Lilly, Sanofi, J&J, Edwards Lifesciences and Hologic compete for top honours at HR Awards

Human Resources: The prestigious Australian HR Awards is set to recognise the best practices and achievements of HR professionals, teams, and employers in driving organisational success and building a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic business environment.

Among the leading contenders for this year’s accolades are Eli Lilly, Hologic, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson and Edwards Lifesciences across the pharma, medtech and biotech sectors, and Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Department of Health Victoria, Queensland Health, and Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) across the broader healthcare sector.

Eli Lilly Australia and New Zealand has emerged as a finalist in the highly coveted Best Remote Work Strategy category. This recognition underscores the company’s commitment to fostering excellence in virtual and remote work programs. Judges will evaluate the level of innovation, employee engagement, productivity, and results achieved by each nominee.

Lilly’s submission highlighted three key components of their remote work strategy: permanent remote work opportunities, temporary cross-border working, and temporary international working. Their approach, guided by the value of “Respect for People,” ensures that employees can thrive regardless of their location. The program was designed with the diverse interests, needs, and priorities of employees in mind, resulting in improved performance, productivity, and overall wellbeing.

Jamie Preston, Lilly’s Associate Vice President Human Resources ANZ & NAPAC, stated, “We recognise our employees have diverse interests, needs and priorities outside of work and these were top of mind as the remote working program was designed. As a result of the strategy, employees have reported improvements to their performance, productivity, and wellbeing.”

Impressively, 98% of Lilly’s positions in Australia and New Zealand are designed to accommodate remote work. Sweta Nair, a Regulatory Affairs Manager who works remotely from Brisbane, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work as a 100% remote employee.

Ms Nair shared her positive experience, stating, “Being the first permanent remote member of Lilly ANZ Regulatory Affairs Team, the company and my manager made concerted efforts to help me integrate into the ‘new’ hybrid team. After one year, I genuinely feel like an integral member of both the Regulatory and wider ANZ teams.”

To cultivate an outcome-focused culture and empower employees to deliver their best work from any location, Lilly has made significant investments in technology and training.

In addition to Lilly, other prominent industry players have also been shortlisted for various categories. Hologic has earned spots as a finalist in three categories: Australian HR Director Of The Year, Employer Of Choice (1-99 Employees), and Best Health And Wellbeing Program. Edwards Lifesciences is vying for victory in the Best Health And Wellbeing Program and Best Reward & Recognition Program categories.

Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson have also secured their positions as finalists. Sanofi has been recognised for its Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Program, while Johnson & Johnson is competing for the prestigious Employer Of Choice award in the category of companies with over 1,000 employees.

Pankaja Pradhan Dada, People Director at Sanofi Australia & New Zealand, said “I’m delighted Sanofi is a Australian HR Award Finalist, but not surprised. Over my five years here I’ve seen and been a part of progressive diversity and inclusion programs across the areas of Gender, Culture & Origins, LGBTQIA+, Generations, Ability and more. We are ‘All In’ at Sanofi Australia and the genuine engagement we have is already a win.”

The winners will be announced during an in-person gala event held on Friday, September 1, 2023, at the Fullerton Hotel Sydney.

As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, these companies serve as shining examples of excellence, innovation, and employee-centric practices, fostering a brighter future for the industry and its workforce.

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