In conversation with SABRINA PAULON
3 questions to
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Sabrina Paulon
3 questions to Sabrina Paulon, Marcolin Group HR Director, on the occasion of the European Diversity Month promoted by the European Commission and the EU Platform of Diversity Charter.
The European Diversity Month is an opportunity to talk about inclusion within companies and workplace. The general panorama, according to data, still has many critical issues, except for some companies, such as Marcolin which this year obtained the Gender Equality Certification. In summary, what were the corporate initiatives that made possible to achieve this result?
This year we obtained the gender equality certification, a very important acknowledgement for Marcolin, because it rewards the efforts made over the past few years, by introducing a number of initiatives aimed at promoting corporate welfare, supporting parenting and work-life balance and introducing the smart working, even before the pandemic, when smart working was only marginal. In terms of education and training, we introduced the Leadership Academy, which is a course for the leaders of tomorrow, and during the last year we focused on a specific session dedicated to women. Still on the issue of parenting, we introduced Focus Groups, as well as additional paternity leave allowances.
What are, in your opinion, the useful practical solutions that a company should implement or strengthen to create a truly inclusive working environment today?
For us “Inclusion” means accepting and embracing diversity, because we believe that every person is unique, and this should be a corporate value. So that it wasn’t an extemporaneous initiative linked to the management of today’s managers, three years ago we wrote the Diversity & Inclusion Charter which we followed up with a whole series of policies aimed at the inclusion of all people who work at Marcolin. In addition to the inclusive policies and tools already implemented in the Company, today we want to create an inclusive culture. And to do so, we want to start from the language, which should be a proper, respectful, and welcoming language that celebrates diversity.
In addition to inclusion, what are the tools carried out by Marcolin to be able to break down the glass ceiling of managerial positions and to bridge the gender gap which, unfortunately, still exists in terms of salaries?
Gender equality and women’s empowerment also mean equal pay. At Marcolin today, in the January-October period, women accounted for 60% of the total workforce, 40% of whom is manager, and 50% covers executive roles. It is a program that we have implemented over time and that today includes a Gender Equality Committee and a Gender Equality Manager who makes sure that, every year, there is no gender gap within compensation packages and benefits. We are very proud of how far we have come, but we know that we still have a long way to pursue.
