PERI is an engineering company with more than fifty years of experience, which has subsidiaries all over the world and is the global leader in the formwork and scaffolding market. I’ve been working as Head of Human Resources at PERI Iberia since 2018, having joined the Group through PERI Portugal more than twenty-five years ago.
It’s a company that I consider to be like a second family and in which I’ve held various positions of responsibility at both local and regional level and have also come to know various areas of management, not only in terms of Human Resources but also from a transversal point of view across the whole business.
As Head of Human Resources for so many years, what are the pillars that every manager should prioritise when it comes to inspiring employee growth and unlocking their full potential?
1. As Head of Human Resources for so many years, what are the pillars that every manager should prioritise when it comes to inspiring employee growth and unlocking their full potential?
I believe that, above all, anyone has immense potential when they find themselves in an environment that provides them with all the conditions and support they need to develop that potential.
Over time I have learnt that people give back to the company the exact measure of what is entrusted to them, whether in terms of autonomy, training, development opportunities or support, both professionally and personally. Organizations are not just production centers, they are living entities in which everyone can and should participate in supporting their colleague next door.
When someone feels in a positive, healthy environment where they are valued, they come to work happy, energized and wanting to contribute to the organization that provides them with this environment.
As a modern family company with a very special corporate culture, how do you promote your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) policies?
2. As a modern family company with a very special corporate culture, how do you promote your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) policies?
Here I can say that one of the main factors is indeed the healthy, family company culture we have. At PERI we often say that we are more than just a work team, we are a family, which ends up creating a cozy atmosphere that welcomes any individual. This is the true DEIB concept of a company at its heart.
Even so, our current Employer Branding & Employee Engagement campaign aims to cultivate a strong sense of belonging in our employees, a campaign in which one of the fundamental pillars is emotional health, with the invaluable participation of ifeel.
Diversity is also a cornerstone of the Group’s policies and is constantly promoted on social media. Internally, I can say that we take great care with this issue, whether it’s promoting women in positions of responsibility in our company, (which has a female CEO), or integrating people without distinction in terms of age, race or religion into the fabric of our company.
Your company cultivates and nurtures their employees' mental well-being every day. If other large companies in the construction industry are reading this right now - and they have not yet implemented measures to take care of their teams' mental health Where would you suggest they start?
3. Your company cultivates and nurtures their employees' mental well-being every day. If other large companies in the construction industry are reading this right now - and they have not yet implemented measures to take care of their teams' mental health Where would you suggest they start?
I suggest that you start by listening to people, understanding that any employee who spends most of their day serving an organization has the right to have their individuality and to be understood in all aspects of their personality, not only professional but also personal.
If we want to demand rigor and results, we also have to demonstrate that we are available to worry when this is necessary. Today, with a society, a day-to-day life and so many complex challenges, we have to be attentive and put the emotional health of our people as a priority, giving them a premium tool such as support from ifeel.
“What I value most is the direct and close approach of ifeel professionals. It seems that they have also become part of the team and someone who is already embedded in our company dynamics”
In the Businessolver’s 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Study, an overwhelming number of employees (90%) said mental health benefits offered are really important. How did your employees feel when a mental well-being solution like ifeel was implemented?
4. In the Businessolver’s 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Study, an overwhelming number of employees (90%) said mental health benefits offered are really important. How did your employees feel when a mental well-being solution like ifeel was implemented?
The feedback we received immediately was one of total recognition and gratitude, not for the tool itself but for the care and attention shown by the organization towards people.
Almost everyone felt that the company was taking a step further than the mainstream in terms of care and dedication, and embraced this project as one of the things that makes the PERI environment something unique, like a family that cares with its members.
Your anniversary as an ifeel partner is just around the corner. What do you value most about our strategic triage model? Have you noticed a reduction in costs associated with mental health issues through prevention?
5. Your anniversary as an ifeel partner is just around the corner. What do you value most about our strategic triage model? Have you noticed a reduction in costs associated with mental health issues through prevention?
What I value most is the direct and close approach of ifeel professionals. It seems that they have also become part of the team and someone who is already embedded in our company dynamics, therefore someone who can be trusted to support us.
In terms of cost reduction, it is obviously a difficult equation to obtain, but what I can guarantee is that there is an unshakable faith in the ifeel method and a support that results in more motivation, therefore more recognition, productivity and a sense of belonging to the organization from the employees since we started with ifeel.
