Diversity
Novo Nordisk is committed to promoting diversity and ensuring equal opportunities in the company. This is not only an expression of our social responsibility, but also a strategy to ensure future business success. Diversity is important to Novo Nordisk because it allows us to better understand customer needs, attract and retain talented people, and operate more effectively in a global business environment. It fosters an international mindset that enhances innovation as well as our ability to work cross-culturally and expand into new markets. It also gives us a better understanding of the society in which we operate.
Value-linked strategy
Novo Nordisk’s approach to diversity is guided by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The objective of Novo Nordisk’s diversity strategy is to strengthen our position for sustained international growth by reinforcing the organisation’s ability to benefit from the opportunities of increasingly diverse societies. Just as importantly, the strategy is a reflection of our values as expressed in the Novo Nordisk Way of Management and our commitment to the Triple Bottom Line.
Three focus areas
Since 2003 the strategy has been targeted at three main areas:
- Communicating the importance of ensuring equal opportunities and complying with legislation on non-discrimination
- Attracting and retaining ethnic minorities in Denmark
- Increasing the number of women in managerial positions
Why these areas? Ensuring equal opportunities and complying with legislation is the foundation of any diversity work. Novo Nordisk wants to attract more employees with an ethnic minority background in Denmark to more accurately reflect the increasingly diverse society in which we work. The small number of women in Novo Nordisk’s management is a barrier to the company’s goal of greater diversity in the organization. Progress on meeting these initiatives can be found here.
From plan to action
The strategy is implemented in several ways:
- Business areas have an action plan to promote equal opportunities and diversity.
- Diversity training for managers consititutes part of their overall management training.
- An internet-based diversity and equal opportunities toolbox aims to raise awareness of equal opportunities issues among all employees.
- There are equal opportunities guidelines for managers and a code of conduct for all employees.
- A senior policy (for employees in Denmark) is integrated in Novo Nordisk's general human resource policy describing issues such as development and maintenance of qualifications, competences, productivity, flexibility and job satisfaction.
Measuring progress
Ensuring diversity and equal opportunities is included in the company's Balanced Scorecards. All senior vice presidents must develop an action plan for identifying and addressing diversity issues relevant to their part of the organisation. eVoice, the annual employee survey of the working climate, measures perceptions of diversity and equal opportunities in the company. See 2006 survey results in the Annual Report (in the section employee surveys).
Informing employees
To communicate the importance of this issue, primarily with employees but also among other stakeholders, we have produced a film featuring five Novo Nordisk employees of diverse backgrounds sharing their experiences and challenges and are furthermore preparing a special publication on Novo Nordisk’s diversity initiatives. Novo Nordisk’s Corporate People and Organisation also holds awareness-raising workshops for HR corporate staff.
In partnership
Novo Nordisk works with various stakeholders on diversity. We are members of a business forum established by the Danish Minister for Gender Equality. Since 2003 Novo Nordisk has had a broad partnership with the Danish Council of Organisations of Disabled People to stimulate greater employment opportunities for the disabled.
Recognition
In 2005 Novo Nordisk received from the Danish Institute for Human Rights the 'Mangfoldighed i Arbejdslivet' (Diversity in Working Life) prize, awarded to companies that take the lead in promoting diversity and consistently preventing discrimination. See more here.
