In Rome invest infemale employment enhances productivity and turnover. Proof of this is Teleperformance Italia (customer services manager), WL Gore and associates (active in materials sciences), the biopharmaceutical Bristol Myers Squibb, the biotechnological Abbvie Italia and the Capitoline offices of the financial group American Express and Hilton hotels. These are the six local companies included in the Best workplaces for women 2024, the ranking of the twenty best working environments for women drawn up by the research company Great place to work Italia.
Tools for gender equality
The analysis shows that small and medium-sized businesses in the city are also working to promote gender equality. Among the sectors most sensitive to the topic are biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and services. However, just under half of the female employees have a part-time contract (47%, compared to 22% of men) due to the difficulties in reconciling private and professional life and female managers barely exceed 40%. «Today more frequent requests there are three: flexibility in time management, salary equity and career opportunities – says Alessandro Zollo, CEO of Great place to work Italia –. The percentage of those who quit after having their second child is too high. Say what to introduce ad hoc welfare measures whether it’s a mere extra expense, it’s just an excuse to slow down change.”
«Change of mentality»
Yet the advantages seem concrete. «The change in mentality allowed us to go from 9 million losses in 2020 to 2.5 million profits on 84 million in 2022 revenues – explains Gianluca Bilancioni, financial and human resources director of Teleperformance Italia, which has 500 people employed on a permanent basis in the city, 72% of whom are women –. Our workers are usually 43 years old and are mothers of young children and daughters of elderly parents. We give them a month’s maternity leave in addition to those established by law and a personalized reintegration path. Benefits that certainly have a cost but generate a return five times higher. Furthermore, absenteeism drops: sick days they dropped from 12% to 3%.
The majority in middle management
To this we add free psychological help to family members too.” Manuela Vacca Maggiolini, human resources director of Abbvie Italia, explains: «In middle managers we are the majority, in managerial ones we occupy over 40% of the positions». The company organizes campaigns to raise awareness among girls to undertake scientific studies and supports them with mentoring plans and comparison with successful experiences”.
