We visited Amgen Dún Laoghaire to learn how it helps employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.
Diversity, inclusion and belonging have become important areas of focus for any successful company today, but what do actions behind those words look like? At Amgen Dún Laoghaire, we learned about a number of different initiatives that the pharma company has introduced.
Christine O’Sullivan, a senior engineer in process development at the company, explained to us the importance of diversity, inclusion and belonging. “It’s important for any company because it is essentially how we bring our people together,” she said.
For O’Sullivan, one initiative close to her heart is Amgen’s commitment to the development of its female employees. “We’ve had some examples where we’ve had a mentoring programme for women recently launched and we’re also working on the development of a programme to support our employees who are returning from maternity and paternity leave.”
Facilities manager Irma Aponte told us more about the focus Amgen places on supporting women. Aponte is involved in the company’s WE2 initiative, the mission of which is to “empower women to be exceptional”. She said: “I feel very passionate about WE2 because in the time that I’ve been a part of it, it has really, really made a change in my life.”
Amgen’s support for women is just one of the company’s efforts to practise “conscious inclusion”, as senior manager Eoghan Sheils explained. That can range from seeking out new people to rely on for assignments who wouldn’t previously have been “your go-to person”, to “promoting somebody who provided significant contribution who may have been overlooked in the past”, he said.
We also learned about Amgen’s Pride Chapter and its focus on cultural diversity. Gary McReynolds, a quality control specialist at the company, described his desire to get involved with the Pride Chapter as important. “For me, the interactions and relationships amongst our peers are the foundations of a working environment and people need to feel included, welcomed and appreciated,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior associate in learning and performance, Robson Alves, added that true diversity, inclusion and belonging “means a place where you can be yourself”, which allowed him the opportunity to show his colleagues and friends more about his home country.
“Diversity of culture, thinking and backgrounds brings a very positive mix to the table,” Alves said.
