How do global organizations like Reckitt ensure successful skill development and career progression for their diverse workforce?

In an exclusive interaction with People Matters, Christine Geissler, Global SVP of Human Resources at Reckitt, shares insights into the group's strategies for learning and development, building competencies and leadership skills, well-being initiatives for overall growth, and leveraging new technologies to foster a productive and engaged work culture.

Here are the edited excerpts: 

Q. Can you provide an overview of Reckitt's approach to employee learning and development, including strategies for continuous learning, personalization to address diverse needs, and any notable success stories in career development?

At Reckitt, we are strong advocates of ‘learning by doing’, while providing relevant training and coaching to all our employees. With recent launches of a new learning platform which helps to create career path learning journeys along with key partnerships, like LinkedIn Learning (in less than a year, we have 8,500 unique users spending an average of 2.5 hours each!), we are enabling our people to have the opportunity to undergo personalised training and development programmes in bite-sized opportunities, at their convenience and availability. Additionally, we offer leader-led, on-site enrichment programmes to strengthen functional competencies and leadership skills, gathering talent from across the globe to grow together. 

Our digital learning platform enables employees to hone their skills in various focus areas and topics, including leadership, unconscious bias, diversity, project and organisational change management, budget management, sales, digital and e-commerce, and crisis management. These courses are complemented by additional learning programmes on subjects like health and safety, environmental practices, quality, adverse event handling, and compliance training events.

We are incredibly proud of our Functional Academies across every function at Reckitt to further develop technical competencies and help our people understand how they can prepare for growth within their function - or even explore the opportunity to grow in another functional area(s). It is about true self-discovery, exploration and personal development coupled with on-the-job application through best-in-class examples and case studies; supported by mentors and coaches.

Q. What innovative approaches and resources does Reckitt employ to foster a culture of continuous learning and support ongoing education and skill development for employees?

At Reckitt, we prefer to focus on continuous development and coaching conversations that take place throughout the year, which include both formal annual performance reviews of their personal and business objectives and focused career & development planning conversations. It isn’t solely about performance measurements as there is a focus on career discovery as well.  Learning our employees’ career aspirations and helping to support what is needed for that growth is equally important. These reviews serve as a valuable tool for recognising and developing our potential future leaders, hence filling approximately 52% of open positions within our organisation. 

Our commitment to nurturing our employees can also involve facilitating their growth and skill development through exposure to various experiences, including transitioning them to different roles and markets across the globe. To facilitate their transition, we provide a range of benefits such as international healthcare, international pension plans, support for school fees, assistance with tax returns, and home leave provisions. 

Our digital learning platform continues to be a vital resource in enabling our employees to access learning programmes remotely. Throughout 2022, our employees collectively engaged in 403,675 hours of training, averaging 6.28 hours per person. 

Q. In what ways has Reckitt harnessed new technologies to enhance employee learning and development, ensuring seamless adoption for all skill levels? Could you share specific tech-driven tools that have improved workforce productivity?

While Reckitt has had an extensive learning library for years with our in-house platform, learn.rb, we are beyond excited to be launching this month, our new Learning Experience Platform – myDevelopment (Powered by Degreed) to all Reckitt employees. Using enhanced technology, this platform will be a game changer for learning and development in Reckitt.  Our employees have shared they want more access to learning and development opportunities that have greater relevance to them personally, and myDevelopment will offer exactly that.  With strong links to our functional academies and personalised learning suggestions, embedding the use of myDevelopment will grow our capability as a business by nurturing our people in ways better than ever.  Coupling this with our LinkedIn Library, we are bringing together a stronger Consumerism focus to learning and helping our employees grow in ways better for them personally.    

Q. What's Reckitt's strategy for cultivating a culture where all employees are encouraged to become leaders and mentors? Can you provide examples of how the organization identifies and nurtures potential leaders?

Building an inclusive workplace has always been part of our sustainable growth strategy, especially as we continue to expand our footprint across the region and globe. People and Leadership are two out of the six key pillars on which we centre our efforts to push this strategy. We are confident that Reckitt can attract and retain exceptional talents who share our purpose, and have a deep passion for working with our brands and company.

• We have implemented initiatives designed to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all, keeping in mind that inclusivity goes beyond gender and diversity. It is also about implementing a people-first approach to ensure that we are invested in everyone’s growth.
• Through our conscious inclusion e-modules, our employees can learn and practice allyship and unconscious bias and can further show that support through the Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and #StrongerTogether sessions, which share stories of courage, growth and inspiration.
• Our Women@Reckitt Leaders Program supports women by helping them achieve leadership positions through mentorship programmes and focused development.  
• We also provide leadership training across all levels of employees to become more inclusive leaders, dialling up active listening and how to drive conscious inclusion.

Q. Reckitt's culture is described as 'Coach, Create, Collaborate, and Connect.' How is this culture practised within the organisation, and can you highlight any additional initiatives contributing to the company’s overall success and innovation?

One significant way the 'Coach, Create, Collaborate, and Connect' culture is put into practice is through Reckitt’s commitment to respecting and understanding personal priorities. We firmly believe in granting employees the autonomy to excel, thereby cultivating a work environment that is seamless, inclusive, and consistent, especially since in the hybrid nature of work today. This is realised through providing flexibility whilst also balancing that independence with the importance of connectivity.  We gain by being a community too, and recognising that balance is important.   

We believe we create a winning culture by fostering a sense of empowerment and ownership among employees, leading to increased motivation and productivity. We all easily understand that when individuals have more autonomy to manage their work-life balance, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their roles. Additionally, this flexible approach is critical in supporting diversity in general, whether it is supporting working styles, and preferences, or creating a more inclusive and dynamic workforce that impacts the retention of our people. And ultimately, impacts Reckitt’s culture and business growth.

Taking into consideration, diversity in perspectives goes a long way in enhancing creativity and problem-solving, as well as innovation to create a more agile and adaptive organisation that can navigate the challenges of the ever-evolving business landscape.

Q. How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced Reckitt's approach to employees and the company's culture, including challenges and solutions? Are there any upcoming HR, learning and development, or culture initiatives you can share?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a notable shift in Reckitt's working culture, leading to the implementation of a hybrid approach for all employees, including learning and development initiatives. We recognise that each employee has their uniqueness and have directed more to listening and understanding their needs. Increased flexibility would not have happened without the pandemic teaching us how to better collaborate and connect from home. It also taught us the importance of increased support and care for our community as well. Our approach is more open, broad and agile than ever before. 

We recognised that different employees have different challenges. Some are working parents, and others have caregiving responsibilities in the family. Reckitt has evolved and dialled up its practices in the area of flexibility as our employees work across time zones so that they can effectively meet the best interests of business while maintaining a healthy balance in their personal lives. We have activated the Employee Assistance Program, recognising the need for well-being. We are continuously offering wellbeing boosters to our employees, through partnering with Hinsta, focusing in the areas of mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

We also offer various social engagements and volunteering opportunities, recognising that our employees have the desire to make an impact beyond work responsibilities. For instance, we have engaged our employees to participate in fitness challenges, partnering with the Singapore Breast Cancer Foundation and the Singapore Association for Mental Health, to support meaningful causes.