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Updated: December 2008
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
As the U.S. marketing affiliate of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis), supports product development sales of its parent company's products in the U.S. A leading producer of innovative prescription drugs, Novartis focuses on three disease areas in the U.S. including oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and specialty medicines for respiratory disease, infectious disease, neuroscience, bone and hormone therapy among many others. The company posted over $7.5 billion in sales in 2007 and employs approximately 14,000 people in the U.S.
For this report, Dr. Edward Mauceri, Executive Medical Director, discussed the successful rollout of the company's tobacco-free policy and support programs.
Key Observations
As is the case with many European-based companies, Novartis traditionally espoused a relatively relaxed attitude about tobacco in the workplace. That changed in 2005 at a senior leadership meeting when Novartis's executive medical director, Dr. Mauceri, presented statistics around health care costs related to tobacco use, including the fact that approximately 20 percent of the company's U.S. employees use tobacco. The company's Basel-based CEO took note, and upon return to Switzerland implemented a tobacco-free policy at their European headquarters. The American executive committee soon followed suit, and the U.S policy went into effect in January 2006. All Novartis locations are now 100 percent tobacco-free.
Employees were notified of the new policy six months before it was launched. During that time, they received information about the tobacco-free policy and smoking cessation programs through the employee newsletter, brochures, the company intranet, staff meetings, and company-wide mailings. Additionally, employees were encouraged to help their colleagues understand the new policy through positive peer pressure. The core of the company's message was support and encouragement: It really is possible to stop using tobacco — and Novartis is here to help.
Another important part of Novartis's successful program rollout was the robust, company-paid support programs offered to employees. These services include 100 percent coverage with no copayment for cessation medication or nicotine-replacement products. Additionally, employees can access support programs and counseling through the health risk assessment. Cited as a key element of the program's effectiveness, counseling is required for employees who use the medication or nicotine replacement therapy benefit.
Novartis looks to their vendors for help in implementing a successful program. The company partners with Medco, its pharmacy benefits manager, to support these programs, as well as the Mayo Clinic Quit Line, which helps employees looking for telephone support. Employees in New Jersey were also encouraged to contact the New Jersey Quit Line for help and support.
Measuring Success
Although the program has helped numerous Novartis employees move to a tobacco-free lifestyle, the company's leadership feels that one of its biggest wins has been a change in culture — the focus has changed from health care to health. The goal is to help employees live healthier lifestyles before they need to seek health care for serious conditions. Novartis has achieved a corporate culture that supports employee wellness and tobacco cessation for all employees.
The Next Generation
Novartis is always working to ensure its employees understand their tobacco cessation benefits. The company strives to keep its program current and relevant in order to keep employees engaged and interested. A nurse who works closely with the tobacco-free initiative is slated to attend a certification course designed to help increase the current program's effectiveness, and onsite carbon monoxide Breathalyzers will be available in some locations to further educate, motivate, and encourage participation in the program.
Lessons Learned
Senior leadership endorsement makes it much easier to recruit assistance from various entities within the organization, including human resources, benefits and internal communication. Representatives from many different departments served on the planning committee and were essential to the program's implementation. Novartis has passionate employees at all levels who were willing to come together to ensure a smooth and effective execution.
Novartis found that communication is vital to a program's success. It is only through effective communication that employees can learn what to expect from a new policy and what programs they will be able to rely on for support. "The cornerstone of a successful program is communication," says Dr. Mauceri, who advocates ensuring the message is attractive, understandable and thorough. A strong branding strategy is also crucial to cutting through the general organizational "noise" that so often competes for employees' attention. A well-planned communications strategy can actually save lives by helping employees understand their benefits, thereby helping them take advantage of available services and improve their health through a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Besides a comprehensive communications strategy, decisiveness and a willingness to make decisions quickly are important factors in the success of the Novartis program. The corporate medical director wrote the policy, HR and legal approved it, and communications rolled out the program — all in approximately six months. Dr. Mauceri asserts it is important to find a way to confront the fear of an employee backlash against a tobacco-free policy. When the company's decision-makers have a strong faith in a policy and programs, it makes it easier to convince others that the initiative is worthwhile.
Finally, when making the business case to support policy and program implementation, the key is to argue, in Dr. Mauceri's words, "the tail should not wag the dog. The 20 percent of the population who smokes should not dictate to the 80 percent who do not, what is and is not possible."
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