Since 2023, WPR and its parent company TAKA have been working on the implementation of gender equality strategies, which have now been formally confirmed in 2024 through gender equality certification in accordance with UNI/PdR 125:2022.
Cinzia Volpato (Finance Director) and Jessica Ciprian (HR Manager) have implemented the process for WPR and explain: ‘The well-being of people is a declared and practised corporate value for WPR. This applies equally to our employees and our customers. We considered how we could implement the improvement of our employees’ well-being in an official and comprehensible framework and, in addition to realising specific improvement measures, we decided to certify gender equality.’
An essential part of the certification process is initial benchmarking in order to document the initial situation and define all objectives and further steps on this basis. Three sub-areas were prioritised, which are the focus of the package of measures to be implemented immediately:
- Support for parenthood
- Compatibility of professional and private life
- Training, career plans and professional development for all employees
‘The decision to go down the path of gender equality was completely voluntary for WPR and without coercion or secondary interests,’ emphasises Cinzia Volpato. ‘It is an ongoing voluntary commitment, because in order to maintain certification, further improvements for the well-being of employees must be implemented every year.’
In the current year, WPR has therefore already implemented a large number of measures, including: - Chemical risk assessment, which identifies and classifies chemical agents present in the working environment that may pose a risk factor for employees when used.
- A voluntary training course on melanoma prevention, consisting of an introductory lecture and a screening examination.
- A training package consisting of professional development courses for employees from all areas of the company.
- A training course on gender equality for all employees
‘We are convinced that we must live our corporate values every day and implement them consistently in order to create a healthy and motivating working environment for everyone,’ says Jessica Ciprian. ‘We also look forward to attracting new talent that is in line with our corporate values, thus securing the future of WPR’s personnel and success.’