{"id":3277,"date":"2019-07-18T15:40:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T13:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.porscheinformatik.com\/?p=3277"},"modified":"2021-04-06T08:39:02","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T06:39:02","slug":"diversity-is-our-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.porscheinformatik.com\/en\/diversity-is-our-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity is our strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eveline Breitwieser-Wunderl has been at Porsche since 2001. She started as Marketing Manager at Porsche Bank and moved to the HR department in 2012. After taking maternity leave following the birth of her twins, she returned to Porsche Bank in 2016 as a member of the Training division. In November 2018 she took up her current role as the member of staff responsible for \u201cinnovative working environments and diversity management\u201d at Porsche Holding Salzburg (PHS). In this interview, she talks about her work, which currently involves the issues of \u201cnew work\u201d and \u201cdiversity management\u201d with a focus on the advancement of women.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Eveline, why does Porsche Holding Salzburg need something along the lines of a \u201cdiversity manager\u201d?<\/h3>\n

The labour market is undergoing major change and will continue to change in the next few years. Work is coming to be perceived differently, and it will also need to be shaped differently. This means that it\u2019s important to have a division within the company to confront this strategic challenge over the next few years.<\/p>\n

What is meant by \u201cdiversity\u201d here at PHS?<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s best answered by quoting how it\u2019s defined at Volkswagen<\/a>. \u201cDiversity management seeks to ensure that the correct employees are deployed in the right position, at the right place and at the right time.\u201d This might all sound a bit broad in scope, but at its core it means: having an area of a company dominated by male or female employees results in a mono-culture. It has been scientifically proven, however, that heterogeneous teams work together better and produce measurably better business results<\/a>. So, with this in mind, it makes sense to embrace diversity within the company and to have people with different mindsets come together. This is the big picture hidden behind this issue.<\/p>\n

What are the specific objectives of diversity management?<\/h3>\n

As I said before, this is a strategic issue, and there is still much work to do over the next few years. Right now, we\u2019re only at the beginning.<\/p>\n

One focal point is gender balance; that is, achieving a balance between the genders in leadership roles. For us, this means that we want to get more women into positions of responsibility or to put the necessary measures in place to this end. We want to reach out to and support future high potential staff members \u2013 male and female. As I see things, the issue of flexibility will play a central role. On the one hand, the generations coming into the company now quite naturally expect a flexible working environment. Generation Y will no longer work the way previous generations did. Flexible working hours, agile structures, mobile working, family and career compatibility \u2013 these factors are crucial for young potential staff members<\/a> in terms of their choice of employer.<\/p>\n

What does your working day currently look like?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019d say it\u2019s diverse. No two days are alike.\u00a0Right now, I\u2019m working primarily on the \u201ccompany kindergarten\u201d project, which will open at the site here in Salzburg from August. There will be two toddlers\u2019 groups and a childcare facility.<\/p>\n

Within PHS, I\u2019m also responsible for the \u201cmobile working\u201d project \u2013 a topic coming from my area of responsibility, \u201cinnovative working environments\u201d.<\/p>\n

And then, PHS will host the international Volkswagen Diversity Congress, which will be held here in Salzburg in September. As you see, there\u2019s always something to keep me busy.<\/p>\n

\"Diversity

Eveline presents her work in a women\u2019s networking meeting at Porsche Informatik.<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you have a team?<\/h3>\n

No, I\u2019m the sole point of contact. I\u2019m embedded into the HR department team and get substantive support from the Diversity department in Wolfsburg. The international diversity manager there has a small team around her. They are laying the foundations for the work on diversity and providing specific objectives that will have to be achieved by means of specific measures. And I\u2019m well networked both within and outside of the company. This is beneficial to my work.<\/p>\n

To what extent does the PHS Management accept what you are doing? Do you get the feeling that the relevant people understand the issue?<\/h3>\n

Difficult question. The topic is perceived differently in the various divisions and gets prioritised differently as a result. There is greater acceptance where it is recognised that diversity has a measurably positive impact<\/a> on the success of our company and that by increasing diversity in the company we can also increase our attractiveness as an employer; in other words, where both a benefit and a relevance are visible.<\/p>\n

What do you make of the \u201cglass ceiling\u201d these days?<\/h3>\n

There most definitely is a glass ceiling, of that I\u2019m under no illusions. In the current “Women in the Workplace Report”<\/a>, McKinsey reports on the so-called \u201cone is the loneliest number<\/a>\u201d effect. This means that if an area only has one woman (e.g. in management), it will be much more difficult for her than if she worked in an environment that was more balanced in terms of gender equality. Since our own perceptions don\u2019t reflect reality and it\u2019s been scientifically proven that men prefer to employ men, it\u2019s no wonder that women are less likely to be proposed for higher positions.<\/p>\n

Society is in a state of change; things are on the move. In the case of listed companies, there is, for example, a legal quota \u2013 especially for women on the supervisory board. Other companies commit themselves to quotas and report on these. We are all aware that a \u201cwar for talent\u201d is being waged. And that various companies are perceived as being more sympathetic and therefore more easily access highly qualified applicants. Even if not everybody is screaming about it in the streets, it is now recognised that there is a need for appropriate action.<\/p>\n

Where do you stand on quotas? Is it still a controversial issue?<\/h3>\n

Personally, I wouldn\u2019t want to have to feel like the \u201ctoken woman\u201d; to be in a position where nobody actually thought I could be relied upon and which I\u2019d only got because a requirement had to be met. But I also believe that a female quota is helpful for the company. Not least because women like to hide their light under a bushel. Men are bolder, even if they are not able to do some tasks that well. Women, on the other hand, even when they are more than sufficiently qualified, often think to themselves: \u201cI don’t know if I can manage that\u201d and don\u2019t apply for the job in the first place.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I think that the quota can make a difference and why I have a positive attitude towards it. The more women who manage to get into leadership positions, the greater the chance they have of drawing in more women \u2013 that\u2019s my hope at least. And as soon as there\u2019s a certain sense of balance in the company, corporate culture will change. We\u2019ll be more attractive to the new generation of employees and will be able to get them on board. At the same time, we will also be able to offer our customers a better service, as we will reflect the market.<\/p>\n

\"Around

Around the world, the percentage of women in leading positions still holds a great deal of potential. Source: ComTeam.<\/p><\/div>\n

How do you perceive Porsche Informatik specifically regarding these issues?<\/h3>\n

I think it is noticeable that you are pushing the change to your culture and that the matter is being lived \u201ctop-down\u201d. You are in the middle of the change \u2013 as an IT company, and driven by digitalisation and the shortage of skilled employees, this is certainly noticeable significantly earlier than in other areas of the Group. I see you as being very aware of the issue. I feel that Porsche Informatik acts as a good example when it comes to proactively facing the change: in my opinion, it makes a significant difference whether you say \u201cwe know there is a lot of change coming our way, and we\u2019re ready for the challenge\u201d or if you wait until it hurts before responding. Porsche Informatik distinguishes itself in this regard.<\/p>\n

Diversity is clearly visible at POI: different people from different countries and cultures, and of all ages, work here. It is noticeable that you deal very openly with each other.<\/p>\n

Where women are concerned, it is well known that they are under-represented in the \u201cMINT\u201d professions (editorial note: maths, ICT, natural sciences and technology in German). With this in mind, measures need to be taken as early as during education and training. Your \u201cGirls\u2019 Day<\/a>\u201d strikes me as a positive measure.<\/p>\n

Diversity really has more to it than just the male-female ratio. I\u2019m thinking, for example, about age? Do you see that as being an issue at PHS?<\/h3>\n

The subject of \u201cage-appropriate work\u201d, that is, dealing with older employees within the Group, is already under consideration and it is a defined field of action within the framework of Porsche Holding\u2019s human resources strategy.<\/p>\n

When talking about diversity, there is one issue that has overall importance, and which I have not yet addressed: inclusion. It\u2019s not enough to just have diversity; we also have to ensure that everybody has an equal say and is able to make their contribution to the success of the company. This needs to become a natural part of our culture.<\/p>\n

\"Diversity

Photo (+ title photo): Amir Kaljikovic, http:\/\/www.foto-amir.com\/<\/p><\/div>\n

What is your personal motivation for supporting diversity within the Group?<\/h3>\n

I am personally convinced that diversity is to our advantage from a social point of view. The Canadian Government is, by the way, a perfect example of living diversity. The more diverse the committees or departments, the better their output. Firstly, because they work well together and secondly, because they reflect society or the customer structure. There are a number of examples of the errors that can occur if a company lacks diversity. And vice versa, measurably and significantly better business results from diverse companies.<\/p>\n

As a woman and mother with over 14 years of management experience, I am also aware of the challenges and difficulties women face both professionally and privately \u2013 in reconciling family and work or career, to give just one example \u2013 and at the same time, the opportunities available to women in terms of treading their own path. It is with this in mind that I especially want to encourage and support young women.<\/p>\n

Many thanks for this interesting conversation, Eveline. We\u2019ll continue to report on your work!<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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