connection and collaboration: the keys to a productive and engaged life sciences workforce.

3 ways to help your life sciences workforce thrive

Is your life sciences team reaching its full potential? Explore the critical role of managers and the multigenerational workforce in building resilient, high-performing teams. Learn why trust and connection are your best defenses against burnout and attrition, and learn about three actionable focus areas — managerial training, team collaboration and cross-generational learning — to help you cultivate an engaged culture that empowers talent and supports long-term business success.

From economic uncertainty to global geopolitical forces, life sciences companies face a number of challenges as they navigate the future. But no matter what happens, they’ll need to rely on their talent to deliver on their key objectives. Yet, could pervasive burnout be standing in the way of organizational success?

Research over the years has suggested burnout could be affecting nearly 50% of the pharma workforce, due to the stress of always being connected, heavy regulatory demands and the high stakes of developing life-saving tools. Add in the more recent pressures, like the rapid adoption of AI, shortages of specialized talent and growing pressure to learn new skills to remain relevant, and it’s easy to see why burnout is such a concern.

Left unaddressed, this can lead to loss in productivity, higher attrition rates and the costs and efforts of replacing talent at a time of high talent scarcity. How can life sciences employers get around this?

The secret is already within your organization — your people managers. In the midst of anxiety and uncertainty, employees are increasingly relying on their managers for reassurance and clarity, and they’re looking to build connections with, and learn from, their colleagues. This provides an enormous opportunity to leverage the role of managers to build stability, strengthen collaboration, and foster a connected, productive and resilient workforce.

nurturing the manager-employee bond

The importance of the employee-manager relationship is highlighted in Randstad’s 2026 Workmonitor research, which surveyed more than 27,000 workers and 1,225 employers across 35 markets. The study found that almost three quarters of global talent (72%) say they have a strong relationship with their manager, an increase from 64% in 2025. When looking at just talent within the life sciences field, that number rises to 75%, showing that the sector is already ahead of the curve.

The Workmonitor data also shows that 62% of life sciences talent say they feel more connected to their managers than to their companies, and 69% say their managers have their best interests in mind. What makes the relationship between manager and employee so effective? For one, it’s a personal connection that isn’t always established between the individual and the larger company.

Amid the backdrop of ongoing uncertainty in the world around them, talent increasingly seek support from managers in the face of this external volatility. Despite employees feeling connected to their managers, the growing use of AI has brought a new dynamic. Overall, 54% of life sciences talent (compared to an average of 50% across all sectors) say they turn to AI for work advice instead of their managers, often due to job insecurity that may be preventing them from talking with them directly.

How can managers adapt to this new reality? The answer lies in building greater trust, checking in more regularly with their teams and reassuring them their conversations are confidential. Acting as a sounding board for their ideas and providing empathy to their challenges (both professional and personal) will help create stronger connections.

Overall, at a time of increasing digitalization, maintaining a strong human relationship is key to building on the trust employees often already have towards their managers. By guiding talent through regulatory and compliance challenges of their work, while helping them with career progression and working together to set ongoing training and development goals, managers can lead with intent and emphasize the personalized guidance that AI can never match.

fostering collaboration across generations

Just as important as facilitating the manager-employee relationship is encouraging collaboration among coworkers. This is especially true given the five generations currently comprising the workforce, each with unique skills, experiences and technological proficiency.

In fact, the Workmonitor data shows that 77% of life sciences talent say they rely on people from different generations to broaden their perspectives. An even larger majority of employers recognize the value of the cross-generational workforce as well, with almost all life sciences employers (98%) saying a mix of generations working together has a positive impact on productivity (compared to 95% across all sectors).

Cross-generational collaboration is also key to encouraging employees to learn from one another. For example, in the life sciences industry, older generations are likely to possess institutional knowledge, regulatory understanding and product experience, while their less experienced counterparts are more likely to be versed in the latest technology like AI, and new digital and automation skills. 

Traditional mentorship programs, in which more experienced employees connect with their newer colleagues, are still a valuable tool for ensuring knowledge transfer from one generation to the other. Meanwhile, more companies are implementing reverse mentorships,” in which newer employees partner with more senior colleagues to advise them on changing technology, as well as societal and cultural changes.

Ensuring effective knowledge transfer and collaboration can lead to high-performing, collaborative teams and result in higher engagement and retention. Backed by the support of a strong manager to facilitate teamwork, and with an eye on strategies to increase trust, life sciences employers can create a positive culture where everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

3 ways to help teams thrive

Creating a foundation built on trust and connectivity is the start to a thriving workforce. But companies in the life sciences sector should strive to truly build and maintain a resilient team that’s well equipped to achieve top performance, while reducing disengagement and attrition. To make this goal a reality, consider the following three areas of focus.

1. 1. Set managers up for success.
      Managers are key to maintaining trust with employees, so ensuring they receive training on how to strengthen connections with their teams is crucial. Given the high-stress, high-stakes nature of the industry, managers should be trained to communicate in a clear, calm and informed manner about outside factors affecting the business. They should also be encouraged to conduct proactive, confidential check-ins with each of their direct reports to address their concerns and provide personalized guidance in a way that AI can’t.
      

   2. Focus on collaboration.
      Employers and employees both see the benefits of a collaborative workforce, and there is a high risk of attrition for companies that don’t foster such an environment. Explore how to create more linkages within teams and among traditionally separate departments like R&D, regulatory affairs, quality and manufacturing. For example, creating cross-functional teams for specific product life cycle stages, with clear metrics tied to successful launches, can help build trust and respect across teams.
      

   3. Encourage cross-generational learning.
      With multiple generations working together, there is ample opportunity for all talent to grow and develop by creating pathways for them to learn from one another. Formalizing mentorship programs can facilitate the flow of institutional knowledge and the latest technological know-how across generations. Managers should play a lead role in encouraging employees at all levels to share areas where they’d like to grow, as well as areas in which they can support their colleagues.
      
      

a culture of trust and collaboration

With companies in the life sciences sector facing new and traditional challenges, retaining top talent will be crucial to navigating an uncertain landscape — and accelerating the development of their life-saving innovations. And focusing on interpersonal relationships is key to achieving that. 

Investing in managerial training to fully capitalize on the manager-employee relationship will help talent deal with the unique stresses of the sector (and help them determine the appropriate learning paths to stay relevant). At the same time, making it easier for talent across all generations to work together will ensure the transfer of institutional knowledge and technology expertise among talent of different levels. The result will be high-performing teams that deliver on company initiatives while forming a work culture of trust and collaboration.

Check out more insights, case studies and trends for the life sciences sector.