Employee empowerment and strength in DE&I earns AbbVie the Best Workplaces Australia award

Human Resources: The winners of Best Workplaces™ Australia 2021 are characterised by high-trust and highly inclusive cultures, according to Samantha Huddle, General Manager of Great Place to Work ANZ.

In an interview with Health Industry Hub, Chris Stemple, General Manager of AbbVie Australia & New Zealand, discussed the company culture that has driven AbbVie’s recognition as a winner of 2021 Best Workplaces™ Australia.

Ninety five percent (95%) of employees at AbbVie say it is a great place to work. Chris commented “One of the things that we really focus on is workplace flexibility. That’s an aspect of our overall approach to empowering people to conduct their work in the way that best suits them.

“We have a culture where we treat people the way we would like to be treated. It means that we’re forthright. clear and honest in our communication as best as we can be. We involve people in decisions as much as we possibly can and as as often as we possibly can.

“We really focus on equity, diversity and inclusion. Everyone should be able to come to work and be themselves at work. No one should have to hide any aspect of their personality or their culture when they come to work.

“AbbVie is leading the way around gender equity. We are an organisation that’s over two thirds female and we have equal representation of women at the most senior levels in the company.

Chris reflected on his leadership role since joining AbbVie 18 months ago. “One thing I brought to the leadership culture that was a little different to prior leaders is that I like to talk quite a lot about integrating our personal lives into our work and recognising that you don’t stop being a parent or a caregiver or a partner just because you’ve come to work. I talk pretty openly about my life and the joys of being a parent, a husband and a father. But I also talk about some of the challenges it entails and how I structure my work to accommodate that. I hope that that sets an example for the broader company.”