Building a workplace for the modern era
Perry McLean discusses considerations that went into designing GSK's new Mississauga HQ (1,650 words, 8 min)
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“The initial response since we opened our new office in May has been outstanding,” said Perry McLean, Head of Operational Excellence at GSK Canada.
In conversation with podcast hosts Mitch Shannon and Mark McElwain on the first episode of season 8 of the NPC Podcast, McLean (photo below) described the move from a building in Mississauga that also housed manufacturing to “a new commercial building that really is going to enable [GSK] to embrace the hybrid environment we want coming out of Covid.”
“It really all started with the employees,” McLean said. “We built working groups and we worked on it for over a year with our employees.” He said one distinctive element came from an employee’s suggestion—there’s one orange chair, meant to represent the patient, in every meeting room. “It’s present in every meeting,” McLean noted. “It reminds us to ask ourselves at the end of every meeting, ‘did we do good for patients today?’”
“I think our people are motivated to come into the office,” he said. “The office model that we’ve built really incorporates what we call ‘performance with choice.’ We all learned to work from home, but we also missed things.” GSK’s model, McLean said, is about “individual and collective performance and promoting personal well-being.”
“We learned a lot during the pandemic about how we need to work to be successful and to attract [the] talent that we want to have,” he said. At GSK, moving forward with the ‘performance with choice’ model leaves it “up to the individual and team to work where they think they can do their best.”
New GSK Canada headquarters built for the new age of digital work
During a visit to the new GSK HQ by Healthbiz Weekly, McLean said the space is designed to support flexible work. Not only is the headquarters sized with the expectation that some employees will be working remotely on any given day, but the office environment accommodates a range of work and collaboration styles.
McLean said the new headquarters was developed through a collaborative process with GSK employees. The new space includes moveable furniture that can be configured to support collaboration, while focus rooms are available for employees who need to concentrate without distraction. Meeting rooms are equipped with cameras and projectors to facilitate the inclusion of remote participants, and digital whiteboards will also help team members to collaborate, McLean said.
Several specialized workspaces were developed, including a broadcast studio and “The Lab,” a space for innovating new ideas and communication strategies. McLean said that a tech lounge provides walk-up hardware and software support in an intuitive, accessible way.
Employee health was also an important consideration when designing the new headquarters, said McLean. The team chose a building that had a gym, and convertible standing desks and walking desks were installed in the workplace. Advanced sound baffles permit the space to be open without distracting noise and echoes, and a living ‘moss wall’ improves air quality.
“We learned a lot during the pandemic about new ways of working. We also learned from our employees what they want from an office,” said Faris El Refaie, President & General Manager of GSK Canada, in a press release. “We are incredibly excited and proud to offer our employees a modern space that will provide them with the tools, services, and amenities to perform at their best and collaborate effectively with stakeholders while promoting their well-being. We made the appropriate technology investment for our new office to empower our colleagues to have an effective hybrid coworking experience and sense of community.”
THIS WEEK 10/11/22
Roche Canada announced two recommendations from the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review Expert Review Committee (pERC) regarding Tecentriq (atezolizumab). The agencies recommend Tecentriq should be reimbursed as an adjuvant treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and also for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).
The U.S. FDA has approved Lytgobi tablets for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) with fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene fusions or other rearrangements.
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Relyvrio (sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in adult patients.
In the U.S., Bausch + Lomb Corporation introduced a new formulation of their eye vitamin Ocuvite Adult 50+. The new formulation contains 30 micrograms of vitamin D to help support healthy cell function and protect eye health.
LISTEN NOW
In season eight of the NPC Podcast, Perry McLean, Head of Operational Excellence at GSK, talks about GSK’s new Canadian headquarters, embracing a hybrid working model, and the importance of emotional intelligence in the digital workplace. Hear him in conversation with podcast hosts Mitch Shannon, Jim Shea and Mark McElwain.
CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our vocation and inspire others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee’s view, they represent a cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honoree each week.
2003 Inductee
Gerry McDole
Mississauga, Ont
Editor’s note: Gerry is a member of the Board of Directors at Medicure.
Gerry McDole laughs at the suggestion that he’s earned a reputation for being a “pioneer” in the healthcare industry. “I guess that’s because I’ve been around for a long time,” says the AstraZeneca prexy who’s clocked 43 years in healthcare, 18 of those at the helm of Astra Pharma and AstraZeneca Canada Inc. “I always tried to improve the industry in some way, and I was prepared to step outside the box to do that,” he reflects, but adds not all of his efforts to “buck tradition” were successful. Nevertheless, “some of the things I would still do again today if I could get others to do it, but I can’t,” he concedes.
“The reality,” says McDole, “is you’ve got to participate in the marketplace you work in. That is part of the reason I was quick to volunteer and join as many organizations as I could to try to influence and improve the working environment for our industry because we are an easy target. In my view, the appropriate thing to do is to get involved and make certain you do as much as you can to improve the business climate for the industry. It means influencing public policy, it means influencing the activities of our industry, the way we market, the way we do business, the way we do research, the way we invest in the country. All those things in terms of being a good corporate citizen and trying to deflect or at least minimize the negative impact of all the detractors we have.”
Among industry folk, McDole is known for his “presidential” demeanour, a commanding presence who has a unique insight and innate understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. “What concerns me most right now are the overlapping issues that we have. Historically we’ve tended to deal with things one at a time. Today we have a kaleidoscope of issues coming together simultaneously, which is rather alarming given that our industry is so poorly understood and so highly regulated. We have reviewed the patent issue. We have challenges with listings on Health Canada’s patent list, we have access to market issues, we have the trans-border shopping issue, we have the health reform issue, and we have the common drug review. All of these things are coming together... and they are not aligning well in our industry now in my view.” Despite the pressures inherent in being a top pharma exec, McDole maintains he wouldn't have it any other way. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in the pharma industry. It’s been my life, it’s been stimulating, and it’s been rewarding. I always felt I was doing something good for humanity.”
McDole maintains his biggest reward has been to see the company grow to almost 1,700 employees from 80, with revenues increasing to $1 billion from $2 million annually. He lists growth in investment in R&D and in-plant manufacturing as other major achievements. But he’s quick to point out, “I didn’t get up every morning and have someone call me from Europe and say ‘by the way we’d like to build this in Canada. When can we start? You’ve got to struggle and fight and lobby and do a lot of hard work to bring those investment dollars into the country. And not everyone has been able to do that.”
Register now for the 16th Annual National Pharmaceutical Congress on Wednesday, November 2
As Canada’s most important stage for leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, the Congress is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and network with the industry’s most prominent thought leaders and visionaries.
Join us at the Mississauga Convention Centre on November 2 for five panels featuring reflections, ideas, and innovations from luminaries in the Life Sciences industry:
The Future of Rare Disease & Oncology
Omni-Channel Marketing
Updated Perspectives for the New Normal
Evolving Roles in Commercial & Medical
Pharma’s New Role in the LifeSci Ecosystem
Register at phamacongress.info
NEXT WEEK
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