Prioritizing Health and Growth at Genentech

At Genentech, we encourage casual, consistent year-round conversations between managers and employees guided by a framework we call the 4Cs: Career, Capability, Connection, and Contribution.

The HR Digest: How does Genentech provide employees with the growth opportunities they seek and create a happy and productive workplace for them?

Cori Davis: As a healthcare company, the health and well-being of our employees is a top priority for Genentech. We want to ensure our employees feel supported in all facets of their lives – at home and at work – and we do that by offering highly competitive benefits, including a comprehensive suite of mental health services; opportunities for professional growth and development; and avenues to regularly provide feedback to inform actions and improvements across the company. Professional development is also a priority; to have a long-term impact at the company, employees must have opportunities to continuously broaden their skill set. We support lateral moves by encouraging employees to explore new roles within their department or other parts of the organization through rotation and internship programs, and recognize accomplishments by moving employees upward into positions of greater responsibility. We encourage employees to take advantage of the Genentech Career Lab, which offers services such as one-on-one career consultations and self-guided learning and development resources.

How do you handle it when an employee fails to meet the company’s expectations?

At Genentech, we encourage casual, consistent year-round conversations between managers and employees guided by a framework we call the 4Cs: Career, Capability, Connection, and Contribution. These check-in conversations can cover coaching and feedback; skills development; networking, mentorship or other connections with colleagues; and performance management. There’s no prescribed frequency or format for documentation – the check-in simply needs to be a conversation that will benefit the employee and help them understand how their performance is tracking on an ongoing basis. While annual reviews and ratings remain part of our performance management process, encouraging managers to connect more frequently and informally with their team members allows them to provide constructive feedback when it’s most meaningful, celebrate successes and accomplishments in the moment, and identify opportunities for continued development. Therefore, it should never be a surprise at the end of the year for a person to receive a review/rating for not meeting expectations.

What are the core values that influence your decisions?

Trust, curiosity, and optimism are the core values that influence most of my decision-making. I prefer to trust that people will deliver rather than worry that they won’t. If you give people space and autonomy, they will rise to the occasion. I’m also a curious person by nature, so I try to listen more than I talk when evaluating pros and cons. And I try to always start with yes!

What’s one of your greatest achievements with Genentech?

My greatest joy is seeing people learn and grow. I consider it a great achievement anytime I can help play a role in someone’s development. I am really proud of my team members who have continued to succeed in their careers and take on bigger roles over time.

Why do you think it is important to have “Work friends” and that leaders should help their teams to build relationships?

Some of my most cherished friendships are those I’ve made at work! Work friends cheer our successes, support us when we’re struggling, provide informed perspectives, serve as sounding boards, and enhance our sense of belonging. In addition to the personal benefits of work friendships, countless studies cite the business benefits — lower turnover, higher productivity, and better collaboration, to name just a few.

Cori Davis,

Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, Genentech

Cori Davis is Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. In this role, she leads the strategy to foster an inclusive and inspiring environment where the company’s 13,000 employees can grow, thrive, and unlock their full potential to contribute to patients and society.

Photo: Genentech

This profile was published in the January 2023 issue of The HR Digest.

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