In today’s rapidly evolving workplace landscape, where employee well-being is increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of organisational success, Kenvue is doing its bit by carefully adding care to its employee package. At the heart of Kenvue India’s remarkable commitment to nurturing a caring and inclusive work environment is Shipra Saraf, the Head of HR. Shipra has been instrumental in shaping HR policies that go beyond conventional practices, focusing on holistic care for employees through comprehensive well-being benefits, flexible working arrangements, and exceptional childcare support. Her dedication to fostering an environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally reflects Kenvue’s core values and sets a benchmark in the industry for true employee care.
In this conversation, we delve into how Shipra and her team are continuously evolving these initiatives to support employees through various life stages, enhancing their work-life balance, and cultivating a culture of care that resonates deeply with every member of the Kenvue family.
Can you provide an overview of the key HR policies at Kenvue that set it apart from other companies in the industry? (please elaborate with data points and other metrics you use to gauge your success)
Kenvue is the world’s largest pure-play consumer health company by revenue, empowering people to live healthier lives, every day. In May 2023, Kenvue was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as a standalone consumer health company. At Kenvue, we are guided by our shared Purpose, to realise the extraordinary power of everyday care. Our teams lead purpose driven work, as they connect and serve ~1.2 billion people globally to meet their daily rituals and care.
As a company, we are guided by one of our core values, ‘We Put People First’ which is reflected in our workplace ethos, culture, policies and how we engage with our teams. Some of our world-class benefits and policies include-
- Inclusive parental benefits: At Kenvue, we are committed to fostering an inclusive work culture with diverse teams to reflect the diverse consumers we serve. To further our commitment, we offer Global Parental Leave including maternity leave, paternity leave and foster leave, ensuring that new parents feel supported.
- Total well-being: We care fiercely for the health and well-being of every Kenvuer – physically, emotionally and financially. We design our Total Rewards to allow as much personalization as possible to address the diverse, ever-changing needs of our people. Our unique Global Well-being Reimbursement is one such program which enables team members to pursue activities of their choice focusing on healthy eating, healthy movement and a healthy mind to personalise their approach to total well-being. To support emotional well-being, we offer an Employee Assistance Program, which includes 24/7 access to mental health counselling services for Kenvuers enabling a harmonious balance between their professional and personal life. Our Employee Assistance Program also extends to immediate family members, should partners or children want to speak with a counsellor.
- Flexible and healthy workspaces: Kenvue offers flexible working as a benefit that supports each team member’s well-being by considering individual work-life balance needs. While this flexibility varies depending on nature of the individual’s work, options can include in-office and working from home days to allow Kenvuers to be there for the moments that matter most to their families, while also being impactful and delivering business outcomes. Our workplaces are designed with a host of facilities to support the overall well-being of our people. We offer healthy eating choices and enable movement through on-site or virtual classes including gym, yoga, meditation, stretching etc. where we work closely with qualified trainers. We also have in-house health professionals including physiotherapists and dieticians visiting our office spaces regularly to address Kenvuers’ physical or nutritional queries.
- Comprehensive paid leave policy which is designed to support the needs of our teams and their families. Some of leaves includes Compassionate leave which can be availed in case of an unfortunate loss of an immediate family member as well as Community Leave to volunteer to social impact initiative of their choice.
How has Kenvue integrated AI into its hiring processes, and can you share any specific AI tools or platforms that have been particularly effective in enhancing recruitment efforts?
As a digital-first company, we are always looking at integrating new age technologies across the business. In the HR function, AI tools are being leveraged extensively to improve efficiencies as well as fastrack the recruitment process. For example, when hiring for a new role, we use an AI tool to create the job description which is completed within seconds. This is further personalized by our teams.
Further, AI platforms are also used to screen and filter the right profiles best suited for a role as well as during the recruitment process to engage with candidates and hiring managers. Such tools enable the talent acquisition team to focus their efforts on other aspects of recruitment and frees resource time from such tasks.
What are some of the key Learning & Development programs that Kenvue focuses on for its employees, and how do you identify the upskilling needs of your workforce?
Learning at Kenvue is the growth engine to build and accelerate high performing and highly engaged teams to deliver growth, performance and impact. We care fiercely about maximizing individual and collective performance as we believe that our collective success relies on everyone being their best.
At Kenvue, learning needs are identified at an individual level by the Kenvuer in collaboration with their line manager. Organisational capability is built globally through programs designed by our Global Learning & Development office. Through a one-stop Learning Portal, curated online learning modules are accessible to Kenvuers across all markets at any time.
In India, we also undertake functional and behavioural training aligned with our organizational and business priorities.
Additionally, we also provide function-agnostic learning opportunities to Kenvuers through LinkedIn Learning.
How does Kenvue’s paternity leave policy support fathers, families, and aid in child development?
At Kenvue, we provide a host of benefits to support Kenvuers through various life stages along with professional opportunities. As a company, we are committed to fostering an inclusive work culture and acknowledge the role of both parents in their children’s lives. We offer an inclusive Global Parental Leave policy that supports new parents including maternity leave, paternity leave and foster leave.
We offer 12 weeks of paid leave to new and adoptive fathers during the first year of a child’s arrival. This leave can be availed together or taken in parts, providing new fathers flexibility to support their families and actively participate in their child’s early development.
Can you elaborate on the childcare benefits that Kenvue provides, including daycare facilities at various office locations, and how these benefits enhance work-life balance for employees?
The birth of a child is a life changing experience for new parents. Returning to work after parental leave is a significant transition. Championing a culture of inclusion, our HR policies and benefits aim to support new mothers and fathers in their parenting journey.
We offer exceptional childcare benefits including creche facilities on-site to provide parents with a daycare facility to leave their child. This facility enables Kenvuers to focus on their professional commitments for the days they are in the office as well as interact with their child whenever required.
We have also offer flexible working arrangements that can be used by all Kenvuers, like new parents, allowing them to better manage their professional and personal commitments.
Shipra brings over 16 years of diversified experience in both HR Consulting and Industry, with experiences across India, APAC and EMEA. She strongly believes in enabling business growth journeys through future-focused talent, capability & culture interventions. During the last decade, she has successfully led various HR mandates across the 3 J&J businesses of Consumer, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices. Previously, she was Head HR for Supply Chain & Data Science, whereby she worked across 3 manufacturing plants, and was also instrumental in set-up of a global data science capability center in India.
