Australian pharma eager to expand on inclusivity agenda

On Tuesday 11 September 2019, PAGE (Pharma Australia Gender Equity Group) held their annual Leaders’ Workshop to discuss the group’s major achievements in 2019 and explore focus areas for 2020 and beyond.

Pharma Australia Gender Equity (PAGE) is a special interest group of Medicines Australia. It was formed in 2017 to strengthen the industry’s approach to developing talent by ensuring all people have equal opportunities to advance and be rewarded.

Members agreed that in 2020, the group will be renamed PAIG (Pharma Australia Inclusivity Group) to reflect its renewed direction of creating inclusive places where all people can be equally valued and rewarded. This new direction will embed learnings from the gender equity topics explored in 2019 and build on them as the PAIG group expands its focus area. 

“We are proud of the work that PAGE has done to date around gender equity in pharma. Over the last two years, we have built a strong foundation of learnings that will guide us as we expand into the broader inclusivity space. As a group, we agree that inclusivity is the foundation of every topic related to equity and impacts all aspects of an organisation. This renewed direction provides us with more opportunities to make an impact and we are looking forward to seeing continued positive changes in the industry.” said Kate Richards, Co-Chair of PAIG and Head of Corporate Communications at AbbVie.

In 2020, the group will focus on specific areas of inclusivity, rather than tackling the entire topic. The workshop confirm that these areas will be Mental Health and Wellness, Age/Generations and LGBTQI+.

“There is an energy of excitement and strong enthusiasm from PAIG members about the decision to broaden the group’s focus area. We have a diverse industry. It drives innovation and helps us better understand the patients and communities we serve. The PAIG group will aim to nurture this diversity by working to create an inclusive industry where everyone is equally valued and rewarded.” added Fabienne Connet, Co-Chair of PAIG and Head of HR Australia and New Zealand at Biogen.

New focus areas for PAIG in 2020

Mental Health and Wellness

Stigma around mental health is prevalent, as many live with fear of being vulnerable or of facing discrimination. As we shift towards an ‘always-on culture,’ people’s working lives are having a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

While organisations may have programs to support employees, there are barriers to access them, such as lack of awareness, poor self-identification or fear of stigma. Building understanding and empathy requires a company-wide effort. 

Suggested areas PAIG could provide support included developing a guide for navigating mental health conversations, continuing its focus on flexible working, mindfulness and resilience training, and building capacities in the business to encourage open conversations about mental health.

Age/Generations

Age is a very visible differentiator between people within an organisation. It is important that we challenge unconscious biases held about people of different ages and generational groups.

This is an important issue to tackle as some generations may not see the pharma industry as attractive. As an industry we want to be innovative. This requires ideas and input from people of all ages.

Some suggested ways PAIG could provide support included setting up programs to encourage collaboration (reverse mentoring, CEO shadowing, post-retirement interns) and the collection of data to help define the problem and identify areas where organisations can have the biggest impact. There is also an opportunity for PAIG to have influence at the government level through lobbying for better policies for employees on super and tax incentives.

LGBTQI+

This focus area is already on the agenda for many organisations. We need to better understand issues members of this community face in the context of the pharma industry and set benchmarks here. In order for efforts in this area to be impactful, they need to be planned and well supported, rather than ad hoc.

Become a PAGE member

If your organisation is interested in becoming a member or you have any questions about the group, please contact Co-Chairs Kate Richards and Fabienne Connet.

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