Healthcare giant places a premium on talent
Johnson & Johnson has recently launched a new employer brand that anchors three pillars — innovation, talent and impact — to ensure the company attracts the best talent.
Johnson & Johnson views talent hiring and training as essential parts of its China development strategy, and has launched a slew of new initiatives in the hiring and employee training areas.
“By building a team of like-minded, capable talent across all our business sectors, we will make even greater impact to serve the needs of patients and consumers and advance healthcare for humanity,” said Alex Kopitsas, head of human resources (HR) at Johnson & Johnson China. “We recognize that everything we do, we do it through our people. Despite the pandemic, we continue to achieve strong growth in talent acquisition across our businesses.”
This year, the number of candidates applying for jobs at Johnson & Johnson has increased by 50 percent. In the medical devices sector alone, the number of new hires increased more than 12 percent.
Due to greater healthcare awareness and customized needs for high-quality healthcare products and services, China could lead the world into a healthy future. The country also serves as the engine for the company’s growth and innovation.
Not only has Johnson & Johnson introduced all of its business units in China, it also established research and development and innovation capabilities across all business sectors.
Moreover, the company is investing to create an open innovation ecosystem that connects business partners and key stakeholders.
Kopitsas used his own work experience as an example of how the company offers career opportunities across different regions and functions. He began his career with Johnson & Johnson as a sales representative in Greece in 2000.Over the past two decades, he’s taken on roles in sales & marketing and customer development prior to working in HR. Before coming to China, he worked in different countries and regions, including the Middle East, Africa and the United States.
Johnson & Johnson champions a culture of diversity and encourages employees to have cross-sector, cross-function and cross-region career development.
On top of giving employees the exposure they need as a foundation for innovative ideas, it also provides resources and platforms for them to put their ideas into practice.
It recently launched a new employer brand that anchors three pillars — innovation, talent and impact — to ensure the company attracts the best talent.
On the innovation front, Johnson & Johnson is implementing cutting-edge healthcare technology.
Talent-wise, it supports employees both professionally and personally, offering a variety of resources to help them build meaningful careers while achieving work-life balance.
On the impact side, it continues to leverage its expertise to give back to the community and make a broad impact on the world. All the three pillars are closely linked with its blueprint for future development in China.
As part of a company-wide initiative to develop agile leaders with a startup mindset and boost its innovation culture, Johnson & Johnson China launched the EXPAND program in June.
The six-month program places 16 employees working part-time with Johnson & Johnson Innovation partner startups — focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, mental health, disease diagnostics and skincare technology.
“We believe it’s a triple win for relevant stakeholders,” Kopitsas said. “It helps increase leadership agility for employees, builds a corporate startup mindset and entrepreneurial capabilities, and supports them to get acquainted with other business models and the latest science and innovation projects. Now more than ever, we understand we need leaders who are not just reactive, but proactive and able to drive the innovation of tomorrow. We look forward to continuing this initiative in China and further promoting it in other regions.”
Johnson & Johnson Tomorrow Leaders School helps high potential students to build leadership capabilities.
Digitalization plays an increasingly important role in people’s jobs and the company’s broader business environment. Thanks to its long-term investment in digital capabilities and infrastructure, employees were seamlessly able to work remotely in the wake of the pandemic.
Cross-sector taskforce members spearheaded a health-tracking system enabling all of its 11,000 employees in China to report their health conditions and travel plans on a daily basis.
Additionally, mental-health counseling services were offered to those in need, as the pandemic and remote working created new kinds of stress.
COVID-19 has also accelerated the digitalization of the hiring process.
The company moved campus recruitment online, and applicants are encouraged to submit video resumes in which they have a better opportunity to express themselves.
The core capabilities the company looks for in candidates are changing with the development of digitalization.
Recruiters focus more on skills and expertise in areas such as AI and data processing. At Johnson & Johnson China, 80 percent of employees are millennials and 10 percent were born after 1994.
The creation of programs to help employees build capabilities needed for future leaders is an essential part of the company’s employer awareness campaign to better engage with younger generations. Its “Coach the President” program connects younger employees with senior leaders to offer career development programs that increase their professional exposure across sectors, functions and regions. “We are committed to building a culture of diversity and inclusiveness, where people from different backgrounds and generations can bring their unique perspectives and work closely together,” Kopitsas said.
Johnson & Johnson employees participate in a volunteer event to deploy 3D printing to produce prosthetics.
