Young workers can face unique challenges when entering the workforce or starting a new job and it’s up to employers to help ease that transition, says Ashley Sardjoe, head of people and organization at Novartis Canada.
“We have robust onboarding programs in place to support younger workers. I think the biggest challenge we see is how to continuously keep them engaged and provide opportunities for them to grow and develop. Because looking at the data, particularly after two years, we see a certain drop [in engagement and retention].”
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To avoid losing young talent, Sardjoe says employers need to keep them engaged and continuously give them opportunities to grow. “That doesn’t necessarily need to be promotions — there are different ways of developing. It could be lateral, or it could be diagonal by exposing them to different tasks. [Also through community partnerships] you can give young workers an opportunity, not only to make an impact in their job, but also to contribute to a better working world.”
Novartis Canada recently participated in the One Young World summit in Montreal as part of its goal to empower and retain young talent. This year, the company welcomed 40 delegates and nine students who received scholarships from Novartis to the summit in Montreal.
As a long-standing partner of One Young World, Novartis aims to demonstrate its commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders, says Sardjoe, noting a core tenet of the health-care company’s strategy is investing in current and future leaders, as those are the individuals who will drive the organization forward.
“[This partnership] is an important part of our early career strategy as it helps us to connect and empower these emerging leaders all around the globe to create a better future. I think employers have to take their responsibilities [towards young workers seriously] because if we aren’t contributing and creating leaders for the future, then who will?”
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