I really hope that the number of the companies who don’t prioritize diversity and inclusion will decrease in the near future. It is not my business to give advice, but here it is my belief: even outside the company’s culture, nowadays, we should take one minute of reflection. A minute to stop from the daily rush and think honestly about our role and impact on the society we live in, because everything we do, we think, we speak or share, as individuals or business entities, has an impact on the big picture. Our behaviour has the power to be a model for the others and to influence forward, so we must take care what kind of example we choose to be.
Why and since when does your company believe and invest in diversity management?
With over 1,250 stores in Europe and a network of 119 hypermarkets in Romania, Kaufland is one of the largest retail companies in Europe. Kaufland Romania started to believe and invest in diversity management since its first steps here, in 2005. From the very beginning, the interest for equal opportunities and inclusion were part of the company culture and today we are one of the top employers in Romania, distinction offered by an independent Institute for three years in a row, for highest standards and benefits provided to our employees.
As one of the largest private employers in Romania, we have a great team that is defined primarily by diversity.
We offer equal opportunities and benefits regardless the gender and we encourage keeping an equal proportion between women and men in our team, as well as offering positions for people with disabilities.
In our local team we have colleagues of different nationalities and ethnicities. For example, we have Egyptian and Nigerian citizens who have settled definitively in Romania, who learned the language, and even some of them have acquired Romanian citizenship.
What aspects of diversity management have the highest priority in your company?
For us, being a responsible employer is essential and part of our organizational culture. Over 15.000 employees are part of Kaufland Romania team, in our journey towards customer’s satisfaction, which is at the heart of what we do.
For several years in a row, we received the “Top Employer” certification from the Top Employers Institute of the Netherlands. As an independent organization, the Top Employers Institute carries on every year a comprehensive auditing and certification process involving top companies, which secure optimal conditions for their employees to work and achieve their performance targets.
For us, one of the most important aspects is to ensure equal access to opportunities, in all terms, be it about gender diversity, disability, age and cultural mix. In our recently published Sustainability report - „Beyond Shopping“ - you can see that in 2016, from a total of 15.478 employees, 68,14% are women. Also, referring to middle management positions, over 47% are women. We also employ disabled people and they are always welcomed to our team. In 2016-2017, we had 69 disabled employees.
The average age in our company is 38. Almost 8% of our colleagues are aged over 50, while the youngest age group amounts at around 30% - aged less than 30. Moreover, equal rights are guaranteed, as 100% of our employees are protected by a collective work contract.
Which D&I activities have been implemented in your organization so far?
Kaufland Romania offers its employees a working environment that is founded on the company’s culture and is protected of any form of gender, age, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, political opinion, disability, marital status or syndical discrimination.
Our company has strong systems and mechanisms ready to help any employee that might confront with such a situation. We’ve built, during the years, an equal, honest and open work environment, based on respect and interaction, that encourages team spirit and communication between all the hierarchical structures and all the departments of the company.
Many companies aren't prioritizing inclusion and diversity initiatives right now. Why should they reconsider?
I really hope that the number of the companies who don’t prioritize diversity and inclusion will decrease in the near future. It is not my business to give advice, but here it is my belief: even outside the company’s culture, nowadays, we should take one minute of reflection. A minute to stop from the daily rush and think honestly about our role and impact on the society we live in, because everything we do, we think, we speak or share, as individuals or business entities, has an impact on the big picture. Our behaviour has the power to be a model for the others and to influence forward, so we must take care what kind of example we choose to be.
In your opinion, what tangible benefits does diversity bring to your company?
We truly believe that a huge part of a company’s success is generated by our care, our consideration for the people - colleagues or clients. Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities are principles fully assumed by our company’s culture and they are easy recognizable in our way of making business, with a measurable indicator, through GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standards in our company’s non-financial reports. Therefore, we believe that the biggest benefit of the diversity is the satisfaction, the fulfillment of our employees and out clients, at the same time.
Can you name three diversity challenges that companies have to pay attention to?
I can’t say that we confronted real diversity challenges, but in my opinion one of the concerns is that the plans regarding inclusion and equal opportunities shouldn’t remain only plans - they must be done for real. Also, the diversity should become a part of the company culture. And - maybe the most important - topics like diversity, equality and inclusion must be a part of the new employees’ trainings.
What do you do to convince your colleagues to see the value in diversity management, or even more to truly get them on board?
Being transparent and true to yourself - I think these are the key values to make others see the importance of the diversity management. Honestly, I don’t think that I need to do more in order to get my colleagues on board, they already are! As the biggest private employer in the country, Kaufland Romania represents a huge family and in such a big team, if you are not transparent and open enough, it is really hard to generate growth. The development conditions depend closely on the individuality, on each people’s right to be different and equal on the same time.
Valer Hancaș, Manager Corporate Affairs &Comunications, Kaufland Romania
A professional economist, enthusiastic with figures and a humorous orator, Valer Hancaş has over 15 years of experience in international retail companies.
Over the years he has held various management positions in the Sales, Purchasing, or Marketing Departments. He currently holds Corporate Affairs & Communication at Kaufland Romania, a company he has been active for over 12 years.
He is the partisan of direct and open interaction with people, and the activities he's involved fit him like a glove. Every time he is given the opportunity, he enthusiastically communicates what the Kaufland brand and vision mean. Since Kaufland's strategy is to be involved actively in the community in the following directions: social issues, health, education, sport, environmental protection and support of Romanian producers, Valer Hancaş sustains and promotes internally and externally the CSR & Sponsorship projects of the company but not only.
Moreover, since July 2017, Valer Hancas, Corporate Affairs & Communication Manager, Kaufland Romania, is Vice President of the Global Compact Network Romania Steering Committee.
Interview by Dana Oancea