Stories and Viewpoints

Discover Viatris

By: Niki Kapsambelis

October 24, 2024

In a sense, Astrid Labaut-Ortiz has two babies: her 6-year-old son, who inspired her, and the Care Employee Resource Group, which supports caregivers trying to balance work and life responsibilities.

Astrid, who leads Business Transformation and Integration for Viatris in Europe, began advocating for a group to support working parents in 2021 when her son, Cristian, was just 4 years old. But she began to see the need for the group while she was trying to figure out what policies were applicable for her maternity leave. When she returned to work, she found re-integration challenging.

Care, which launched in 2024, was created to support all caregivers – not just parents. For Astrid, that’s not just the right thing to do; it also contributes to business success.

“It’s really to connect, to engage,” she said of the ERG. “It helps create a transparent environment, which is very connected to inclusion. If you experience inclusion, you feel a sense of belonging, and your attitude towards work will be positively impacted.”

Achieving harmony between personal and professional lives can be difficult for many people, particularly caregivers, Astrid notes. Additionally, caregiving can include caring for elders, pets and friends. Her hope is that Care will help engage colleagues so they can share resources, tools and understanding to help one another as it truly is a unique community supporting each other through a variety of caregiving experiences. She also hopes non-caregivers will join so they can better understand and support those who need it.

The Care ERG Care is excited to build out and sponsor a number of caregiving awareness events throughout the year. She and her colleagues leading the ERG are also looking for ideas and suggestions from colleagues that can help bring these initiatives forward. For Astrid, inclusion is a layered process.

“It starts with your day-to-day relationships with your manager and your team,” she explained. When people are open and transparent with one another, they develop trust and respect; this, in turn, can radiate out as people engage with each other on both business and personal topics.

In her different roles at Viatris, she has worked with people from many regions offering different perspectives and cultural backgrounds, which Astrid found enriching.

“I have an open mind,” she said. “I welcome different perspectives. It’s shaping us and who we are.”