Global Top Employer: Empowering all employees

Boehringer Ingelheim has once again been recognized as a Top Employer – in a total of 29 countries. The company can thus call itself a Global Top Employer for the second time in a row.

What makes the company a top global employer? Sven Sommerlatte, Global Head of Human Resources, and Antonella Francabandera, Global Head of Talent Acquisition & People Growth, explain what makes Boehringer Ingelheim stand out as an employer.

Boehringer Ingelheim has once again been named a Global Top Employer and has been recognized as a Top Employer in 29 countries.

Sven Sommerlatte: That’s great. This award is ultimately about what we as a company do for our employees. The results clearly highlight what drives our corporate innovation culture. Above all, that is the very close and people-oriented interactions in our company.

Antonella Francabandera: I can only agree with Sven. Already more than 130 years ago, Albert Boehringer particularly put a focus on the well-being of his employees. This is still what makes our company special today.

This year, we performed well in all categories once more. We achieved particularly good results in Business Strategy, Values and Ethics & Integrity – across all countries and regions.

Sven Sommerlatte: As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim thinks in terms of generations. People can rely on our long-term business strategy. For our employees, this means that they can rely on and trust their employer. That is why we have a very high level of commitment and a strong sense of belonging at Boehringer Ingelheim. 

Antonella Francabandera: Boehringer Ingelheim is strongly committed to its values. This is felt by our employees, but also by people outside the company, such as our patients and partners.

 

Added to that are areas in which we have experienced a strong growth in recent years: Diversity & Inclusion, Sustainable Growth, Onboarding and Future of Work. This is reflected in the results of the Top Employers Institute.

Antonella Francabandera: Diversity and inclusion are aspects that are particularly close to my heart. That’s why I’m especially pleased that an independent institute has validated the fact that we’ve even further improved in this area over the past few years.

Sven Sommerlatte: As a research-based biopharmaceutical company, our goal is to improve the lives of humans and animals. We can only achieve this with highly motivated employees. What we want is to create the best possible working environment and to empower all employees to be the best they can be. We know that the ideas, opinions and experiences of our diverse teams deliver inclusive solutions and make us strong as a global company. Their well-being is important to us, especially during these challenging times. We support our employees while they are working from home and have developed specific virtual onboarding concepts. At the same time, we ensure the safety of those employees who need to be present on site.

What will make Boehringer Ingelheim a Top Employer in the coming years?

Antonella Francabandera: In 2022, we’ll continue to focus on our employees. We plan to significantly expand the opportunities for internal development. For example, are planning programs for future talents or the promotion of cross-functional career steps. This will help us ensure that the right talents are in the right place at the right time. 

Sven Sommerlatte: Each and every employee should be able to realize their individual potential and be given the opportunity to develop further. In this context, we also plan to redefine how learning takes place at Boehringer Ingelheim and promote an approach of lifelong learning. Learning together allows people to connect – even virtually.

The method

Boehringer Ingelheim has been taking part in the annual certification of the independent institute since 2014. The company has been recognized as a “Top Employer” every single year since then. The multi-stage certification program is based on a questionnaire consisting of around 20 categories, which HR managers from the participating companies answer and substantiate with examples. The Top Employers Institute then verifies the findings and evaluates the overall working environment provided by the participating organizations.