• Skip to main navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to Footer
  • Navigate Novartis
    • Patients
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Media
    • Investors
    • Partners
    • ESG
    • Job Seekers
    • Clinical Trials
  • Coronavirus
  • Global
    • Novartis site directory
Novartis logo: a global healthcare company
  • Our Company
    • Our Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Committee of Novartis
    • Our Approach
      • Strategy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Partnering
      • People and Culture
    • Our Business
      • Global Product Portfolio
      • Innovative Medicines
      • Novartis Pharmaceuticals
      • Novartis Gene Therapies
      • Novartis Oncology
      • Sandoz
    • Media
      • Newsroom
      • News Archive
      • Multimedia Resources
      • Subscribe to Updates
    • Investors
      • Event Calendar
      • Financial Data
      • Share Data & Analysis
      • Shareholder Information
      • Environmental, Social & Governance
  • Our Focus
    • Disease Areas
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Medicine
      • Immunology & Dermatology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Neuroscience
      • Respiratory
    • Platforms and Technology
      • Data and Digital
      • Cell & Gene Therapy
    • Novartis Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
      • Access to Healthcare
      • Patient Perspectives
      • People and Culture
      • Live Magazine
  • Our Impact
    • Building Trust with Society
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Ethical Standards
      • Access
      • Environmental Sustainability
    • Global Health
      • Malaria
      • Sickle Cell Disease
      • Chagas disease
      • Leprosy
      • Novartis Foundation
    • ESG Performance and Reporting
      • Materiality Assessment
      • Environmental, Social and Governance
      • Transparency and Disclosures
      • Positions on Key Topics
      • Statements on Key Issues
  • Our Science
    • Research & Early Development
      • Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
      • Research Disease Areas
      • Postdoc Program
      • Open Source Science
    • Drug Development at Novartis
      • Novartis Pipeline
      • Clinical Trials
      • Translational Medicine
      • Global Product Portfolio
    • Science Stories
      • Discovery
      • From Our Labs
  • Careers
    • Your Career
      • Global Career Search
      • Teams and Skills
      • Gene Therapies Careers
    • Working at Novartis
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • People and Culture
      • Corporate Responsibility
    • Career Programs
      • Our Career Programs
      • Students and Scholars
      • Novartis Quantitative Sciences Hackathon
Search
Janneke van der Kamp on the Novartis campus in Basel
  • TwitterTweet
  • FacebookShare
  • Share
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    • Whatsapp
  • Jump to Comments
Stories/People and Culture

Flexibility at Novartis: Janneke van der Kamp

Van der Kamp explains how leading by example has encouraged others to adopt flexible working models.

Jul 09, 2019

The “Flexibility at Novartis” series spotlights associates who have one thing in common: They work flexibly. As a result, they are able to manage the demands of their work and private lives. Flexible working can boost employee engagement while increasing efficiency and productivity. This series provides a glimpse into flexible working at Novartis.

Janneke van der Kamp serves as Global Head Pharma, Region Europe, in Basel, Switzerland. She shares her story below.

Leading by example

My flexibility story is really many stories, and they are not only about me.

When I became Country Head Belgium in 2012, I was the first woman to do so. My predecessors had all put in long hours at the office. I realized if I followed in their footsteps, I would hardly see my kids, who were 2 and 4 at the time.

No two flexible work arrangements are alike because no two people, roles or teams are alike. Flexibility means finding creative ways to fit all the pieces together.

My solution was to leave the office at 5:30 p.m. every day, spend a couple of hours with my kids and resume working after their bedtime. This solution worked because I communicated it clearly and followed through consistently. When I won a diversity and inclusion award for chief executives in Belgium, the media headlines said “CEO leaves at 5:30 p.m.” – which goes to show the business world is still getting used to the idea of flexibility.

Within Novartis, my example encouraged others to adopt flexible working models of their own. For instance, nearly 1 in 5 of our people took advantage of our flexible work model, where they have a 90% contract but work full time most of the year and take an extra month off with their children in the summer.

In 2014, I was asked to lead the Neuroscience business – a fantastic opportunity. I accepted on the condition that I could work four days a week in Basel and one day in the Netherlands, where my husband had to be based at the time. My boss readily agreed, and for two-and-a-half years, I strictly followed this schedule. I got so much done in Basel that, the day I was at home, I could pick up my kids at 2:30 p.m. and be with them the rest of the day.

Some people asked how I could be away from my kids four days a week, and I know this setup is not for everyone, but it was the right model for me at that time.

What does flexibility at work mean to you?

No two flexible work arrangements are alike because no two people, roles or teams are alike. Flexibility means finding creative ways to fit all the pieces together.

Ana Graf standing in the hallway of an office building in Basel
People and Culture

Flexibility at Novartis: Ana Graf

Shareline

Learn how a Novartis leader has inspired others to adopt #flexibleworking models.
Tweet Tweetpopo

Learn more about careers at Novartis

While our diverse workforce brings different people and perspectives together, inclusion is making the mix work. It is about creating an atmosphere and an environment where each of us feels valued, respected and heard.

Learn More

Tags: 
Innovation, Working at Novartis, Careers
    • TwitterTweet
    • FacebookShare
    • Share
      • Twitter
      • Facebook
      • LinkedIn
      • Email
      • Whatsapp
    • Jump to Comments
  • Print
  • Save

Novartis Stories

View all

Europe at night
People and Culture

Going the extra mile to keep clinical trials on track during the COVID-19 pandemic

Contains Video
Doctor examining baby in Rwanda
People and Culture

Novartis Social Business Careers: improving health in lower income countries

Contains Video
Alfred and his family
People and Culture

Parental Leave at Novartis: Alfred’s story

You are here

  1. Home ›
  2. Stories ›
  3. People and Culture

Novartis Global

  • Navigate Novartis

    • Patients & Caregivers
    • Healthcare Professionals
    • Investors
    • Media
    • Society & ESG
    • Partners
  • Contact Us

    • Global Contacts
    • Office Locations
    • For Investors
    • For Media
  • About Novartis

    • Our Company
    • Our Focus
    • Our Impact
    • Our Science
    • Our Stories
  • Our Portfolio

    • Global Product Portfolio
    • Global Clinical Pipeline
  • Careers

    • Career Search

Connect with Novartis

  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • instagram
Novartis Site Directory
© 2021 Novartis AG
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Cookie Settings

This site is intended for a global audience.