ASA promotes awareness initiatives on the value of diversity

The first awareness-raising event on respect for diversity coincides with “Mismatched Socks Day” which, celebrated on an international scale on various dates (in Italy, on 7th February), wishes to promote the importance of accepting differences, promoting diversity, inclusiveness, solidarity and mutual respect. The company's employees were asked to wear socks that were mismatched, to give a tangible sign of the beauty of diversity.

“The metaphor communicated by the socks is clear: you don't lose your identity even if you are dissimilar. It follows that being mismatched does not mean feeling sad due to having lost a companion who is the same as us, but happy to have discovered one who, with their diversity, completes and enriches us. This applies to socks just as to people: each one, in fact, with their own special features and differences, is unique and can contribute significantly to the growth of the company. The good response of our collaborators in taking part in the initiative on 7th February allows us to understand that the path we have undertaken is the right one”, specifies Sossella.

Strengthened by the first result obtained, to continue to keep attention high on the topic, ASA has already defined other events capable of explaining the theme of diversity in an immediate and comprehensible way. For example, the company will celebrate the “World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development” (21st May) through a food journey: its international distributors and its sales team will be asked to share typical recipes from their countries of origin which, made by the Vicenza staff, will then become the basis of a day of “tastings” open to the staff. In conjunction with the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” (25th November), to underline the urgency of overcoming the gaps related to gender diversity, ASA will organise a meeting with a local Association on the front line in dealing with social and humanitarian issues, to raise awareness among employees on the importance of promoting a culture of mutual acceptance. At the same time, female employees will be invited to wear red shoes on that day. As an emblem of the fight against violence against women, these will be displayed on the company’s entrance steps for the following week.

“In addition to these two moments – concludes HR – during the rest of the year we will promote thought on the value of diversity through our social channels and by means of internal communication activities aimed at keeping interest alive and at stimulating discussion”.