白领商务英语－经典案例10：Johnson & Johnson

Human Resources Management

Facing Business Challenges at Johnson & Johnson

Does a healthier work force translate into healthier profits? This was one of the key issues facing Johnson & Johnson CEO Ralph S. Larsen and his predecessor¹, James E. Burke, as they considered the challenge of managing the company's human resources and keeping employees satisfied and productive. Johnson & Johnson operates throughout the world, employing more than 70,000 people to research, manufacture, and market health-care products in dozens of countries.

Employee health was a major concern for several reasons. Company studies showed that over 30 percent of Johnson & Johnson's employees were smokers², and one internal report revealed that smokers had a 45 percent greater rate of absenteeism than nonsmokers. Smokers also contributed disproportionately to the company's medical expenses (30 percent higher than nonsmokers), an ominous³ statistic⁴ at a time when health-care costs were rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation.

Another problem confronting J&J was how changing demographics were affecting employees. Employees increasingly fell into one of three groups: They were part of two-career couples with children; they were responsible for an aging parent; or they were single mothers or fathers. A survey of 10,000 J&J employees revealed that they were frustrated⁵ by their inability to meet all their obligations, both to their families and to their employer.

Many stated that they had difficulty finding day care, es­pecially sick-child care and infant care, and almost 20 per­cent responded that they could not afford day care even if they could locate a suitable provider.

Although these employees felt torn between family pressures and employment roles, they found little help at work. Most stated that their managers were unsym­pathetic about the dilemma⁶. Balancing their work and family obligations took its toll⁷ on employees, who reported higher levels of stress, greater absenteeism, and lower job satisfaction.

For guidance on these issues, the CEOs turned to Johnson & Johnson's operating document, the corporate⁸ credo written by Robert Wood Johnson, son of a found­ing Johnson brother and chairman of the company for 25 years. Johnson ranked the company's obligation to its em­ployees ahead of its responsibility to its shareholders⁹ and second only to its commitment to its customers. This credo would serve as a blueprint¹⁰ for successful human re­sources management.

So how could J&J top managers promote health in the workplace? How could they help J&J employees bal­ance family and career obligations? What programs could be established to meet the personal and professional needs of their employees more effectively? What effect would such programs have on the company's bottom line?

 

Meeting Business Challenges at Johnson & Johnson

Ralph Larsen and James Burke understood that effective human resources management was the key to the satisfied and highly productive work force so necessary to Johnson & Johnson's fu­ture success. The first step toward improving productivity was to help employees meet their dual¹¹ responsibilities to family and job. To start, the company opened child-care centers at its cor­porate headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey¹², and its nearby Somerset office. Child-care costs at these centers are lim­ited to 10 percent of an employee's disposable income. Then J&J expanded its child-care program to include home care. The company contracts with child-care providers to offer employ­ees reduced rates on home-based child care. It also gives the providers advanced training and access to the resources in its on-site child-care facilities, such as books and toys.

Under its Balancing Work and Family Program, J&J helps employees locate resources and referrals for child care and el­der care. It also goes beyond the bare legal minimum, allowing employees to take family-care leave of up to one year after the arrival of a newborn or adopted child and letting employees arrange a flexible work schedule to attend to an ailing¹³ family member. Moreover, employees in some locations can set flexi­ble schedules that allow them to better meet their family obli­gations and still do excellent work.

In addition, Johnson & Johnson managers participated in training to sensitize them to work and family issues. To un­derscore the company's commitment to family care, human resources managers added a new sentence to the company credo: "We must be mindful of ways to help our employees with their family responsibilities." This commitment to help­ing employees better manage family pressures boosted pro­ductivity by reducing absenteeism, tardiness¹⁴, and stress. In ad­dition, the company's commitment to work/family policies helped attract and keep qualified¹⁵ employees in a tightening¹⁶ la­bor market.

Productivity was also enhanced by a wellness program. Live for Life was designed to emphasize steps employees can take to maintain and improve their health. The program sets four goals for employees: They should quit smoking, eat more fruit and fewer fatty foods, exercise regularly, and buckle¹⁷ their seat belts. At J&J headquarters, employees can work out in a gym, select "healthy heart" foods in the cafeteria, and check their weight in rest rooms. To encourage participation¹⁸, employees are eligible¹⁹ to win prizes for meeting their goals. Over 35 J&J loca­tions now have fitness centers and wellness programs, and 75 percent of the work force participates.

The results have been impressive. Smoking among em­ployees has been reduced to less than 20 percent, a decline of more than one-third. Live for Life costs J&J $225 a year for each employee, but lower absenteeism and reduced health costs have saved $378 per employee.

Live for Life was so successful that J&J formed a new com­pany, Johnson & Johnson Health Management, to market the Live for Life program. The new company assists with fitness center design and management, and it orchestrates health­ promotion²⁰ campaigns in such areas as smoking cessation, nutrition, and stress management. Live for Life is available at 60 leading corporations and medical centers that together employ more than 850,000 people.

Johnson and Johnson maintains other progressive bene­fits policies as well, including medical, dental, and life insurance and a generous 401(k) retirement²¹ plan. By making such gener­ous attempts to help employees balance their work and family lives, Ralph Larsen is demonstrating that Johnson & Johnson employees truly are the company's most valuable asset.

1 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

2 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

3 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

4 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

9 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

10 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

11 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

12 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

13 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

14 tardiness   

n.缓慢；迟延；拖拉

参考例句：

• Her teacher gave her extra homework because of her tardiness. 由于她的迟到，老师给她布置了额外的家庭作业。 来自辞典例句
• Someone said that tardiness is the subtlest form of selflove and conceit. 有人说迟到是自私和自负的最微妙的表现形式。 来自辞典例句

15 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

16 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

17 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

18 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

19 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

20 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

21 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。