Show Notes

Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is a Fortune 20 integrated pharmacy, healthcare and retail leader with a 170-year heritage of caring for communities. The organization currently has around 350,000 team members throughout 13,000 locations made up of in-store/pharmacy, distribution center and office/support center.

Holly May has spent most of her career in human resources, although she never meant for that to be her path. She studied finance and business, originally thinking she wanted to be a portfolio manager. Holly took a chance early on with an executive compensation role at ING and never looked back.

Holly has relocated seven times, spent three years in the Netherlands and has worked for ING Group, Voya, Visa, Starbucks, Abercrombie & Fitch, Co. and now WBA.

WBA has a ‘culture that cares’ for their team members, patients and communities. Leadership drives this and the relationship between people managers and individuals is most critical. One-to-one relationships make all the difference, especially in promoting inclusion and authenticity.

“People always want to work for a great company with great leaders… and we have both”

WBA is currently going through a transformation, promoting their purpose of “more joyful lives through better health” and their vision, “being the leading partner in reimagining local healthcare and wellbeing for all.”

“Our value proposition for our team members is that we care for them as whole people. We value their health and wellbeing in terms of both the physical and mental. We embrace who they are as authentic individuals.”

Individuals rely on the places they work to be safe, supportive and where they can bring their whole selves.

“People are looking to organizations and people leaders in a different way than they ever have before and that’s why building trust within a culture and within a business community is becoming more important.”

Attraction and retention are top priorities at WBA. The pandemic has changed the world and organizations need to adapt. The best way to do this is to listen to team members. There is no ‘one size fits all’. Ensure employee values align and make sure you offer the right programs, benefits and flexibility to meet their needs.

WBA welcomed team members back to the office in a hybrid fashion in April 2022. They implemented a leader-led model, determining which roles could be performed remotely and which would benefit from in-person working. Leaders are encouraged to guide their teams back into the office for activities where being together makes sense.

WBA is measuring the success of their return to workplan plan through transparent communication and constantly listening to team members. They are learning, adapting and adjusting through an ‘always on’ survey which can be accessed via QR codes throughout workspaces and their intranet. This provided real-time feedback on trends, sentiment and ideas.

Prioritizing flexibility drives inclusion in the workplace. It is also a significant driver for talent attraction. “Give people the space to perform at the highest level.”

WBA is making sure return to office is never punitive. “We want people to want to be here.” Post-pandemic return to workplace drivers include events, leadership visibility, development and learning opportunities, technology and hands on experiential opportunities.

“Community is critical, but community is not just created in person.” WBA has been looking at new and creative ways to build community virtually. For example, hallway conversations are being recreated through an intercompany podcast. “We are prioritizing community but recognizing that it takes many different forms.”

The organization is still working on their digital equity strategy. WBA is currently implementing courteous policies, such as encouraging all participants to join a meeting virtually if some have to. WBA is exploring metaverse and VR as possible solutions to improve this experience in the future. The team is hopeful that new technology will create a stronger bridge between in-person and remote teams.

Mental wellbeing is a high priority right now because personal and work lives are more intertwined than ever before. There are many factors contributing to stress, anxiety and mental health today. WBA has prioritized mental health as an organization and listens to team members to determine how to best meet their needs globally. WBA offers solutions like Life 365 (free counseling sessions), Journey Live (an employee app for education, awareness and peer sharing) and Indiflix (access to media relating to mental health topics). These resources are available to team members AND their families.

Acting in a timely manner is important when responding to events that impact mental wellbeing.

“When you role model authenticity, you implicitly give permission to others to do the same.”

WBA is actively measuring the impact their efforts are having on mental wellness for team members through assessments, listening and by being open to change. Measuring and tracking inclusion is key to understanding success.

“The more you can be real about how you’re feeling and how you’re experiencing the world around you, you’re going to build trust in a team who will feel more comfortable being open about their needs.”

People perform at the highest level when they feel like they are part of something, can connect to a purpose and are offered the flexibility to contribute their best to an organization.

Every leader plays a role in promoting mental wellbeing… it can’t just be an HR initiative. Leaders need to walk the walk and model values and behaviors so that team members experience culture in the right way.

Holly recommends reading a lot and finding great coaches for career growth. One book that changed her life is ‘The Bitch in Your Head’ by Jacqueline Hornor Dr. Plumez.

Holly’s advice is to follow what interests you. Be curious. Raise your hand and see where it leads.