Awards for the respect of the people and their diversity
by Roberto Pagliari
A fair action towards the environment can’t leave aside a careful activity of respect of people diversity. Since 2013 Barilla has been starting convincingly a Diversity & Inclusion policy, through which transforming the different personal characteristics (sex, colour of the skin, sexual orientation, disability, generation of belonging, ecc.) in a chance of mutual enrichment and strengthening of the business itself. With the creation of a D&I Board and the direct engagement of the employees in the different ERG’s (Employment Resource Groups) Barilla considers this subject a bearing axis of its business activity.
From the beginning of this new sector of activity it has managed to get various awards.
In 2018, Disability Matters Europe recognized Barilla in the Step-to-Success Award category for the Hackability@Barilla project – an exemplary case history in the world of technology applied to the needs of people with disabilities. This award serves as a significant recognition of the Company’s commitment and perseverance in the areas of inclusion and accessibility related to individuals with disabilities.
In 2018 and 2019, UNHCR awarded the Welcome – Working for Refugee Integration logo to several companies, including Barilla, that have distinguished themselves for promoting the professional integration of refugees and for supporting their integration process in Italy. With this recognition, UNHCR certifies the commitment of the winning companies and organizations in contributing to the achievement of a more inclusive society that is more attentive to the needs of those who have been forced to flee their country and are in search of protection.
The Brand Diversity Summit was held in March 2020, an occasion for various companies to come together and discuss the importance of inclusion in the workplace and in the community. The summit served as an opportunity to present the Diversity Brand Index, which aims to measure brands’ inclusion level, from a customer-based perspective, checking the actual effort of companies in terms of diversity and inclusion. The Barilla brand has been included in the 20 more inclusive brands.
The 2020 EMW Corporation Award was awarded to Barilla and was received during the EMW 2020 Conference. Founded in Vienna, Austria in 2013, East meets West is a non-profit, Central and Eastern European network of LGBTI professionals allowing the exchange of ideas, sharing best practices and mutual inspiration to improve the situation of LGBTI men and women in different countries. East meets West’s “Tap on the Shoulder” 2020 Awards recognized individuals, NGOs and companies who by their actions improve the status of the LGBTI community in their environment. For a number of years, Barilla has been collaborating with EMW and the European Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (EGLCC) as part of our Global Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Program.
For seven consecutive years Barilla has earned a perfect 100% score in the Human Rights Campaign annual Corporate Equality Index in United States, which ranks major corporations on how they support LGBT+ employees. The CEI is a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) employees. HRC is the largest civil rights and lobbying organization in the Unites States that works to achieve LGBT equality. Participating in this assessment was one of Barilla first Diversity & Inclusion commitments.
2021 marks another significant milestone in the Diversity & Inclusion journey of Barilla.
Our Company receives the premiere Catalyst Award for initiatives that have accelerated progress for women and increased inclusion for all within its organizations around the world. “We are honored to be recognized by Catalyst for our global efforts at Barilla to advance gender equality in the workplace, enhanced by our achievement of Gender Pay Equality around the Barilla world”, said Claudio Colzani, CEO of the Barilla Group. “This award is a reflection of Barilla’s effort to boost a culture of diversity and inclusion in our employees, partners and the communities in which we eat, live and work. As we have more to do, we will continue with resilience on this path to create an even more inclusive Company for all.”
Barilla America has received the Winds of Change Award from the Forum on Workplace Inclusion on March 12th, 2021, to have shown a strong support to boost diversity and inclusion on workplace. For 33 years, the Forum has been the landmark for those who try to enhance the effectiveness and the professional leadership capacity in the Diversity & Inclusion field engaging people, promoting ideas and boosting the change.
Truly, the series of awards is much richer and the Company’s “Golden Roll”, where the awards, diplomas and honors achieved are inscribed, now lists more than 450 entries. For this reason, the Barilla Historical Archive carefully preserves hundreds of awards which are tangible evidence of a daily commitment aimed at constantly improving quality and achieving excellence that has kept inspiring the Company and all its collaborators for over 140 years.
