Aaron Falcione on company culture
From Actionable Advice with Aaron Falcione (Organon) | S4E11 | JKLAdvisors.ai · · Growing your business with People
“We want human connection to be the defining feature of our company, not distance. Treating employees like human beings sounds simple but is critical. Collaboration and discussion, not mandates, are what we emphasize in our approach.”
On , Aaron Falcione, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at ORGANON & CO, spoke about company culture during Actionable Advice with Aaron Falcione (Organon) | S4E11 | JKLAdvisors.ai on Growing your business with People.
About Aaron Falcione
Aaron Falcione, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Organon, discussed the role of culture in mergers and acquisitions and the company's approach to return-to-office policies in two September 2024 podcast appearances. In the first appearance, Falcione stated that people "make or break a deal" and that failing to address urgent people issues in M&A reduces the probability of capturing deal value. He said that in a transaction, the first question employees ask is "Will I have a job?" and that senior executives often want to start with vision and values, but must first address basic security concerns. He described walking away from a deal due to a "fundamental cultural misfit" and later acquiring the same company from a position of strength)Skip In the second appearance, Falcione described Organon's return-to-office strategy, which he said guides employees to be in the office two to three days a week with one anchor day for cross-functional collaboration, rather than mandating attendance. He said the company was "vulnerable" in acknowledging it did not have a solution that would satisfy everyone)Skip He cited solidarity with essential workers who showed up during COVID, community obligation to local businesses in Jersey City, and the disproportionate impact of mandates on women as factors in the decision. Falcione said that when the initial strategy was announced, employees "threw up all over it," and the company listened and course-corrected. He added that "sometimes as a senior leader you just have to eat a little humble pie."