Work hard, play hard

Considered the founder of the biotechnology industry, today it also boasts another feather in its cap: it has been consistently recognized as a top employer by Working Mother, Science and Fortune. In January 2007 Fortune named Genentech to its Top 100 Places to Work in the United States for the ninth consecutive year (they took the top spot in 2006). There’s a lot more than just skilled labour, lab coats and PhDs to this place. By Helia Phoenix

High standards

Achieving high industry standards is difficult. But achieving high standards while maintaining a great working environment is nigh on impossible. Staying at the top of your game in innovation in such a highly skilled sector is predicted by ability to recruit and retain the very best talent in all areas of the company. But before they can be persuaded to stay at the company, employees must join in the first place.

Sarah Wagener is Director of Corporate Staffing and Diversity at Genentech, and she told me that “we are looking for a very select group of people that not only have the right skills but also have the right focus on what the mission for our company is.” To seek out these potential employees, Genentech has internship programs that have been good priorities for identifying talent. Wagener oversees the college programs group that helps channel university talent into the company. Another technique they use is identifying specific campuses for visits where they discuss the company and different program. Genentech do look broadly across the country for talent, but one of the great things about being in the Bay Area – as Wagener admits – is proximity to “incredible institutions like Stanford, UCSF, and UC Berkeley, who have proved to be strong sources of university talent for us”. They couldn’t have chosen a better location if they had tried.

No wonder that 80 percent of Genentech’s employees have college degrees, and over 20 percent hold advanced degrees including PhDs and MDs. But having a degree or being top of your class won’t automatically qualify you as the ideal Genentech employee. “It’s a tough task, ensuring we’re bringing in the right people for Genentech, and not just who the top people in the industry might be, or who might be limited by a specific shortage,” says Wagener.

Beyond the classroom

So aside from talent and education, what kind of qualities does the company look for? “The most important differentiator for us is identifying talent that is driven by the mission of this company; which is to focus on the top science as well as having a laser sharp focus on the patients, and then of course, perpetuating a great place to work. Insuring that the work our employees are doing is helping Genentech bring life saving medicines to our patients – that’s the biggest qualifier.”

For Genentech, it is vital that their employees are happy. The company invests significant resources into educational seminars and ongoing training programs to keep employees at their professional best. It is well documented that a happy workforce is more productive and less likely to leave: factors that will positively affect both your ROI in your staff and your company. “Investing in the employees here is incredibly important,” agrees Wagener. “Plus it’s a part of employee satisfaction. We give individuals the opportunity to have a really great manager, who then allows them to develop themselves in a way that furthers their career.” Allowing employees to do this is a mutual benefit for both employer and employee.

Recognition

Allowing (and encouraging) employees to develop is one way of boosting workforce morale. Another way is by recognizing the contribution those employees make. “It’s incredibly important to recognize contributions,” agrees Sarah. “That is something that is very important to us. We put in place a culture and environment for individuals here that allows them to be really excited, and to enjoy coming to work everyday.” As far as recognition, Genentech believes stock options are an important element of their compensation program, which helps drive the commitment to meeting their business goals. It also gives another meaning to the idea of owning quality in the workplace.

Fiscal benefits aren’t the only way Genentech keeps its employees happy. Amongst other things, the company offers – as you’d expect considering its line of work – highly competitive health care benefits. There are benefit dollars that can be used to offset the cost of healthcare, life insurance or disability plans. There are regular onsite health seminars to help employees achieve and maintain good health. Onsite nurses provide flu shots, host blood drives, and support the occupational health of all Genentech employees. There are an impressive three medical plans, two vision plans, and two dental plans to choose from. In a drive to practice what they preach, there are even Weight Watchers programs offered around campus (50 percent subsidized by the company) and diverse fitness options are offered for each location.

Unique culture

The offerings don’t stop there though: one of the more unique services is ergonomics specialists to evaluate employees’ workstations, and provide tools and equipment to ensure the workspace is ergonomically correct. Other forms of support offered to employees include adoption assistance, child care and mother’s rooms for nursing mothers. There are family events including Bring Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day and the Holiday Party. And all of these initiatives have purpose: benefit programs and work-life balance are crucial to employee satisfaction. “They play a big part,” confirms Wagener. “I think that some of the benefits and services we offer are designed to make it easier and more convenient for our employees to manage a really busy schedule and really busy lives. Our medical benefits, health and fitness, domestic partner benefits, tuition assistance, as well as our sabbatical program are all things that feed into employee satisfaction,” creating well-rounded benefits for their employee base: an irresistible offering.

All this leads back to the same belief: the importance of employee satisfaction at the company. “It’s quite simple really,” explains Wagener. “We bring in people who believe that we are in a position to take science and translate that into meaningful medicine. If people believe in that, and then we create a situation that helps them enjoy coming to work, then we are creating a satisfactory environment for our employee base. That’s very important to us, which is why we do a lot of the things we do.” It’s a philosophy that has not only led them to the top of their industry, but also to be ranked as the best place to work in America (in Fortune’s opinion).

Moving on

Looking to the future, Wagener thinks that Genentech will look to innovative activities and approaches to help them open up critical talent pools. “It is increasingly hard to do this” she states. “That’s definitely one thing we’ll be concentrating on: innovative techniques that will allow us better access to the pools that we’re looking for.” But to date, the company’s approach has proven to be a winning one. So just how important is recognition by external entities (like Fortune)? “Being recognized as a top employer helps us probe and identify what can we do better,” says Wagener. “What’s most important to us is how our employees feel. They come to work everyday, work really hard and see their results translated into medicines: meaningful medicines for patients.”

So Genentech may be a great place to work, but ultimately, the fact that the employees take great pride in their line of work is paramount. “Of course it’s an honor to be identified in these publications,” she smiles. “But what is most important is that we create an environment here that is focused on science and allows our employees to translate science into these meaningful therapies that make a big difference for patients. That that is truly the highest honor that we could receive. We do put an emphasis on working hard, working together, and then sharing awards.” Work hard, play hard: a winning HR formula for this science vanguard.