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To boost adoption, the AstraZeneca Singapore team emphasises the "why", "how", and "what" of learning & development, as we learn from this interview.
By empowering employees to take charge of their own learning & development, AstraZeneca Singapore has fostered a culture of lifelong learning. With both internal and external tools, the team has implemented multiple initiatives, ranging from its "iDevelop week" to insights dashboards.
To boost people adoption, the team emphasises the "why," "how," and "what" of learning & development. Now, the organisation enjoys continuous advancement of its talents to new appointments or above-market roles regionally and globally.
At the HR Excellence Awards 2023 in Singapore, AstraZeneca emerged champions with a gold award for Excellence in Learning and Development.
Joy Villanueva, Talent & Development Partner, and May Sum, Senior Training & Development Manager speak on how AstraZeneca Singapore created a strong talent pipelines and enhanced workplace effectiveness.
Q Congratulations on your top performance at the HR Excellence Awards! How has your HR and people strategy contributed to your success this year?
Our focus is on empowering AstraZeneca (AZ) employees to take charge of their own learning and development, fostering a culture of lifelong learning. This approach has led to the creation of strong talent pipelines and enhanced workplace effectiveness.
Internally, our efforts include "iDevelop week," where AZ Singapore was recognised as one of the top five "Wall of Fame" winners among more than 75 countries in the international AZ region. Our learning platform, Degreed, registered an impressive 91% adoption rate (unique users) for 2022, ranking second among Asia Area markets and exceeding the global target of 50%. Employees averaged 20 learning hours per learner each month, the highest in the region. In terms of the return rate metric, AZ Singapore achieved 98% return users, ranking third in the region and well above the global 50% target. Up to June 2023, AZ Singapore maintained the second position in adoption rate in the region. These efforts have resulted in the continuous advancement of our talents to new appointments or above-market roles regionally and globally.
Externally, HR initiatives have contributed to AZ's success, exemplified during the challenges posed by COVID-19. Despite this, we secured second place as a leading pharmaceutical company with a remarkable 15.2% growth rate from the previous year. AZ has consistently been certified as a 'Great Place to Learn' in 2022, listed in 'Singapore's Best Workplace in Healthcare & Biopharma' in 2023, and certified as a 'Great Place To Work' from 2021 to 2024 by the Great Place to Work Institute.
Q Looking back at your achievements, what aspect of your HR initiatives are you most proud of and why?
Upon reflection, our insights dashboards have been instrumental in helping our talents discover their strengths and weaknesses in the biopharmaceutical business. These dashboards empower our commercial teams to make informed and impactful decisions in this fast-evolving industry.
The success of our HR initiatives can be attributed to the active collaboration of the various functions in charge of cultivating a culture of lifelong learning and development in AZ. HR, Innovation & Business Excellence (IBEX), Country Leadership Team (CLT), people managers, and employees all have a hand in ensuring future-fit capabilities and professional skills uplift happen and that learning and developmental opportunities are maximised.                     
The daily tracking of progress has led to 20 new appointments and a 17% rate of internal movements within AZ Singapore, offering more opportunities and advancements for our talents.
Q During your HR journey, what were some significant obstacles you faced, and how did you overcome them to achieve excellence?
People adoption has been a challenge in our HR journey. We've overcome this by emphasising the "why", "how," and "what" of learning and development.
"Why": We continually emphasise the importance of learning and development by highlighting the benefits and skill enhancements that individuals can achieve. We use the results they attain from their efforts as a source of encouragement for further personal and professional growth.
"How": We've made learning accessible to our talented workforce through various online platforms and cross-departmental learning opportunities. This approach allows individuals to tailor their learning journeys to align with their personal and professional goals and interests.
"What": Right from the start, we've fostered a workplace culture centered on collaborative learning, encouraging individuals to share their challenges and seek support from peers. Furthermore, AZ is goal-oriented and consistently emphasises the importance of targets. This motivates our talents to strive for specific goals and milestones. Consequently, we provide structured and organised learning tools while continually reinforcing the availability of various learning platforms.
Our continuous feedback exchange and evaluation processes have been instrumental in identifying barriers. Working closely with our people managers, we collaborate to provide insights for upskilling and uplifting our workforce.
The crucial role played by managers is pivotal to our overall success, as they guide and engage with our talents, furthering our journey towards excellence.
Q How does your organisation measure the success and impact of your HR initiatives?
We gather valuable analytics data to assess the impact and success of our HR initiatives. These results are further reinforced through real-life examples and experiences, providing the impetus for people to upgrade their skills. Additionally, we actively promote best practice sharing among peers to showcase the effectiveness of each programme.
To ensure our employees receive unwavering support in their lifelong learning journey, we utilise a combination of internal and external tools. Internally, our pulse survey facilitates feedback collection, revealing that 80% of employees engage in regular development discussions with their line managers, and 75% believe that AZ Singapore is indeed a Great Place to Work. Externally, the Great Place To Work Awards provide additional validation. These awards and feedback play a pivotal role in recognising our HR successes.
We foster a culture of continuous feedback and evaluation to ensure our talents receive sufficient support throughout their learning journey. Our close collaboration with managers and talents is instrumental in ensuring that they feel supported and heard on their developmental path.
Lastly, AstraZeneca adheres to the 3E framework - education, exposure, and experience. This comprehensive framework empowers both our talents and managers to identify diverse learning opportunities. We actively advocate for this framework, creating a supportive learning environment that transcends regional, global, or locally curated programmes. Managers and talents can pinpoint their strengths, weaknesses, and areas they wish to enhance in their daily work. Collaborative initiatives across different business units further encourage managers and talents to acquire skills beyond their primary roles. Our managers and internal HR initiatives actively welcome and encourage talents to experiment and learn.
Q In what direction do you see the HR/people function evolving in the future, considering the emerging trends?
The future of HR will likely involve a digital transformation, introducing innovative learning tools that interact and engage talents effectively. Short, bite-sized learning tools that encourage learning agility will become more prevalent, providing flexibility for talents to navigate their learning paths efficiently and effectively.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets' section!
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