To say that Dr. Karen DeSalvo’s entry into Google was busy would not be enough. “It’s been very exciting,” she says of her role as chief health officer, a new role for the tech group. The doctor, who previously worked as assistant secretary of duty in the U.S. for health and as health commissioner for New Orleans, came together in late 2019.
“When the pandemic occurred, I was drawn into support across the company. We established [the role] as we were moving, ”she says.
Covid-19 has announced the role of the company ‘s chief medical officer – also known as chief health officer. Senior doctors typically work with human resources and senior officers to develop and implement strategies to take care of the physical and mental health of employees, as well as monitoring safety. in the workplace.
As the impact of the pandemic has become clearer, more companies are trying to create jobs that monitor well-being. The duties of medical officers during Covid-19 began with an attempt to reduce the risk of workers and their families catching the disease, and have moved on to look at the effects of Long Covid and encouragement of workers. to get the vaccine.
During the pandemic, workload has also been advising senior leadership on work-from-home policies, finding safe manufacturing sites, vendors and offices, returning to office gradually, disseminating information about the virus to the staff, as well as creating a messenger and employee. temperature capture and detection protocols.
CMOs advise Covid-secure workplaces and help employees avoid burns. [L-R – Karen DeSalvo, Google; Pamela Hymel, Disney Parks; Ashwini Zenooz, Salesforce] © FT Montage
At Google, DeSalvo says its work is helped by the fact that it is “a mathematics-based, fact-based company. Googlers and leadership are very informative. “One of her biggest challenges was” learning how to speak Google in a number of ways [pandemic]. I had to learn the company, the culture and the language. ”
Mental health support and burnout
CMOs have become key players in monitoring the mental health of employees. Social constraints, high workload and isolated work arrangements have come together to increase the risk of burnout, and all employees have to deal with uncertainty.
They have also provided advice on choosing and purchasing wellness products, such as mental health support and apps. This is a market that has exploded in the past year. Dr Richard Heron, CMO at BP, the energy agency, says “it will be difficult to try to understand what product and service make a difference. I am reminded of snake oil retailers from time to time – some can be very good, some can be harmful. It’s important to be an informed buyer rather than just looking at what other companies might have. It’s important to look at the evidence of what works. ”
Dr. Brent Pawlecki, chief health officer at Goodyear, the tire company, says his experience in a similar role to Pitney Bowes in New York during the September 11 terrorist attacks in in 2001 that “resilient people” were better equipped to adopt the “new norm”.
CMOs become ‘more visible’
Dr Jenny Dodman, CMO at Ford of Britain, said “the visibility of the role is greater” since Covid-19’s inception. Heron BP describes the past year as being a “shield for the C-suite in making difficult decisions” amid changing information about a new disease, as countries making different political decisions. “For someone with a background it’s like sailing in a storm without a compass. ”
Dr Richard Heron, CMO at BP, and Dr Brent Pawlecki, chief health officer at Goodyear
Over the past year, more companies have expressed interest in creating a CMO position, says Jenni Hibbert, global management partner at Heidrick & Struggles, the action research firm. “Financial services, manufacturing and technical companies are looking to fill these positions with individuals who can provide reliable leadership to staff and leadership in meeting these challenges, addressing regulatory issues and providing clinical advice on breast health issues. ” In some sectors – particularly healthcare, science, sports and pharmaceuticals – the role has traditionally focused on helping to create and market products and services to customers.
The pandemic has accelerated employers’ interest in wellbeing, says Brian Kropp, head of human resources research at research and advisory group Gartner. Employers’ focus shifts from safety to boosting productivity, showing that “there are fewer jobs where people are at risk of injury, and more where people are suffering burns”.
In the early days of the pandemic, the primary role of the CMO was to look at the available data and information about the new disease. At Salesforce, Dr. Ashwini Zenooz says she has been helped by collaborating with colleagues who have knowledge of data and public health. “It’s not a one-man job – it’s collaborative. It is a new disease, with data emerging every day. “In February 2020, she advised the company’s leadership to suspend travel.
For Dodman, who was new to the role and the company, her priority was to make the Dagenham Ford plant Covid-safe to allow workers on the assembly line to add to the challenge of the cooler, which brought companies together to help building equipment for UK intensive care units. .
She said: “We had to ensure that social pace was in place and that protective equipment was consistent with the operation. There is no need to impose control measures [in] if you can’t do the job. ”
Training was essential, working with managers, HR and unions to explain the importance of compliance.
Des Quinn, national officer at Unite, agreed, saying that “the partnership approach has greatly strengthened staff confidence and participation in the process”.
Communication at all levels
Making medical information understandable to a wider audience, both internal and external, is crucial in a CMO’s role. Dr Pamela Hymel, chief medical officer for Disney Parks, Experiences and Outcomes, said: “Understanding the medical content surrounding this virus and how it has been treated, then explains this to our leaders and our staff in plain language has been a big part of my mission during this pandemic.
“We have tried to provide them with information through video and text messages, using ‘Ask Dr Pam’ as a way of identifying content from a medical provider.”
Making medical language comprehensible is part of the CMO’s job, but understanding business language can be a concern for medical staff. Prior to that, Goodyear’s Pawlecki received a master’s degree in medical management from the University of Southern California. He said: “Talking to other doctors from business people is very different. My job was to learn to speak the language and also to learn that I am not the most important person in the room – until I am. “The work over the past year has been intense. “Around 4 July I realized I needed to take care of myself, to think of it as a marathon.”
Navigating an uncertain future
One long-term issue is encouraging employees to adhere to protective measures, even when vaccines are widely available. “People are tired,” said Pawlecki. “There are a lot of things we don’t know, we just have to be comfortable with that. We don’t know what changes might come through, we don’t know how vaccines will protect us in the long run. Business is trying to make informed information decisions. ”
Salesforce’s Zenooz agrees. “For the next few years, every company will be thinking about public health and the welfare of its employees, [bringing more expertise] inside. Even if Covid was eliminated, the repercussions should apply to employers. There will be an impact on the economy and mental health. ”