C-Suite Conversation: Julie Carretero, Tango Therapeutics

Julie Carretero, Chief Human Resources Officer at Tango Therapeutics joined us for a quick conversation where she shared her perspectives on hybrid work, its impact on creating and upholding company culture, and professional development. She discusses how professional development flourishes faster in person, and how informal engagements help associates grow.

Tell us a bit about yourself! 

Hi! My name is Julie Carretero, I'm the CHRO at Tango Therapeutics, a clinical-stage precision oncology company based in Boston. I have been a CPO in biotech and manufacturing for the past six years. Before that, I was at Novartis Pharmaceuticals for 22 years, where I spent more than half of that time on the business side. When I started in the commercial business, I never thought I would end up in HR, but because of a few key people who believed in me and my potential, it’s where I found my passion.

In hybrid workplaces, what has happened to company culture? 

Company culture is and always will be a moving target. The pandemic and all the changes we had to make brought culture to the forefront, which is where it should be. The root of the conversation now is that the hybrid working environment seems to be here to stay and companies are still figuring out how it impacts culture. While there is clearly no right or wrong way to handle this topic, the companies I've seen manage it well are clear and consistent about their expectations and realistic about the culture they are trying to create.

I view company culture as two halves of a whole. The first half is where people know the company's vision, values, behaviors, and how they work together. Thriving cultures are those where leadership has clarified their expectations for hybrid and in-office employees, and associates are doing well. Everyone understands how the work gets done. 

The other half is the climate – the “how it feels” to work somewhere. This is where I think the biggest challenge exists. When there are a variety of work arrangements (fully remote, hybrid, and in-person) all interacting with each other, everyone has a different experience. In these situations, I think it’s important to acknowledge that we cannot replicate what existed before. If we think that company culture will feel the same way it did when we were all in the office, we're doing ourselves a disservice. The companies that are thriving seem to have acknowledged this and adjusted their expectations.

 In hybrid workplaces, what has happened to professional development? 

This is something that I think about a lot. Admittedly, I have a bias towards an in-office culture, as I see its benefits at Tango, where growth is a high priority throughout the organization. I have also experienced the opportunities it presents personally. 

 When I look back at my own career, the ability to interact formally and informally with people across functions, departments, and levels daily played a pivotal role for me. I got exposure to people outside of my immediate team and they got exposure to me.  This led to opportunities and relationships that I would not have even thought were possible and allowed the organization to invest in me and challenge me to go well beyond my comfort zone. 

In my previous roles at other organizations, I have witnessed the challenges of meaningful professional development in a  hybrid environment. The opportunities for interacting informally in virtual and hybrid situations are restricted, as interactions have become so scheduled.  Even if everyone is in the office on the same days, it’s likely the day is fully planned with meetings within teams and there’s little time for spontaneity. Outside of the occasional town hall, there aren’t many chances to learn about other functions, departments, and people who may become important role models and advocates for you in your career. 

As HR leaders we have to think about how to get people excited about being part of a company where they can develop in a meaningful way. We've all experienced this mobility within our organizations where people move on, and we have to critically ask ourselves why. It may have less to do with culture than we think – talented people thrive in an environment where they can learn and grow, and if they don’t see a path forward for them, they will move on fairly quickly. 

So, if this flexible workforce is here to stay, we need to challenge ourselves and our business leaders to get people excited about the roles and opportunities available across the company, both now and in the future. We need to deliberately and intentionally build interest in career growth, expanding associates’ breadth because it does not happen organically in this environment.

HR often tries to be “all things to all people.” Should it?

We all struggled with this concept during the pandemic because everybody had such different and changing needs. Just think of how exhausted we were as HR professionals, as we were trying to figure it all out!  One thing that I have learned is that there is no right answer. I do know that clarity is incredibly important. We need to communicate consistently about what we expect of our associates, what we will provide, and why. If we're clear on that, then people can make informed decisions as to whether they want to be a valued contributor for the long term, regardless of whether it’s virtual, hybrid, or in-person.