Page 3 - WI 2020 Highlights Report

Message from the Sr. Director
Ernie DuPont
Sr. Director, CVS Health Workforce Initiatives
2020, A Year of Colleague Engagement
I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the 2020 Workforce Initiatives Highlights. This report showcases the evolving culture of Colleague Engagement that is manifest in the department.
Engaged, committed and involved colleagues build a successful workforce. Establishing this workplace climate does not happen by accident. Employees are a body of complex individuals
with diverse interests, talents and abilities. Aligning these talents and interests with the work that
is to be done is key to professional growth and excellence. This requires everyone to sharpen communication skills--inquiring, listening, encouraging and implementing ideas and suggestions from their colleagues. Understanding the career goals, desire for training and opportunity leading to growth brings about commitment and collaboration allowing for the best that each individual has to offer. This is the essence of colleague engagement.
Effective colleague engagement also means adhering to the values and goals of the organization. The foundation of Workforce Initiatives work is built on the aspirational goals of putting people
on the path to better health by building non-traditional talent pipelines through the power of partnerships, breaking the cycle of poverty unlocking each individual’s full potential as well as recognizing their value.
These goals are reflected in how Workforce Initiatives approaches programming and partnership development, community outreach and internal structure. A plan for creating a culture of colleague engagement, implemented by a Workforce Initiatives Colleague Engagement Team, aligned their outcomes with these values.
Compounding the implementation of the plan was the pandemic that spread across the globe in early spring. Workforce Initiatives had to adapt to changes in work style including embracing the virtual world. In-person participation in partnership development became electronic experiences. These communication tools allowed Workforce Initiatives colleagues to broaden their audiences, hone their communication skills and effectively interact and collaborate with partners across the country.
Successfully navigating the repercussions brought on by the pandemic, while maintaining the outreach of building vibrant relationships and collaborations, was the result of a team of engaged Workforce Initiatives colleagues.