Science - USA (2021-10-29)

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passion for excellence—flow into performance evaluations for

team leaders and members, and are a continuous element of

conversations about what the company and its staff should

do next.

But there is another thread common to top employers: Can

your organization construct and nurture an ecosystem that aff ords

its STEM-educated workforce the opportunity to do what they

love, to leverage scientific problem-solving to help humanity, and

in doing so, remind them why they got into science in the first

place? Many top employers consciously off er this prospect and

strive to make their organization a place that fosters employees’

enthusiasm for science. “My love of science is being fed by my

employment at Takeda,” says Nurse. “One of the reasons I went

into biostatistics is I wanted to use my math to help people. Here

I get to do so. You get to see the fruits of your labor, science

developed into innovative therapies to save patient lives. So, in

my mind, it’s a no-brainer why scientists would want to consider

Ta k e d a .” Kathy Fernando, vice president and head of worldwide

research, development and medical operations for Pfizer (No. 16),

a New York City–based pharma firm, feels the same way about

her employer. “There is a certain love of science here. You get to

see that love and rigor translate into a benefit for the patients,” she

says. “It is so rewarding. It is powerful.”

And when it comes to those working for top employers, that

power and love means having the ability to have massive impact

on humanity. As Abbott’s Rodgers says, “I love that I get to do work

that is meaningful in the world.”

Featured participants

knew I was joining extraordinary people when I came here, but the

extraordinary support and kindness that leadership has provided

me and my family during this pandemic is something I will never

forget.” Boucher smiles as she recalls this moment. “It really struck

me how appreciative she was, and there wasn’t an expectation

she’d have this support,” says Boucher. It became an emblem of

pride—and of purpose—for Alnylam to continue to ensure that all

staff have a similar experience.

There is one more ingredient needed in a fantastic workplace:

fun! Companies engage employees in promoting relaxing

activities, such as hosting virtual cooking classes and ninja

workouts (led by the president), as is the case at Alnylam. Plump

recorded funny carpool karaoke videos with his daughter that

were broadcast across the company, jabbing bits of levity into

an otherwise tumultuous era. “Keeping things fun and light while

doing important and serious work is part of the secret sauce for

how to live our core values, evolve our culture, and ultimately

deliver important medicines for patients,” says Boucher.

Valuing scientists—and science

In this year’s survey, 78% of respondents declared they were not

at all likely or not very likely to change jobs in the next year. It’s not

too much of a leap to infer that this is because the employers have

shown them that they are valued.

The bottom line for top employers is culture, which is carefully

assembled from values. Ultimately, the best organizations are

those where individuals and their contributions are valued. They

are collectives where the values of the whole mirror the values

of the one. They are collaborations where the team values being

able to be a part of something meaningful. “Culture is not just

something that happens,” says Plump. “You have to work for it

with metrics that drive behavior. You can’t just say, ‘we will have

a good culture’ and not do anything. It will die off .” Excellent

employers make it part of their mission to engrain the culture into

everything they do, creating a continuum that is regularly nurtured.

“We talk about our values. We ask candidates in interviews about

how they would operate within our values,” says Schaeff er. “We

measure performance not just by what is accomplished, but

equally important, by how people achieve goals in a collegial and

respectful way.” Alnylam’s core values—commitment to people,

innovation and discovery, sense of urgency, open culture, and

Abbott

http://www.abbott.com

AbbVie

http://www.abbvie.com

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

http://www.alnylam.com

Biocon Limited

http://www.biocon.com

Incyte

http://www.incyte.com

Insmed

insmed.com

Novartis

http://www.novartis.com

Novo Nordisk

http://www.novonordisk.com




   




Regeneron

http://www.regeneron.com

Syngenta Group

http://www.syngenta.com

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

Limited

http://www.takeda.com

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

http://www.vr t x.com

Alaina G. Levine is a science writer, science careers consultant and coach,

professional speaker, and author of Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015).

DEMOGRAPHICS

GENDER:

50% Male, 43% Female, 6% no response

EXPERIENCE:

72% have 10 or more years of work experience

HIGHEST DEGREE EARNED:

30% Doctorate, 33% Masterís, 31% Bachelorís, 6% Other

COMPANY TYPE:

More than 9 out of 10 work in private industry: 28% Biotech,

42% Biopharma, 25% Pharma

NATURE OF WORK (TOP RESPONSES):

11% Basic Research, 15% Applied Research, 25% Development,

8% Production, 10% QA/QC or Regulatory Affairs, 9% Executive

GEOGRAPHY:

 

     





IMAGE: © SYUZANN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

To read this article online and to view Top Employer

profiles, visit ScienceCareers.org/TopEmployers.

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