What are the best diversity and inclusion policies? The Swedish example.

Work-life balance and gender equality: can the Swedish example serve as a model for Italy?

For many years, Sweden has ranked among the very top European countries when it comes to "welfare" - the wellbeing guaranteed at state level to all Swedish citizens, which takes concrete form in many aspects of everyday life: work, family, leisure time.

An analysis by The Guardian Weekly finds that Sweden has the most innovative labour-market policies. This is not hard to believe when one examines the contractual clauses of Swedish employment contracts concerning corporate welfare, work-life balance and gender equality in the workplace, which confirm that the primary focus of the state's corporate policies is precisely the psychophysical wellbeing of employees.

The provision of the "wellness hour" - a fully paid hour built into normal working time that employees are entitled to take to look after their wellbeing (going to the gym, taking a walk, etc.) - or the granting of 480 days of gender-neutral parental leave that parents can choose how to divide between themselves, are just some of the initiatives that characterise Swedish corporate welfare.

One practice in particular that attracts strong interest is the "FIKA principle", a deeply rooted tradition allowing various company departments, floors, teams or offices to completely down tools and have coffee together, as an exercise in socialising and team-building. The aim is to spend time among colleagues beyond mere work activity, learning to know, understand and respect one another. The ultimate purpose is clearly to build empathy with others, an aspect that, of course, also has a positive impact on company performance.

Workplace traditions such as the one mentioned contain aspects that could well be introduced in Italy too. Especially in the current historical period, whose aim is to promote gender equality in the workplace, it could be interesting to focus on these small practices which, if pursued consistently, are genuinely capable of helping create a working atmosphere that is not only more relaxed, but above all more inclusive and attentive to differences.

The UNI/PdR 125:2022 gender-equality certification itself requires, among its numerous KPIs, the development of mechanisms for gathering and socialising in the workplace, in order to reduce the disparities and discrimination arising from gender differences and from corporate hierarchy in general.

Alongside putting in place the other measures required by PdR 125, implementing the "FIKA principle" can therefore be a good starting point for companies aiming to obtain the certification in the first place, and which are interested in building a working world founded on strong values such as attention to the psychophysical wellbeing of employees and collaborators, the elimination of discrimination and the resulting increase in productivity, first individual and then corporate.

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