The ability to learn and develop oneself further is by far the most important quality a professional can possess. When it comes to talent development and diversity, at Util we are totally committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees have equal opportunities to learn, grow and succeed by activating their full potential.
Recently we have concluded the first edition of the Consea Women’s Leadership Development Program for five of our female employees. On this occasion, we have asked Util to give us an overview of the activities we are implementing in terms of Talent Development and Diversity at our company.
Women’s Leadership Development Program, what is that all about?
“Overall, women are still underrepresented in managerial positions. In order to succeed, women must learn to navigate both the external factors limiting their access to leadership positions and the internal ones, which very often represent the first barrier. The Women’s Leadership Development Program is a concrete action to train women to get access to managerial positions in their professional future.”
From left to right, Chiara Altomonte, Consea Owner, Sara Brino, Consea Consultant, Elena Martin and Elena Ercules, UTIL HR Manager and UTIL Program Manager, and Sara Ruffinatti, Consea Senior Consultant
How does that tie in with supporting the growth of our company through talent development?
“In the recent years our organization has been growing rapidly worldwide and we have brought 8 new talents on board in key functions. Of these, 4 hold managerial positions at global level and are already part of our succession plans for the future of our company. Also, we have identified 6 talents for whom we have developed ad-hoc career plans. I am happy to say that 4 of these talents are young women currently holding roles as team leaders or project leaders.”
It sounds like we are doing great with white collars. What about blue collars instead?
“We firmly believe that talent development is essential at all levels in our organization. That is why we have significantly powered the training programs for our shopfloor experts. In total, in 2022 we provided 392 hours of technical and managerial training more than the previous year.”
That’s quite some ambitious plan on talent development. How are we doing regarding diversity?
“Well, generally speaking, we have increased female presence by 7% compared to 2021 and with the opening of a new production area in Italy, we have hired 4 new female figures. Needless to say, that is a trend that we intend to continue in the years to come, not only in Italy but at all of our locations worldwide.”
In conclusion, is Util a great place to work?
“We are definitely getting there. It’s on our radar screens. We constantly monitor employees’ engagement and positive attitude through Bamboo HR, a dedicated software to collect, maintain, and analyse people data, improve the way we hire talent, onboard new employees, manage compensation, and develop our company culture. The good news is that in 2022 the employee satisfaction index grew by 8% compared to 2021. In addition to that, in Canada we have launched “Humana Care” a wellbeing program for employees and families, to assist them in solving the various problems that they may be experiencing and provide adequate counselling and the tools to identify a possible path forward.”
