Johnson & Johnson has embraced this principle ever since its
inception in 1886, when women made up more than half of the company’s
initial 14 employees.
And 130 years later, an inclusive workforce underpinned by diverse
perspectives remains critical to the success of our business and the
wellbeing of our employees.
In Japan – one of the most important markets globally for the Janssen
pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson – inclusion and
diversity fit perfectly with ‘Abenomics’, where government policies are
encouraging greater fluidity in the labor market and supporting young
families, especially women and working mothers.
Diversity covers a whole range of areas, including gender, age,
ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, background and values. However,
a diverse workforce must not come at the expense of workforce
inclusion. Appreciating and rewarding people who have been in the job
for decades is as important as creating policies and opportunities for
new hires and future leaders. Here in Japan, we have shown that the two
can coexist and complement each other. Above all, we seek to keep our
people motivated and productive as their work environment evolves.
While forging a diverse and inclusive workplace is clearly desirable,
it is no easy undertaking. The journey is unique to every company and
every country. Janssen Japan has embraced four principles that underpin
our efforts to enhance workforce inclusion and diversity.
1. Define a focus
While diversity can cover a range of areas, as mentioned above, the
requirements for greater diversity vary across countries and even within
companies and leadership teams. At Janssen Japan, we have worked hard
to define and articulate a global view of workforce diversity,
recognizing the nuances inherent in local markets and cultures.
In Japan, our diversity efforts focus on gender equity, including at
leadership levels; the balance of life-long staff with younger
employees; and a more open recognition of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGBT) community.
2. Embed an inclusive mindset
While defining goals for workforce diversity is a crucial first step,
we have found that an inclusive mindset – starting with senior leaders –
acts as the real driver of change.
At Janssen Japan, an inclusive mindset is about making all employees
aware of the opportunities available to them and helping them feel that
they can and should contribute to change, rather than having new ways of
working forced upon them.
To build an inclusive mindset and reduce the risk of unconscious bias, we have introduced a number of programs and behaviors.
All team members undergo training to ensure they understand the
appropriate tone and behaviors for internal collaboration and can
navigate changing workforce dynamics and demographics.
We promote an inclusive leadership style through events, coaching and
mentoring. This includes the recently-launched Advanced Management
Academy in Japan, which acts to ensure managers are aligned with our
philosophy of inclusion. We also train managers on how to create
inclusive development plans for their teams.
Our leaders actively encourage best-practice sharing and recognize
the progress we are making towards our goals in one-to-one
conversations, company-wide meetings and informal gatherings.
3. Remember the fundamentals
While working towards a workforce that is both diverse and inclusive,
we have made a concerted effort to keep compensation reviews, career
mapping and job security high on the agenda.
With inclusion front of mind, we introduced a company-wide strategy
named HAYABUSA – the Japanese name for the peregrine falcon and a term
synonymous with speed and agility – as a way to further unite our
employees and engage them with our overall business strategy.
Our Management Committee meets regularly with employees to understand
their priorities and concerns. This led to the implementation of career
mapping tools, an enhanced culture of job security and transparent
communications for all internal vacancies and staff moves/promotions.
4. Align with business strategy
By 2020, Janssen Japan aims to increase the number of women in
management positions to 30 per cent. To achieve this, we have introduced
policies that incentivize women to join and remain with our company. We
have also initiated interview training to upgrade our recruitment
skills and broaden hiring practices.
I’m pleased to report that our efforts are paying off – the number of
female managers employed by Janssen Japan has increased by more than 25
per cent over the past three years.
We have also introduced systems that allow both men and women to
balance work with family priorities through flextime and flexplace work
options. We encourage our male employees to take their earned paternity
leave. In 2017, 21 per cent of new fathers working for Janssen Japan
have taken paternity leave so far, well above the national average of
2.3 per cent.
To further enhance work-life balance, we introduced a wellbeing
program called Switch in 2016. The program aims to ensure employees are
working efficiently, getting enough rest and looking after their health
through initiatives including a ban on email after 10:00pm, encouraging
annual leave and switching the office lights off at 8:00pm. The program
is already showing results: in the first quarter of 2017, the number of
employees who took annual leave increased to 11 per cent from eight per
cent in the first quarter of 2016, while the number of employees working
excess overtime fell by more than 60 per cent over the same period.
Meanwhile, we support the Japanese Government’s bill to Enhance the
Understanding of the LGBT Community and are proud that Japan was the
first country outside North America to launch an active chapter of
Johnson & Johnson’s Open & Out Employee Resource Group.
Another arm to our strategy has been the introduction of mechanisms
that support whistleblowing whenever discrimination or harassment is
experienced or observed.
These four principles have helped cultivate a more inclusive and
diverse workforce in Japan and forge the foundations for increased
competitiveness and ongoing success.
By Chris Hourigan, President, Janssen Japan, part of the Janssen pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson
“Strength lies in difference, not in similarities,” wrote Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
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