«I am convinced that the true strength of every company can be found in the hands of competent teams that are inclusive and operate on an equal basis striving to learn and improve together.»
Tanja Vainio, CEO Schneider Electric Switzerland
Interview with tanja vainio
«Stronger when equal»: We are all stronger, when equal. What does this mean for you personally?
For me it means to learn from each other. Generally, a team is stronger the more diverse it is. And it doesn’t matter who is leading the team: one single person can never know everything, handle all the tasks and, ultimately, deal with everything satisfactorily on their own. However, if you work in a team, the individual strengths and weaknesses can complement each other perfectly. The experiences of different team members vary but, when combined, they often open completely new potential.
Life today is marked by changes and uncertainty, and the status quo often does not last very long. This makes strong teams all the more important, as they can counteract such uncertain situations by combining their expertise and deploying their diverse qualities. I am convinced that the true strength of every company can be found in the hands of competent teams that are inclusive and operate on an equal basis striving to learn and improve together.
What advice about creating a diverse and inclusive workplace would you have liked to receive as a young leader?
A diverse and inclusive workplace paves the way to success but is easier said than done. A culture of mutual respect is needed and like with any other goal, there are no short cuts to success. It is a matter of cultural transformation for an organization of any kind, and this needs a holistic approach. An approach focusing on not only hiring more women but also building an environment, designing policies and programs that support the varied life cycle needs, building greater awareness and sensitization of diversity and what inclusion means to an organization. This is the only way we can identify weaknesses in the system and discover hidden potential.
As I see it, the need to think about equality and inclusivity and raise the awareness of all employees in this area is a task that never stops. I was extremely fortunate to have mentors who have supported me during my whole career. Thinking about this, I always remember some advice I was given by my first mentor: «The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.» It very much applies also to creating an inclusive workplace.
«Diversity and inclusivity on all levels, not only gender, are always essential cornerstones for success, innovation and for an improved financial performance, whether it is in a company or in society as a whole.»
What would you tell young people who want to have a career and a family? How should we raise our children in order to get to gender equality faster?
In my opinion, everything is possible! As a mother of three children, I constantly have to balance the needs of my work and the family. Even when this can sometimes be a real challenge, it is definitely very fulfilling and worthwhile.
It is important to admit that you sometimes need help and this is OK, because nobody can or should do everything alone. This support can take many different forms – parents, your partner, friends, a nanny or also assistance from your employer. I always say: «Where there’s a will, there’s a way.» However, one of the most important factors for me is my partner who supports me in pursuing my own professional objectives and backs me up at all times.
I would like to see society bringing up children to be equal so that they can pursue their own goals in life without having to worry. For instance, one of my daughters never wanted to wear skirts or girly things and bought all her clothes in the boys’ department until she was 13. Why shouldn’t a girl be allowed to wear a Star Trek shirt?
10 years Advance, engaging for a gender equal workplace. What is your wish for progress in gender balance in the next 10 years? And how do you see the role of leaders on this journey?
Diversity and inclusivity on all levels, not only gender, are always essential cornerstones for success, innovation and for an improved financial performance, whether it is in a company or in society as a whole. I am personally committed to ensure that progress in Switzerland will also be faster in the next ten years. In my field of business – that is technology – we need innovation more than ever!
Sadly, even today, there are not enough female students in many engineering colleges and that’s something I find alarming. Our company is already working closely with various primary schools. There we endeavour to inspire girls and boys to study technical subjects and try to show them how such technology is able to give them a better and more sustainable future. That is much more likely to inspire them than principles of mathematical algorithms!
What are your favorite housework chores?
If I’m honest, I don’t devote much time to household chores. Fortunately, over the last few years I have learned not to feel guilty about this any more. As I’ve already mentioned, I am aware that none of us can be superwomen or supermen and we all need support. That applies to things like housework too. Luckily, my husband is a tremendous help here and my children also give me a hand every now and again.
I prefer to spend the limited leisure time I have with my family rather than doing housework. I really enjoy baking and cooking and that always brings us together at weekends. What gives me most joy in life are my husband and my children and, at the end of the day, they are more important than anything.
schneider electric HAS CHOSEN the artwork «DIE EIGENE GLÄSERNE DECKE DURCHBRECHEN» BY Margaret Zimmermann MAZIM
Partner companies of the exhibition could choose an «Advancine» artwork as part of their sponsorship, which will continue to inspire employees, managers and customers alike after the exhibition at the company headquarters.
Discover the artwork created by Margaret Zimmerman MAZIM here.
in Conversation with schneider electric
How is Gender Diversity connected with the business success of your company?
We are convinced that a diverse workforce strengthens a company and helps it to progress. Every day we experience how diversity adds value to our teams. We can only learn and benefit from greater diversity in management expertise, ideas and opinions. As an innovative technology company, we depend on these factors for success. This is why, in 2006, we introduced the first diversity policy and since then we have continued to build on our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. For us these are integral elements of our company’s DNA.
What are Your three most important Measures to balance the gender representation in management?
Measures
- We act systematically to reduce the gender pay gap in our corporate group, including internationally. To achieve this, we conduct critical analyses every year and implement measures on the basis of this to compensate for gender-related imbalances in matters such as payment.
- Similar considerations also play an important role when making appointments to managerial positions. For instance, we make sure that women are appointed to around 30 per cent of roles in our management team.
- Equality is also an important topic in our training programs. Here it’s about issues such as inclusive management attitudes, mentoring up-and-coming female managers or combatting so-called «hidden biases». What we want to achieve with this is to raise our employees’ awareness of gender equality issues at all times.
Why did you choose the artwork «die eigene gläserne decke durchbrecheN»? What are the messages that you would like to convey to your employees and beyond?
The glass ceiling is still everywhere. Unfortunately, even today, many women are confronted with a host of visible and also invisible obstacles in the course of their careers. As an industrial group with global activities, we are aware of our responsibility in this respect and would like to use the opportunity to yet again raise awareness of these challenges.
It is very important to us to support women throughout their whole career and give them the best possible chances of success. To achieve this, apart from greater awareness, understanding in society is absolutely necessary. This is because it will only be possible to break through the glass ceiling if we tackle the challenges together.
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