Astellas Pharma, a prominent Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company, has set its sights on breaking away from industry conventional norms by moving beyond the traditional office-centric work model. Faced with mounting pressures, Astellas has been driven to explore and integrate flexible and remote work options. While the shift to remote work arrangements presents its own set of hurdles, the company is seeking to capitalize on this opportunity to foster growth and enhance adaptability for both employees and management.

Astellas' push towards an adaptable and innovative work environment is being partly driven by the challenge of attracting and retaining a competent workforce in a fast-changing business world. The company is strategically focusing on diversifying and enhancing its talent pool. With the roll-out of a remote work policy in April, aimed at nearly half of its domestic workforce, or about 2,200 employees eligible to perform their duties outside of traditional setting, excluding those in factories or labs, Astellas is broadening its appeal. This policy of working from anywhere enables employees, including individuals with disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or those residing in remote areas, to be productive from various parts of the country, though not internationally. Astellas is not only making strides in inclusivity but also enhancing its attractiveness as an employer. This flexibility caters to the employees’ quest for an enhanced work-life harmony and positions Astellas as a desirable workplace for top-tier talent skilled in fostering a rapport with artificial intelligence. This is particularly vital in the competitive pharmaceutical sector, where Al-driven insights are increasingly crucial in drug development.

Astellas' effort to embed remote working into its corporate ethos underscores a recognition of the need for organizational flexibility in navigating the global marketplace. The company prides itself on its extensive multinational operations, including numerous overseas subsidiaries, where nearly 70% of the employees in its domestic groups are of international nationalities. With global sales exceeding 80%, the diversity and global reach require a more flexible working environment to improve employee productivity, efficiency, and satisfaction. The shift towards remote work eliminates the burden for daily commutes and the strain of coordinating early morning meetings across time zones, significantly reducing stress and enhancing the overall well-being of its workforce.

The company is well-prepared to tackle the hurdles posed by fully remote work arrangements. To preserve team unity, the role of the chief manager overseeing each team is strengthened. This role entails additional responsibilities to guarantee effective communication, which is vital among remote workers and between remote and in-office employees. When necessary, in-person meetings will be organized to ensure that team objectives are aligned at the start of each fiscal year. For remote workers living at a distance, making a brief trip for those meetings will serve as a valuable reminder of their tangible connection to the organization they serve.