We were excited when we heard about the family friendly workplaces initiative because we saw it as a way to take another step in our quest to have the highest standards possible to support inclusivity in the workplace. As an organisation with a very long-standing and active Diversity and Inclusion Council, we have great foundations to build from – but we also wanted to ensure that we kept up with the pace of change.
Parental leave policy
In 2019 we rolled out an ungraded Parental leave policy, and we are proud to offer a minimum 14 weeks paid parental leave to our associates. Our policy also doesn’t differentiate – it is applicable to either parent following the birth, surrogacy or adoption of a child, effective from their first day of employment.
Equal pay
We have also made an EPIC Pledge committing to equal pay for women and men for work of equal value by 2023. Part of that commitment is to provide transparency to associates around internal and external benchmarking of their role.
Support for parents
Since 2019, parents planning or taking parental leave, and returning to work have access to coaching sessions from Parents At Work, to help make the transition successful.
We have had a long-term relationship with Benestar who deliver our Employee Assistance Program, and in 2020 we rolled out bespoke sessions with a psychologist to help people cope with the pandemic, including sessions to support wellbeing, juggling kids and work responsibilities, and staying healthy while working from home.
Pre-pandemic we ran a popular School Holiday Program for parents with school aged children based in our head office. We hope to bring this back as soon as we can.
Flexible working
Novartis has also responded to our peoples’ desire for more flexibility by re-imagining how, when and where we work. Our global initiative called “Choice with Responsibility” seeks to move our organisation from a traditional model to a ‘distributed working’ model, leaving set working hours and locations behind.
In July 2020 we introduced an updated flexibility policy that applies to all office-based associates. The policy shifts responsibility from manager-approved to manager-informed, empowering associates to make decisions about how, when and where they work.
We also offered a one-off allowance to financially assist all previous office-based associates with working remotely towards the cost of equipment that supports a healthy and comfortable at-home work environment.
In 2021 we have been trialing co-working sites in the Sydney and Melbourne CBDs in addition to our Macquarie Park offices, as well as working from home options.
We estimate that more than 90 per cent of our associates work flexibly in one way or another.
Family inclusive initiatives
Wherever possible we consider our families when making resources available, for example enabling access to our Employee Assistance Program for family members. We also have other initiatives, such as allowing free access to Coursera for friends and family, and a program that allows our people to access healthcare advice as well.
“At Novartis our people are at the centre of everything we do. As a husband and father of two young children, I know first-hand the impact and value of a workplace that supports and values families. Creating a family-friendly workplace has been instrumental in supporting our employees to strike a harmonious balance between their work and family life and bring their authentic selves to work. I understand that the well-being and happiness of our workforce extends beyond our office walls, and it is our responsibility to provide the necessary support and resources for them to thrive in all aspects of their lives.”
