Sustainability Report 2020

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

PSC is constantly committed to avoiding any form of discrimination based on age, sex, sexual orientation, health status, ethnicity, nationality, political opinions and religious beliefs.

In the Group’s code of ethics, updated in 2020 and in the implementation process in 2021, the importance of ethical and social responsibility is recognized in carrying out business activities. In this regard, PSC undertakes to respect the legitimate interests of its stakeholders.

The Group companies operate in terms of diversity. This is what customers expect and it is of vital importance for business success. It is only by evaluating diversity and by engaging equal opportunities that PSC will be able to completely exploit available human and business resources.

Although it should be pointed out that for some of the productive activities which characterize them in the labor market there is a greater availability of male resources, PSC is committed to providing equal opportunities in all its recruitment and employment activities. The following tables show details of human resources at the different company levels, separated by gender and age. Percentage of individuals within the governing bodies of the organization, in each of the following categories is in line with data of previous reports.

* Protected class and disabled people

* Protected class and disabled people

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Diversity is the fundamental principle of our society’s wealth and the basis of hope for a better future. For this reason, even in business contexts, it is essential to effectively manage differences, by ensuring equal treatment of the resources contributing to the success of the company. We talked about it with Claudio Bentivoglio, AU of PSC do Brasil, who gave us a description of the Brazilian situation, where PSC operates with several plants and two companies: PSMM (since 2014) and PSCA (since early 2020).

Bentivoglio, what is the Brazilian Government’s position on equal opportunities in the world of work?
Unequal treatment, on the basis of race, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation and religion is prohibited by Brazilian Constitution. Brazil has also enacted both federal and national laws that guarantee, for example, minimum percentages of employees of different ethnic groups, but also women’s quotas in political parties or public administration».

What are the critical issues in the Brazilian labour market, with regard to equal opportunities?
«Some data help us to focus on the situation and in different categories. In Brazil, women are the majority in less specialized jobs, services and intellectual or administrative positions; however, on average they earn a third less than men’s salaries. Wage discrimination is also marked on the basis of ethnicity; an even more evident phenomenon in undeclared work; this subject is openly spoken in Brazil: the data tell us that a worker whose skin is not white, if not regular worker, earns a third of what a white worker earns regularly».

In general, is the LGBT community effectively integrated into the labour market and society?
«The Brazilian LGBT community is wide and makes itself heard. However, recent surveys tell us that 64% of companies do not have initiatives to include such resources and only 24% recognize their equal benefits and rights».

And what happens in manufacturing and automotive industry?
«There is still a long way to go. Only 20% of the workforce are women, half of whom are engaged in productive tasks; the gap is also remarkable in managerial positions. Only 10% of automotive workers, moreover, are not white and these resources are almost totally absent in decision-making roles. Unfortunately, we know that 52% of Brazilian automotive companies do not take any action to mitigate ethnic inequalities, only 13% have structured programs and only 4% have pre-defined targets. In addition, 64% of businesses lack an LGBT inclusion program».

What instruments does PSC put in place to move towards equal opportunities?
«PSC Group has a code of conduct, which is based on respect for the dignity of people, as well as cultural differences enhancement; at its core, it is clearly specified that no form of discrimination based on gender identity is tolerated, along with sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, culture, nationality, social class, age and physical characteristics, therefore the single employee is responsible for a working environment in which everyone feels welcome».

Can you give us a practical example of this policy implementation?
«We are starting to use the “blind search” methodology for staff selection: the resources are chosen initially without explicit details on sex, ethnicity and age. It is the professional profile w are interested in. Moreover, PSMM, is located in the supplier park of Jeep, from which we have borrowed valid policies also with regard to equal opportunities; we would like to bring also in PSCA such policies, in the near future».

Do women’s resources have specific features, from a professional point of view?
«Women are more efficient than men in some areas, including quality; they are also more versatile, empathetic, communicative and careful to detail because they often have a more analytical attitude».

Nevertheless, the so-called gender gap is still deep, even in the engineering industry; what do you do in order to fight against?
«PSMM has an official policy, wanted by President Stirpe, and it is to increase the presence of women; by doing this, from 2014 to 2020, women increased from 4 units to 125. Unfortunately, in 2020 because of Covid, such increase was not as substantial as the previous years: this is simply because there were no coming or going resources. For 2021 we intend to replace, where possible, outgoing male resources with female employees; we have also reached the second edition of Proud at work, a program that gave important indications on fair management of resources».

Has a similar scenario also taken shape in PSCA?
« In PSCA, the fundamental values of female presence are still low, but since we took over this company management, the number of women’s resources has tripled».

In your company, what can those who feel being object of some form of discrimination do in practice?
«We have a specific procedure regarding the Group: those who feel being victims of discrimination can contact their supervisor; if not satisfied, they can go to personnel office and, if present, to the legal office. In order to avoid the fear of persecutions, it is possible to anonymously report the incident».

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