Family-friendly J&J deemed ideal workplace

The J&J campus has a gym that is free for employees’ use. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Healthy, diverse, inclusive and family-friendly.

That basically sums up the corporate environment of Johnson & Johnson Philippines Inc. (JJPI) and its business process outsourcing arm Global Services (GS) Philippines, as these companies have made it a point to implement policies and programs that contribute to their workforce’s overall well-being.

In fact, both were recently recognized, for the second year, as two of the country’s best companies to work for at the HR Asia Awards for their drive to create a healthy workforce by 2020, and to have a bias-free workplace.

“We believe in winning with people,” says Sean Zantua, human resources director for J&J Philippines and GS Asia-Pacific. “Receiving such an award for the second year in a row reaffirms our commitment to building a high-performance culture that fuels our companies’ success.”

To improve their employees’ health and wellness, Zantua says their programs focus on four key aspects: the mind, movement, work and eating habits.

Just recently, JJPI renovated its cafeteria inside their “campus” (their headquarters in Parañaque City) and stocked it with healthier food options to promote healthy eating (80 percent of food are healthy; 20 percent are indulgence food). Employees are also given free fruit three times a week.

“We have no more sodas, and we are cutting down on sugary beverages,” Zantua says. “At the same time, we conduct a lot of seminars on healthy eating among our employees, and we even extend those to their families.”

To get people moving, the JJPI campus has an on-site gym that employees can access for free. If they prefer to enroll in a gym of their choice, Zantua says the company reimburses their gym expenses.

Employees are also engaged in healthy competition through step challenges, which motivate them to find time to move around the campus throughout the day, Zantua adds. Movement breaks are incorporated in the working day (every 90 minutes). There is also an outdoor walking trail, and sit-stand workstations are provided for some employees.

Aside from a comprehensive annual physical exam package, JJPI and GS ensure a healthy workplace by placing full-time doctors both for morning and night-shift employees. The whole campus is a nonsmoking zone, to discourage the habit, Zantua says.

And, finally, to take care of employees’ mental health, JJPI has an employee assistance program that responds 24/7 to calls for help, whether it’s for stress, anxiety, depression and other related issues.

Sean Zantua —LYN RILLON

“Mental health is a huge issue now, and our health care programs cover treatment and medicines related to this, which is not a usual practice in most companies,” Zantua says. “We also have employees who serve as our mental health champions, and they have a group called the Alliance of Diverse Abilities. They’re the ones who work with our health services team to drive various mental health initiatives in the company.”

And to fully promote holistic health, JJPI and GS encourage work-life balance by allowing employees to spend more time with their families through flexible work arrangements, a free on-site day care center, expanded maternity and paternity leaves (14 and eight weeks, respectively), and adoption leaves.

Complementing these health and wellness-oriented programs are JJPI’s and GS’ policies on gender diversity and inclusion. The campus has upgraded its facilities to include gender-neutral restrooms, and training on unconscious bias is conducted regularly on all levels. By the end of this year, JJPI and GS aim to have at least half of their leadership be comprised by women and millennials.

“Our ultimate goal is to help more Filipinos lead longer, happier and healthier lives,” Zantua says.