Krones Italia and Kosme popped the corks last year: The two Italian companies received the Gender Equality Certificate in accordance with UNI/PdR 125:2022 – for outstanding measures to promote equality in the workplace.
However, when participating in the voluntary programme, Kosme and Krones Italia did not focus solely on gender equality in the workplace, but also on creating an inclusive and diverse working environment in general. After all, teams that include people from different cultures, religions, generations or people with disabilities benefit from different perspectives and therefore often deliver better results. “The aim was to draw attention to unconscious biases – both in the workplace and in everyday private life. This change in thinking contributes significantly to an improved corporate culture, presence and overall quality of work,” explains Cinzia Carbone, HR Manager of the Compact Class business segment, which both companies are part of within the Krones Group.
Enriching for work and private life
To raise awareness of diversity and inclusion (D&I), Kosme and Krones Italia introduced a gender and diversity policy, which included establishing rules for recruiting and for behaviours as well as informing partners and stakeholders about the corporate culture. Furthermore, both companies provided a wide range of training programmes designed to promote awareness of diversity and mental health in the workplace: At Kosme, for example, women were able to attend lectures on positive stress management. External guests also gave presentations on site, including a Paralympic athlete on the topic of motivation and an actress on language and bias. Since the beginning of October, there have also been regularly changing lectures for all employees at Krones Italia. Furthermore, at both companies, all employees had training in understanding the generation gap and differences. Other measures included the provision of sanitary products for female employees and newsletters on generational diversity, maternity rights for parents and economic violence prevention. “We have received a lot of positive feedback from our employees that diversity enriches not only the work culture but also their private lives. We are therefore particularly pleased that they want more in-depth content,” Carbone emphasises.
A success right from the start
Kosme and Krones Italia signed up for this voluntary programme for the first time last year – and promptly took home the award. However, receiving the Gender Equality Certificate is just the beginning: Both companies are also aiming for long-term D&I certification in the coming years. “A D&I certification can be obtained when a company gains the awareness and know-how that are needed to drive meaningful change into the organisation, for example by implementing inclusion-focused KPIs around talent development. It will help us and our team build equitable and inclusive workplaces that better represent the diverse world around us,” Carbone says. In addition, Krones Italia and Kosme want to build on the successful measures and expand them – with regular employee surveys to gather ideas and feedback, concrete action plans for D&I initiatives and further support measures for parents and carers, such as special leave, parental leave and social benefits.
Image 1, Kosme: Marco Casappa, Head of Compact Class, Cinzia Carbone, Head of HR Compact Class, and Donatella Usai, Daniela Berdaga and Andrea Pernigotti from the HR Office (from left)
Image 2, Krones Italia: Franco Tomba and Nadia Viola from the HR team
