Hazel Sullivan, HR Director at LloydsPharmacy Ireland, outlines the progressive people strategy being implemented to support and develop Pharmacists, Technicians, and front of shop colleagues in one of Irelands leading Pharmacy chains.
Our People Strategy at LloydsPharmacy
As HR director of LloydsPharmacy, Hazel believes the commitment to excellence starts from within. She says, “Our people are at the core of our purpose as a company – ‘to advance health outcomes for all’ – and our diversified talent, skills and experiences will help us get there. What sets LloydsPharmacy apart as an exceptional place, is our people.
“Our goal is to make LloydsPharmacy a rewarding and fulfilling place to work, a place where we recognise achievements and success, and encourage personal development and career growth. We focus on developing a positive, highly engaged culture for all colleagues, through a focus on the employee and their career and personal development journey.”
At LloydsPharmacy, the people strategy is based on looking at the pharmacy career journey from end to end and considering how we can enhance this experience.
How we welcome and support Pharmacy Graduates and International Candidates
Hazel adds, “Each year LloydsPharmacy takes part in the 5th Year pharmacy student programme through Appel. Our HR Business Partners and Talent Acquisition teams are available to support and assist overseas candidates and employees when deciding on their career move to join LloydsPharmacy.
Whether you are a graduate in the Appel Programme, an international candidate or joining LloydsPharmacy from another Pharmacy, we provide a comprehensive and detailed programme which includes a bespoke induction, a dedicated mentor assigned for support and guidance, access to OTC training, support from the Superintendent Pharmacist and Clinical Governance Pharmacist as well as OSCE practical’s to support students for their mocks.”
How we encourage growth through Personal Development
“Our Pharmacy colleagues are offered a comprehensive range of professional development and training from induction, in-house training sessions, online webinars, learning tools & resources, and new service training,” says Hazel.
“All Pharmacy Managers take part in our bespoke manager programme designed to develop their management capabilities, develop a strategic mindset, encourage innovation and inspiration, and the support to develop their own teams.
“All colleagues also have access to our Online e-learning tool “Book Boon” available 24/7. This provides an opportunity to start a guided development journey, acquiring or brushing up on business skills as well as personal development.
“Our Employee Communications App ‘Looop’ helps us stay connected where all employees can be kept updated on company news, changes on policies, engagement initiatives and recent successes.”
How we recognise our People
Hazel continues, “For the second year in a row we have acknowledged our employees’ positive impact, dedication, and commitment across our 89 pharmacies through our Internal Employee Recognition Awards. This year we were delighted to acknowledge many of our LloydsPharmacy Pharmacists and teams for the excellent work they do in delivering superb customer service and patient care across their communities.
“It was no surprise that one of our Pharmacists was the recipient of the highly sought after ‘Employee of the Year’ award. This Pharmacist not only excels at delivering excellent patient care but also actively seeks out colleagues in her team to mentor and support. Another example is the Pharmacy team in Kilbarrack Road who were recognised for their continuous focus on putting their Patient and Customers First, and for going above and beyond the call of duty for their community.”
Creating a Diverse and Inclusive culture
LloydsPharmacy are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace environment as Hazel reflects, “We do not just value differences, we seek them out, we invite them in. And as a result, our ideas are better, our people are stronger, our product and service offering are comprehensive, and our customers are better served. This is evidenced in our culturally diverse workforce with many of our employees coming from international markets who are warmly welcomed by our teams.
“In the recent Recognition awards, we acknowledged one of our International Pharmacists for her use of language skills to create a welcoming, understanding, and safe place for the wider team and across her community.
“During the month of June, we highlighted our support for Pride and our focus on diversity through an array of initiatives including organising webinars and relevant topics on our e-learning library and personal development tool to help our employees understand and embrace our differences.”
Acknowledging Career Milestones
“Every year many of our colleagues reach impressive milestones within the company, and we acknowledge and celebrate their commitment to their teams, their patients, and their local communities,” she adds.
How our support structure helps you at every stage of your career journey
“As Irelands leading Pharmacy chain, our strength is in our ability to provide our Pharmacy teams a strong support network of specialists and peers who are on hand to welcome and support the teams in their new role and development throughout their career. Our aim is to improve our colleague working environment by producing operational efficiencies, processes, training, and tools to make working at LloydsPharmacy an enjoyable and great place to work.
“There are lots of supports in place, in the Pharmacy itself there will typically be a Supervising Pharmacist and larger stores have a Pharmacy Manager to oversee the dispensary and front of shop teams.
“Each Pharmacy is assigned to one of five regional managers who are available to support and direct the teams. Our Pharmacists are also uniquely supported by a Superintendent Pharmacist, and a Clinical Governance Pharmacist to ensure Pharmacists meet all regulatory and contractual requirements. They advise Pharmacists of the latest developments in the community pharmacy sector, share CPD opportunities and are readily available to assist and support with any issues that may arise. In recent months we have appointed a specialist role of Pharmacist Experience Program Manager. They are responsible for the complete end-to-end experience for Pharmacists, ensuring they have a positive and impactful journey throughout their time with LloydsPharmacy. They drive the development and delivery of programs to meet the needs of our pharmacy colleagues to influence an award-winning culture.
“Our support office structure includes a Sales and Operations team who drive strategy, new projects, and operational efficiencies to guide the Pharmacies. Support is available from other departments including
HR, IT, Finance, Marketing, and Procurement.
“Through continuously advancing our technology support systems we streamline duties and drive efficiencies. We invest in the latest technology and processes to help support pharmacy teams and improve our customer’s experience within our pharmacies.”
Looking for a career change? Check out the open roles at LloydsPharmacy
You can read about working at LloydsPharmacy on our careers section of our website at Careers – LloydsPharmacy Ireland.
We have some open roles for Supervising and Support Pharmacists, Pharmacy
Technicians and Retail sales assistants. Job Roles – LloydsPharmacy Ireland
If you are interested in a career move and wish to be part of our team, please contact our Talent Acquisition team Susan O’Meara or Lynne Minto at jobs@lloydspharmacy.ie or through https//.linkedin.com/ lloydspharmacy-ireland
Hazel Sullivan with some of her HR team at the Employee Recognition awards in April 2022
Hazel Sullivan presenting award to Employee of the Year (Rachel, Pharmacist from Nutgrove) along with Darren Kennedy host at the Awards
How we support you financially
View the August IPN magazine here
To recieve the monthly IPN magazine, click here
