People & Culture Transformation

And so it goes on. If normal employee development is no longer enough, or if different organisational structures require employees to adopt completely new working concepts and qualification profiles, we usually refer to this as a 'transformation'.

When is a good time to carry out such a transformation? Is there a good time at all? When the Human Resources Department finds itself in the midst of such a process, as is currently the case with People & Culture, and this process forms part of a comprehensive global context, one can only imagine how much work needs to be invested. Going forward, the company is to be supported by a future-oriented organisation that is concerned with all employee-related matters.

With its many divisional and corporate functions, as company headquarters the Basel/Kaiseraugst site forms an interesting but also complex component here. So it was only logical for the AVR to be actively involved in these planned changes.

Long before formal consultations began, the AVR took part in discussions and feedback sessions, tabled suggestions, ideas and thoughts, and simply just listened, in order to absorb and understand the many concerns expressed by our valued colleagues in People & Culture.

All of a sudden, the Human Resources Department, which otherwise helps the business to implement transformations, was itself confronted with change. And of course the AVR worked particularly hard here in order to understand the transformation, critically scrutinise it and propose solutions.

A joint consultation was then held with the Works Council. While this is not normal practice, it proved to be extremely useful and efficient. The new organisation is now becoming operational at breakneck speed. From a previously decentralised structure to a globally integrated network with six chapters and independent organisational structures, much is set to change from 1 July 2021.

The company still needs a strong People & Culture Department, because ultimately every single employee ensures that the many new medicines can reach patients as quickly as possible.

The AVR continues to be very closely involved in the implementation process, and is contributing towards a successful launch.

Together with P&C business partners, the AVR is elaborating to find a follow-up solution for individual employees in order to keep the time of uncertainty as short as possible.

Written by Gernot Scharf, vicepresident of the AVR