IT IS NO accident that healthcare company Abbott Ireland is regarded as one of the best employers in the State. It has received numerous awards over the years and was named in the Top 50 Best Workplaces in Ireland for the sixth year running last month.

The accolades though gain real meaning when stories like that of employee Pádraig Philips are revealed. Philips was hired as a cleaner 14 years ago, but through the company’s training and development programme, worked his way through an apprenticeship, a diploma and a degree funded by the firm. He has risen through the ranks to become an engineering team manager.

It is an impressive achievement and was recognised with an award from the Irish Institute of Training and Development last week.

The Irish operation fits into the global umbrella of Abbott Laboratories, which manufacturers and markets pharmaceutical and medical products and employs more than 72,000 people worldwide.

The company’s presence in Ireland is primarily in manufacturing. It develops products across a range of divisions, including diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, nutrition, vascular and diabetes care.

Abbott Ireland has 3,900 people on its pay roll, more than half of whom are women, in 11 locations throughout the State.

It is this broad attempt at tackling healthcare that Abbott Ireland human resources director John McAteer claims is the company’s strength and one he says has been largely unaffected by the current recession. “Our employee numbers have never been higher. Abbott Laboratories made a $5 billion [€3.77 billion] profit last year – that is a 12 to 14 per cent increase on the previous year,” he says.

The Irish division has not suffered any redundancies since the downturn, although 500 jobs were lost with the closure of the Galway operation, announced in late 2006. “That was closed because of an over-capacity issue; it was a market-related situation,” says McAteer.

He adds that the company currently has 40 vacancies, with recruitment taking place across a range of areas, from scientists and engineers to finance and general operative skills.

McAteer highlights attributes that are considered key to making a company successful, including on- going learning, high productivity, responding to employee needs, proactive diversity and involving all stakeholders, including employees.

“When employees come in, we want them to develop in the company from all levels, from operator to senior manager,” he says. “We take the approach that all learning is good. We are constantly trying to improve and you cannot be complacent – that is one of our key overall messages.”

Another area of strength identified by McAteer is the company’s graduate recruitment programme, which draws almost 100 new staff from universities across Ireland and Britain each year. The firm is also one of the top 20 companies for graduate recruitment in Ireland, which is voted by students.

“A lot of time goes into ensuring we get input from employees in relation to the business through various meetings, communications and surveys. It creates an opportunity for employees to feed into the company what they think is important. The number one is having an environment where people can develop and grow and we put a lot of time and effort into creating that kind of culture.”

McAteer claims staff turnover is lower than most companies. Some staff have chosen to remain with Abbott Ireland for more than 30 years, including McAteer himself, who was hired as a human resources officer in the 1970s.

The creation of a loyal workforce could perhaps be attributed to the benefits offered by the firm, including free tuition fees, financial counselling, and health programmes such as cancer screening and diabetes testing.