6 4 0 sciencecareers.org SCIENCEFOCUS ON CAREERS
top employersADVERTISING FEATURE: Produced by the Science/AAAS Custom Publishing OfficeWhile respondents in the Top Employers Survey say they
are looking to work for companies that are innovative, another
characteristic they look for is a close second: respect. By Alaina G.
Levine
Ask Christina Nurse, the Ph.D. senior biostatistician manager
at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., why she loves her
employer. She’s clear and confident: “I get to work with some
of the most brilliant scientific minds who care so deeply about
bringing medicines to our patients.” But a personal story hints
at something more. Just as she returned from maternity leave in
March 2020, as the pandemic was proliferating across the globe,
Nurse’s new son needed heart surgery. Takeda’s senior leadership
called her to ask if she needed anything and how they could help.
“It reminded me that I had the flexibility to care for my family,” she
says, “and it’s because of that care and compassion that I can be
my best.” Her son is doing “amazing,” and so is Nurse, because she
has an employer that sees and values her as a person.
Too often, companies say they care as part of public relations
campaigns. But amazing companies are those who invest real
resources in supporting the holistic growth of their most vital
asset—the staff —and step up in diff icult, unpredictable, and
even scary circumstances. There are people behind these top
companies—and it is the people who make them top employers.
“People say companies don’t have a soul, but there is a soul at
Takeda. It’s not just posters on walls,” says Andy Plump, president
of R&D at Takeda (ranked No. 14), which is based in Tokyo, Japan.
Takeda and many other biotech and pharmaceutical firms are
recognized as this year’s top employers by the journal Science.
Now in its 20th year, Science’s Top Employers Survey is meant
to celebrate and highlight the best of the best life sciences
companies from the employee’s perspective. Earlier this year,
Science conducted an online survey of readers and received 7,225responses, with an almost 30% split between those with Ph.D.s,
Master’s, and Bachelor’s degrees, about 51% of whom work in
research or development.
The objectives of the survey are to reveal the characteristics that
most drive biotech and pharma organizations’ reputations and to
flesh out what makes them so great. This year’s survey focuses
on changes the companies have experienced as a result of the
pandemic, the resulting adjustments they made to their culture
and ecosystem, and the opportunities they provide for employees
to soar. It also gives us a peek into how these organizations
pivoted to support COVID-19 testing and vaccine development and
rollouts.Putting staff and patients at the center
A word cloud, assembled from comments made by respondents,
off ers the first clue of what makes a top employer: In the center
and in the largest-size font is the word “Employee.” It is not
surprising that the most appreciated companies are those that
center the staff experience in their cultures, and when we engage
leadership about why their company was selected, almost all of
the top companies say it is because they are employee-focused.
“At Incyte, our roles have high visibility and high accountability,
and respect for employees is of the highest priority,” says Paula
Swain, executive vice president of human resources at Incyte, a
Wilmington, Delaware–based biotech company (No. 2). “You can
have a real impact here. We have a relatively flat organization, so
there is a broad understanding of what is going on throughout the
company, and everyone has the ability to interact with leadership
and across functional teams. The door is literally open all the time.”
But employees also rank top companies by their dedication
to patients. “Our culture is something our employees are
exceptionally proud of,” says Nicole Schaeff er, chief cont.> PHOTO: © ANDREY_POPOV/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM2021’s Top Employers engage, nurture, and
harness the power of scientists
1029Recruitment_RC.indd 640 10/25/21 1:00 PM