Approaches for Managing a Diverse Global Workforce

As a Chief Human Resources Officer, one of the most rewarding responsibilities in my career has been managing a diverse global workforce. Every day I can engage with thousands of employees around the globe, each with their unique background and approaches. We support them to live well across their whole lives so they can focus on our purpose – changing the trajectory of health for humanity.

I recently had the chance to visit the Asia Pacific region with Johnson & Johnson colleagues and was reminded of an Oxford Economics Report. The report noted, "in the coming decade, [China] will move up the skills ladder as they improve access to high-quality education . . . China will overtake the U.S. as the country with the largest single pool of educated talent." This was brought to life as I took a glimpse into China's cutting-edge landscape both through immersion in our own business in the market and by visiting others, like Alibaba.

As the largest market outside of the U.S., China's talent landscape is competitive and moves quickly. Therefore, companies like ours must be deliberate in our strategy to attract and retain talent. This environment poses an opportunity not only for us but for all companies to learn and grow, ultimately strengthening our global talent acquisition strategy by testing new approaches and developing best practices.

At its root, our new strategy is underpinned by a commitment to providing employees with the tools to craft their career path through meaningful growth and development opportunities. We want every job to offer personal and professional growth, and purpose that inspires our employees to bring their best selves to work every day.

We are bringing this vision to life by offering robust employee benefits designed to meet the needs of this workforce. From a flexible benefits plan that provides more choice in where spending is allocated, to holistic health and well-being programs. Today we have more than 10,000 employees in China, and over 80% of them are millennials. A young workforce, combined with a competitive local talent landscape, led us to ask our associates in China what we could do to continue to attract and retain the best, most diverse talent. 

What we found was that they wanted more opportunities to develop their skills and enhance their exposure across the company. Acting on our commitment to empower each employee to own their development, we created a Talent Marketplace, a platform which allows employees to elect to work on short term projects based on their interest areas, skills, and personal purpose. Feedback has been very positive, with more than 300 employees enrolling in projects across our business to drive understanding and collaboration and develop new capabilities and skills for the future. 

Managing a diverse and global workforce requires flexibility and entrepreneurism in your approach to ensure that each region’s unique talent needs can be met, while maintaining a high standard of experience for employees across the globe. With it too, comes diversity of thought and perspectives, all of which drive innovation across the business. When you fully embrace these two things and foster a culture where everyone can bring their whole self and ideas to work, everyone wins.

To learn more about our approach to diversity and inclusion at Johnson & Johnson, visit youbelong.jnj.com.