Bringing out the best in people, with innovative development and well-being programmes

Growth doesn’t have to take place only in a conference room or classroom. To develop her leadership skills, Ms Catherine Ng flew to Kenya for a week as part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Making More Health Insights programme, a global leadership development initiative that focuses on experiential learning and self-reflection.

Ms Ng is the head of quality medicine in the company’s Regional Operating Unit, ASEAN, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand (ROPU ASKAN).

In the cities of Eldoret and Webuye, she visited Boehringer Ingelheim’s Making More Health centres, as well as schools, orphanages and local neighbourhoods. As part of the programme, Ms Ng was tasked to complete challenges that included visiting a market to bargain for as much food as possible for an orphanage, with only 1,000 shillings – around S$11. 

“It was a very different experience from shopping for our own groceries,” recalled Ms Ng, who has been with the company for five years. “Other than limited resources, we also needed to bear in mind that there was no refrigerator at the orphanage, and to consider which food would be the most appropriate and cost-effective.”

The innovative leadership development programme is representative of Boehringer Ingelheim’s strong orientation towards the well-being and growth of its employees.

The pharmaceutical company was listed among the world’s top employers – an accolade received for the last three years running – by Top Employers Institute, a global authority for excellence in people practices. This year, Boehringer Ingelheim was recognised as a Global Top Employer across ASKAN, an award it has received in Singapore for the sixth year in a row.

LEARNING TO LEAD GLOBALLY

According to Mr David Serés, human resources director for ROPU ASKAN, programmes like Making More Health Insights have proven to be very effective in developing entrepreneurial skills among employees.

“Being exposed to new and challenging environments makes them find new ways to be agile, innovative and resourceful in coming up with solutions to best meet their project needs,” he said. “All these skills that they hone are essential qualities required for a leader.”

Ms Ng agreed that the programme pushed her out of her comfort zone and changed the way she thinks and leads at Boehringer Ingelheim. “I gained a better understanding of how to operate with limited resources as well as to be innovative and create sustainable solutions that benefit our stakeholders, our patients and the community,” she said.

Another initiative that takes employees out of their comfort zone is the Regional Talent Move programme. It allows participants to take on a stretch assignment in a different country for up to six months, with the aim of developing their business acumen in addition to building cultural awareness and agility.

“There are several mobility options at Boehringer Ingelheim, either across functions or countries. We have many colleagues who have embarked on such journeys,” said Ms Ng.

Mr Serés, who as part of a similar past programme was assigned to lead a project in South America, said that being surrounded by capable colleagues who were eager to collaborate was a gamechanger for both his career and his mindset.

“The powerful insights during my short assignment, the steep learning curve and the need to quickly adjust to the new reality definitively accelerated my development,” he said.

PEOPLE-LED SUSTAINABILITY

Since 2021, Boehringer Ingelheim’s employees from all levels have had the opportunity to work with others on meaningful projects in the area of sustainability. 

“It is paramount for us to empower our employees and for them to take an active role in sustainability,” said Mr Serés. The company has a Sustainable Development for Generations team, which plans and executes initiatives that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

One initiative is the B-effect Project, where employees create positive change and develop a change-maker mindset by working on problem statements defined by social entrepreneurs, Ashoka Fellows.

Besides empowering employees to do good, Boehringer Ingelheim also engages them through a cross-functional team named ASKAN Cares, which creates holistic programmes themed around physical, social and emotional well-being. Employee volunteers form committees that seek to improve well-being, engagement and resilience among their colleagues.

ASKAN Cares initiatives have ranged from fitness-oriented ones like ClassPass membership in Malaysia and Singapore to cultural endeavours such as Batik Day in Indonesia, which staff marked by donning batik outfits. Thai Boehringer Ingelheim employees have bonded through doing good, such as planting mangrove trees and cleaning up marine waste at the Bangpu Nature Education Centre in Samut Prakan. In Vietnam, the company played host at a first-of-its-kind employee event that sought to explore diversity, equity and inclusion – a key element of Boehringer Ingelheim’s culture.

Ms Ng recounted how the company offered much-needed support during the work-from-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We learnt to take care of our health and mental well-being when face-to-face interaction with colleagues was kept to a minimum. I found the online seminars covering topics such as nutrition and mental well-being, the social interaction opportunities and the virtual workouts like yoga and Zumba to be especially useful.”

BUILDING GROWTH MINDSETS

When it comes to professional nurturing, Boehringer Ingelheim’s employees have a wide library of tools and resources to lean on.

Ms Ng has used Gartner, a manager and employee development toolbox, to help implement useful development actions within her team. She also recently applied for the University of Medicine Excellence’s Accelerate Programme, which sees training delivered in collaboration with Harvard Medical School.

“Organisations have a responsibility to support employees in reaching their full potential, and to put at their disposal tools, programmes, assignments and platforms that enable them to do so,” said Mr Serés.

At Boehringer Ingelheim, this responsibility goes beyond enabling professional development to include caring for each employee’s well-being, in order to ensure that the organisation as a whole is healthy and engaging.

Supported by the three aspects of the ASKAN Cares initiative – physical, emotional and social – the company hopes to instil in employees a sense of positivity regarding the meaningful work they do, allowing each individual to develop their unique talents to become part of extraordinary teams that serve patients, customers and the community.

Reflecting on his own journey of 20 years and counting at the company, Mr Serés said: “At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are encouraged to continuously evolve and develop the best version of ourselves. Here, you will be welcomed, valued, recognised and exposed to multiple development opportunities to grow professionally and personally.”

Visit Boehringer Ingelheim to learn more about career opportunities in creating better healthcare solutions.