When a new employee joins Charles River, he or she is welcomed to the company with an Orientation Program. A central message to new employees is our commitment to animal welfare. The new employee is asked to embrace humane care as a critical element of how Charles River supports accelerating drug development.

Employees learn about the 3Rs of animal welfare: Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement. They also learn of their obligation to report any animal welfare concerns and then sign a Humane Care Commitment after completing their orientation.

Formal training in animal welfare recurs at least annually. Employees with direct contact with the animals re-sign the Humane Care Commitment statement after each annual update.

A network of trainers helps to ensure that the diverse sites within Charles River are working together to raise the bar for the humane care and welfare of our animals.  These groups meet regularly for advanced training, networking, discussion, case studies, and other activities related to advancing humane care. The network reinforces the objectives of the Humane Care Initiative and gives our employees a local outlet for ideas, questions or concerns.

We believe strongly in providing continuing education opportunities to our staff through retreats and workshops. These bring together employees from sites around the globe and reinforce our commitment to their development and to promoting best practices within the company and the industry.

In addition, we provide further information to all of our employees through internal information channels such as our quarterly newsletter, intranet site and yearly all-hands meetings.