INSIGHT ISSUE 01 | 2021

17 INSIGHT | Prysmian Group Around the World O n September 1, 35 children ages 2 to 6 had their first day at a preschool in Slatina, Romania, where teachers and a nurse welcomed them with games, music, and schoolyard “pet therapy” with goats, rabbits, chickens and even a horse. They ate in the cafeteria, and the youngest ones took naps afterwards. The children all have one thing in common: their parents are among the 1,200 people who work at Prysmian Group’s factory across the road. The preschool was developed by the Human Resources team at Slatina, Prysmian Group’s largest factory in Europe. “On the first day, the kids were a little uncertain,” recalls Dario Rugge, HR Director of the Plant. “But by the end of the day, they didn’t want to leave.” Dario didn’t set out to create a preschool when he arrived in Slatina nearly two years ago. He simply started to listen to what Slatina’s staff told him they needed. The preschool grew out Prysmian’s Side by Side diversity and inclusion program, which aims to create a workplace where everyone has access to the same opportunities. Work-life balance is a challenge for parents with small children everywhere. But at Slatina, there is a lack of preschools, and even public facilities are too expensive, workers there told Dario. And the factory’s location in an industrial park, combined with short preschool hours, made it difficult for parents to use them even if they could afford to. Slatina Bucarest FIRST DAY AT PRESCHOOL Dario Rugge Prysmian Romania HR Director Side by Side is based on a principle of providing a multi-cultural workplace, that encourages women, that is inclusive, where everyone from diverse backgrounds can take part. This goes for every plant. In Slatina the top priorities involved work life balance, education, and health. The needs in each plant are different.