#03/22
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR GF EMPLOYEES

Über Ozeane hinweg: Inspektoren auf Tahiti prüften vor Ort die Schweissnähte der Rohre der „Sea Water Air Conditioning“-Anlage, während die Projektleitung von GF Piping Systems aus Europa koordinierte. Kommunikation schaffte das Vertrauen dafür.

© Ian Teh
Spotlight

Diverse but one GF

We are successful because of our differences. Examples from the world of GF show that when we live diversity and inclusion we can all benefit from the inspiration it provides. Check out our cover story.

Common goals connect across national and linguistic boundaries, as shown by the global environmental and occupational safety team of GF Casting Solutions. This group of some 25 employees from 13 GF sites in China, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Romania has been working since July 2021 to optimize the environmental impact of our plants and promote a safety culture. Zackary Welch of the GF Casting Solutions Sustainability team recalls that, since the first video conferences with colleagues, some living thousands of kilometers apart and in different cultures, the team has developed a trusting and appreciative online working relationship. “The first brainstorming sessions showed that the challenges we all faced were similar, even if we were articulating them in different languages. This led to increasingly open communication about best practice approaches and concrete suggestions among colleagues.” He quickly realized that diversity on the team was a great opportunity if the framework was flexible.

Part of the community as a given criterion

Diversity means the range of human differences, including but not limited to racial, ethnic or national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical or mental abilities or characteristics, religious or ethical value system, and political beliefs or associations. Inclusion refers to creating a work environment in which all people are treated fairly and with respect, have equal access to opportunities and resources and feel empowered to contribute fully to the success of the organization. According to the 2020 report “ Diversity wins: how inclusion matters” by consulting firm McKinsey, diverse teams are more productive and innovative; diversity is considered a real success factor. And employees are more engaged in an inclusive environment. The goal is to consciously deal with unconscious biases. With initiatives such as training programs on Women in Leadership and Unconscious Bias for employees involved in recruitment processes, GF aims to raise awareness of the strengths of diversity and to promote implementation.

graphic © Rusty Williams

Zackary Welch

Position: Sustainability Officer
Division: GF Casting Solutions
Location: Schaffhausen (Switzerland)
Joined GF in: 2017

“You shouldn’t have to work against individual conditions, but rather integrate them.”

Zackary Welch, Sustainability Officer at GF Casting Solutions

In the process, international teams bring different ways of thinking and working, which means approaches to solutions can also be more diverse. “ After a phase of getting to know each other, the interest in exchange and the willingness to present their own content increased,” says Zackary. So a trust-based environment grew. “All team members together form the foundation of our sustainability system within the division,” Zackary says. “So we explained how important this is to the company and the important role all team members, with their views from the different locations, play in this.”

Innovations and new insights

As a globally active company, GF is committed to greater diversity and inclusion on many levels. Our declared goal is to create a diverse and inclusive work environment at GF where inspiration, cooperation and innovation can grow and employees are empowered to perform at their best. “We believe that diversity and inclusion generate innovation and new insights, as well as increase the quality and strength of organizations,” says Nesibe Bruggmann, Head of Corporate Learning & Development at GF. “It makes good business sense, in addition to fostering a healthy and economically meaningful work environment.” GF’s Executive Committee has set ambitious goals with its Strategy 2025. These include its aim to fill 25% of new management positions with women, an ambitious goal considering that 20% of engineering positions are currently held by women, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. For 2021, the figure was already 30%, so GF exceeded its target here in the first year of the five-year journey. Women already make up one-third of the Board of Directors, and another woman has been nominated to the Board; 15% of newly appointed senior managers are also expected to be women. GF views diversity as a valuable source of talent, creativity and innovation, which can lead to better performance levels and decision- making capabilities. For example, as a global company, GF gives employees the opportunity to gain experience in both their professional and personal lives in different countries during their careers. GF is also committed to clear values, which are set out in its Code of Conduct. Among other things, these include mutual respect and zero tolerance of discrimination. GF supports diversity in all areas of its business, something reflected in the new corporation-wide GF policy on diversity, engagement and inclusion. This defines the roles and responsibilities that will ensure that the company’s workforce diversity is better reflected in the company’s work environment, that employees are engaged and satisfied with their work, and that they feel safe and are valued for their contribution to the company’s success.

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A company’s proceeds from innovation are higher when women hold 20% or more of the seats on its supervisory board.

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Increase in the profitability of companies that place a clear focus on diversity and exhibit diversity in terms of ethnicity within their management ranks. Profits can increase by 25% just with more women in management.

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By 2025, 25% of all new hires in management should be women. This is the goal established in the GF Strategy 2025; that goal was already surpassed in 2021 (30%).

© Rusty Williams
Zackary Welch, Sustainability Officer at GF Casting Solutions, speaks with his team via video call.
© Rusty Williams
A total of 25 employees working at 13 different locations make up the Sustainability team at GF Casting Solutions.

GF systematically scans its workforce for talent, regardless of individual backgrounds, and strategic succession planning and programs for employees with high potential have been in place for some time. Many initiatives at GF promote the individual development of employees. With Women@GFPS, for example, the company has created a network for women at GF Piping Systems, and with the “Mystery Coffee” format it invites employees to come into contact with colleagues all over the world and get to know people they have never met before. Each these things makes an impact. According to a recent employee survey, no fewer than 80% of employees would recommend GF to others as an employer.

The GF definition of Diversity and Inclusion

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Diversity

This means the range of human differences, including but not limited to racial, ethnic or national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical or mental abilities or characteristics, religious or ethical value system, and political beliefs or associations.

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Inclusion

This refers to being able to create a work environment in which all people are treated fairly and with respect, have fair access to opportunities and resources, and feel empowered to contribute fully to the success of the organization.

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Unconscious biases

These are implicit stereotypes held by a person about an individual or groups of people regarding their abilities and skills. These biases exist in a person’s mind below the threshhold of conscious thought, and are the product of:

  • Personal experiences
  • Stories told by others
  • Education/upbringing
  • Media
  • Influence exerted by institutions
  • Cultural conditioning
  • Other external influences

Trust-based environment at work

“Diversity and inclusion are not just about human resources, they are also about leadership and are a part of overall organizational development,” Nesibe says “Leadership is essential in allowing differences to flourish and in turn having them offer added value. As an employer, GF strives to build diverse teams, as well as to create a consistently trust-based, inclusive and psychologically safe work environment for all employees – a space in which everyone feels heard, recognized and at ease.” This is the only way that everyone can give their best and develop their potential, she adds. It is also a given that colleagues with mental and physical disabilities are integrated into the company. GF works with organizations in the United States that support people with disabilities in developing the skills needed to work in their profession, and applies this at GF. In Switzerland, several locations regularly award contracts to workshops that are staffed by people with disabilities.

For Julie Malizia, Head of Customer Care at GF Piping Systems in the US, diversity is an important basis for GF’s further development. Her daily interactions with employees and customers remind her time and again “that we are all the same regardless of our background. We are all human beings, with hopes and dreams, successes and failures. Our individual experiences are what makes each one of us different.” She points out that a diverse team is better able to understand the needs of customers.

© Jamie Kelter Davis

Production Supervisor at GF Machining Solutions, Domingo Balangue musters the troops every morning to discuss the day’s agenda.

© Jamie Kelter Davis

Members of the team in Chicago come from a diversity of backgrounds.

© Jamie Kelter Davis

From left to right: Mariana Mankova, Pablo Valentin and Milan Bjelanovic together at work.

People with different characters

Four people work together in a team for GF Machining Solutions in Chicago, and their diverse backgrounds are representative of the many, many employees in the company. Milan Bjelanovic, Machine Engineer, already has 22 years of work experience, and he loves dancing and riding his bike. Mariana Mankova, a warehouse technician who oversees shipping and receiving in the warehouse, moved to the US as an adult after enjoying a career as a professional dancer in her native Bulgaria. She is one of only six women at the location. She says that contact with people from other cultures inspires her. Pablo Valentin’s family comes from Mexico. In his spare time he coaches kids in baseball, and at GF he keeps the day-to-day production running as a senior machine technician.

graphic © Jamie Kelter Davis

Domingo Balangue

Position: Production Manager
Division: GF Machining Solutions
Location: Chicago, IL (US)
Joined GF in: 2018

graphic © Jamie Kelter Davis

Mariana Mankova

Position: Warehouse Technician
Division: GF Machining Solutions
Location: Chicago, IL (US) Joined GF in: 2018

graphic © Jamie Kelter Davis

Milan Bjelanovic

Position: Machine Engineer
Division: GF Machining Solutions
Location: Chicago, IL (US)
Joined GF in: 2019

graphic © Jamie Kelter Davis

Pablo Valentin

Position: Machine Engineer
Division: GF Machining Solutions
Location: Chicago, IL (US)
Joined GF in: 2019

Domingo Balangue is a production supervisor and musters the troops every morning to discuss that day’s agenda. Domingo is originally from the Philippines and joined GF in 2018. “We just see ourselves as people who have different characters and everyone contributes however they can,” Domingo says. “For example, Milan tends to be quieter. So when he does say something, everyone listens because it’s sure to be important.” For Domingo,diversity means that everyone contributes with their individual skills and experiences.  

“We see ourselves as people with different characters and everyone contributes however they can.”

Domingo Balangue, Production Manager, GF Machining Solutions

“If we want to solve a problem, then we have to be open to suggestions from everyone on the team. We obviously don’t look at gender or skin color, but we do look for the best input.” More often than not, they feel the differences between them when they have an informal chat while at work. Mariana explains: “We all celebrate Christmas in different ways and even on different days, but we exchange our ideas about it and find many commonalities. It makes no difference where we are from or what language we spoke growing up; we’re just nice people.”

First parental leave, then promotion

Nina Diethelm also knows all about how an individual’s performance counts for more than a person’s individual circumstances. She was on parental leave following the birth of her son Yuri when her boss at the time gave her a call. He wanted to know how she was doing and whether she would like to take on a management position when she returned to the company. “Many of my friends at this stage of life are treated like ticking time bombs at job interviews, but here I was being entrusted with so much new responsibility, especially in this situation,” she says. “It was an enormous mark of confidence in me.” Nina accepted the offer and climbed back in the saddle with a part-time position. Nina had started as Online Marketing Manager at GF in 2017. In 2018, she traveled to Tokyo and Singapore on business. “I enjoyed talking with the people there and experiencing the different cultures so much that I immediately decided I would like to live in Asia for an extended period of time,” she says. Her husband Steve, who happens to be half-Swiss, half-Filipino, had no reservations about the idea. When their son was twoand- a-half years old, Nina got the chance to relocate from Schaffhausen (Switzerland) to Malaysia. “My heart was immediately set on adventure and we decided to leave our comfort zone and move to Malaysia as a family.” They have been there since March 2022. “I have never regretted it for a second,” says Nina.

“We want to generate and use the synergies together. There is a great deal of diversity on the team, and we all learn a lot from each other.”

Nina Diethelm, Head of Marketing and Communication, Asia division at GF Piping Systems
© Ian Teh
Nina Diethelm (right) benefits from the huge amount of expertise held by the employees in her team – and this is no different for Cathy Pang.
© Ian Teh
The team in Malaysia (from left to right): Michele Tey, Cathy Pang, Mahdi Malik, Nina Diethelm and Ronnie Soon.

Inclusion achieved as a team

The GF values are tangible for Nina more than ever, because “‘Caring is about being part of a team’ is not merely a rule that will be implemented at GF at some point in the future. Rather, we have already been living it for quite some time.” Right from the start, Nina fitted in quite easily with her new colleagues. She works with them locally as Head of Marketing and Communications for the Asia division, but also with colleagues in China, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, among other places. There is a great deal of diversity on the team. For example, some have only been working in marketing for a few years and originally came from different disciplines, while others have been working in the field for decades. We all learn a lot from each other.” In comparison with Europe, religion plays a much bigger role at work in Indonesia and to some extent also in Malaysia. Nina points out: “There are many Muslims living here. I don’t see any problem with scheduling meetings around prayer times.”

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Nina Diethelm

Position: Head of Marketing & Communications, BU Asia
Division: GF Piping Systems
Location: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Joined GF in: 2017

Malaysia feels like a second home for Nina. “ Everyone here has made it very easy for me. I feel just as at home at GF in Malaysia as I do in Switzerland.” Nina has learned through both her personal and her professional experiences that, in a diverse environment, inclusion can only be achieved as a team. “Everyone helps and supports each other, no matter who I work with here.” Embracing, celebrating and leveraging differences is what makes diversity a success factor for GF and its employees.

Further impressions:

©Jamie Kelter Davis
© Jamie Kelter Davis
© Jamie Kelter Davis
© Ian Teh
© Ian Teh

Read the other spotlight articles here:

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graphic © GF

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