Join in for an exchange regarding my STA in Global Health & Wellbeing at Bayer AG with Thorsten.

Haya: “Hello, I’m Haya Malik from Pakistan. Working temporarily abroad for Bayer is an exciting opportunity to broaden your horizons, advance your professional career and enrich your private life. International assignments combine business requirements with personal development opportunities abroad. I’m currently completing a six-month short-term assignment with the global Health, Safety and Ethics (HSE) team in Germany. As an HR expert and psychotherapist with a deep passion for health and well-being, working with Thorsten Uhle was nothing less than a professional, personal and value-oriented advancement”.

Thorsten: “Thank you very much, Haya, it’s also an enrichment for me. It was extremely interesting for me to discuss health issues with you, to get to know your perspective and to question one or the other of my points of view. What surprised you the most here in Germany?”

Haya: ?I would say what (pleasantly) surprised me was the culture and emphasis on work life balance.

Thorsten: “Yes, that's not just a prejudice. And what did you particularly like?”

Haya: “Being in another culture on site, has broadened my horizon on several aspects. Understanding the organizations history from the place it all began – ?I was allowed to visit the site in Wuppertal, where the Bayer story began 160 years ago. Understanding local country requirements and ways of working, how to be more adaptive, how to integrate and meet expectations.”

Thorsten: “It’s great that you were able to have such experiences. I particularly enjoyed designing a training with you that conveys the content of our central health platform ‘House of Health’ and also enables one or two deep dives. In the future, this training is intended to give our more than 600 health champions, colleagues from HSE, works councils and others an all-round view of relevant health topics. What do you think of our joint project?”

Haya: “To be working on an assignment for an organization that puts so much emphasis on employee mental and physical health has been a monumental experience for me in terms of my career development, it has allowed me to combine my passion and expertise for people, health, and wellbeing to create a bigger impact for “Health for all. Hunger for None”. I truly stand by the fact that impact is created together, and together we can achieve more! Cross functional and cultural collaboration has given me deeper perspective into many areas but most importantly the importance of driving results together, learning about one another’s cultures, overcoming prejudices, importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), being agile and how to work towards your professional and personal career development. Employee Health and Wellbeing is not just about initiatives – it’s about how we can further enhance a culture of wellbeing in our organization where employees feel their best – and that’s why I believe a collaboration between HR & HSE is critically important.”

Thorsten: “Thank you, I agree with every word you say! What do you take with you from your STA to Pakistan and what would you recommend to colleagues who want to follow a path like yours?”

Haya: “Mostly to keep a few things in mind, always ask what you don’t know, it’s ok not to know everything, increase awareness of your own perceptions, reinterpret from another’s cultural perspective. Be willing to test, adapt and change as needed, be open to receiving feedback – it will allow you to integrate and grow on deeper layers. Not to judge others by your own cultural perceptions. Recognize and accept that lifestyle priorities differ across cultures – modify expectations accordingly and finally the importance of DEI –- the cross function and culture collaboration really comes into play –- when people with different backgrounds and different perspectives come together it leads to better ideas and solutions.”

Thorsten: “These are a few important and helpful tips! I'm looking forward to our next exchange, even if it will again be virtual via MS teams.”