Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fluergaard Jorgensen wants to reduce the number of the company’s more than 64,000 stressed employees.
“I don’t think you can run a company if more than 10 percent of your employees are suffering from stress,” Jorgensen said at Thursday’s annual general meeting.
Since 2017, Jorgensen has headed the company that makes the popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wigovy.Under his leadership, NovoHis Nordisk 12th largest company in the world by market capitalization. The company’s pharmaceutical sales are rapidly increasing. Contributed to boosting Denmark’s GDP.
Despite the success, Jorgensen believes the company’s current stress levels are unsustainable.
According to Novo Nordisk’s 2023 Annual Report, nearly 14% of the company’s employees report feeling stressed. The company’s goal is to reduce this number to 10%.
Jorgensen said that as a pharmaceutical company, the company prioritizes the health and safety of its employees, and stress is part of that.
What Big Pharma is doing to lower stress levels
First, Novo Nordisk tracks stress across the company with regular anonymous surveys.
The company also educates leaders on how to manage and reduce stress by communicating clear priorities and ambitions.
“In order to lead Novo Nordisk and maintain a leadership role, I am expected to operate in an area that is not subject to high stress levels,” Jorgensen said.
Additionally, if the company notices that a particular department is under high stress, it implements a “local action plan.”
By 2023, more than half of American workers will Feeling moderately burnt outAccording to Aflac research.
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