Diverse but one GF

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.

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.”

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.

“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.

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.  

“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.”

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.

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.