways to improve and extend people’s lives and for Alcon to be the trusted leader in eye care. As we focus on our priorities, we are guided by our V&Bs to achieve these goals. It is our collective passion, hard work and dedication to reimagine Alcon as a leader in eye care that will make a difference in how we are able to meet and exceed the needs of our associates, our customers and patients around the world.”

This aligns effortlessly with the GPTW model of trust, Butler says. “It is our values and behaviours, with our people at the heart of what we do, that intertwine with the GPTW model of trust. It too recognises that it is our people, our team that drives our performance.”

In addition, she adds, feedback from all associates at Alcon Ireland as part of the annual survey proves invaluable in identifying improvement opportunities and adapting future strategy to meet the needs of its associates and customers.

Being one of the Best Workplaces in Pharma and Healthcare is a fantastic way for an organisation to keep track of its values and mission, Butler says.

“Alcon Ireland is committed to trusting and empowering our associates to make the world see brilliantly. Maintaining and improving on our GPTW accreditation year after year by achieving recertification, Best Workplace recertification, and Best Workplace for Women 2022 accreditation have been a vital part of this journey. Our people and culture is one of our greatest strengths and we will continue to build trust with our associates by continuing to take positive action.”