The 8th of March is dedicated to making visible, reflecting, and raising awareness of the importance of equal rights for all human beings, regardless of their gender.
As GM Technology, we would like to take advantage of this significant date to emphasize the importance of respect not only between humans but also between all living creatures. Our conviction is that only when we are able to respect and care for everything around us will we be able to create a world that is sustainable and equal for all.
Therefore, we have decided to make a special effort to celebrate Sustainability and Equality Week, an innovative event that includes more than 70 women working at GM in various departments and positions sharing their perspectives and experiences.
A look at sustainability and equality from the perspective of our female employees
The week of equality and sustainability was organized by and for our female colleagues.
This project aimed to exchange opinions and thoughts on the importance of equality and sustainability, and we asked all GM professionals from various work areas to comment on what these values mean to them.
Then we flooded our facilities and our social networks with the words and images of many different colleagues in order to give visibility to their viewpoints and opinions.
As a result, we are left with an ocean of inspiring and motivating phrases, which have transmitted powerful and positive messages, making us consider equal rights and respect for our environment.
GM is committed to equal opportunity
Additionally, female employees were invited to participate in a women’s breakfast that the company organized, where they were able to interact, get to know each other better, and share their reflections on equality and sustainability.
The meeting was opened by Silvia Rodriguez Garcia, Director of People and Human Talent Management, who provided an interesting overview of GM’s second Equality Plan.
In her remarks, Silvia emphasized the importance to GM Technology of promoting equality of conditions and opportunities for male and female employees and explained that GM Technology’s Equality Plan is based on three fundamental principles.
Our first pillar is ensuring equal opportunities in hiring. We are pleased to announce that in 2023, 14 additional women have joined our team in different departments.
«To promote gender equality in hiring, the GTH Department does not look for men or women for a position, but rather for skills, professionalism, a desire to be part of the great GM family, and enthusiasm», Silvia stated.
The second pillar is to provide the same professional development opportunities to women and men, which GM ensures by ensuring transparency in the selection process, developing performance evaluation systems to favour internal promotion and implementing career plans to facilitate the presence of women in positions of authority.
The third pillar involves family reconciliation, facilitated by implementing measures such as an afternoon off on birthdays, flexible working hours, extended annual leave and teleworking in appropriate positions and circumstances.
In conclusion, Silvia thanked all of GM’s women for «demonstrating every day, with your hard work and dedication, and a big smile, that women, like men, have no limits and can achieve anything they set their minds to».
Sustainability is at the heart of GM’s philosophy
Following Silvia’s speech, Isabel Díaz, our Quality, Safety and Environment Manager, described how sustainability and equality are part of GM Technology’s values and essence, which have always devoted itself to environmental protection.
In her remarks, Isabel highlighted GM Technology’s strong commitment to the environment, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
«However, we must not forget that we all have a responsibility to continue to fight for balance and sustainability in order to ensure a more prosperous future for ourselves and our loved ones», Isabel concluded.
A warm welcome is extended to Sonia Arias García, Director of EBV Consulting.
In addition to the GM women’s breakfast, we enjoyed the presence of Sonia Arias Garcia, Director of EBV Consulting. She shared her professional career and spoke about the importance of women and sustainability today.
It was 25 years ago that Sonia began her professional career in the field of quality, process organization, and occupational risk prevention, sectors at that time completely dominated by men. Sonia founded EBV Consultores, an organization that has been consolidated in the consulting and training development sectors for twenty years, after extensive experience in international companies.
By sharing her story, Sonia demonstrated that overcoming barriers is possible and that everyone is capable of achieving their goals, regardless of the challenges and personal circumstances they may face.
«Economic freedom is the freedom of every woman, and I encourage you to further your professional and personal development,” said Sonia.
In addition, Sonia commented that equality and sustainability are intimately linked and that this must be economic, social, and environmental in order to have a positive impact.
According to Sonia, «sustainability, responsibility, equity, and equality are interrelated because they place the improvement of people’s lives at the heart of their efforts».
We enjoyed a moment of open dialogue at the end of the presentation with our guest. She answered a few questions from our female employees, emphasizing at all times the importance of eliminating fears, barriers and glass ceilings for women. She also stressed the importance of trusting themselves and believing in their abilities.
The GM Technology warehouse was filled with color
We concluded this beautiful day by treating our women to a floral tribute, which filled our facilities with a multitude of different colors and shades.
Through this sea of colors, we wanted to highlight the significant role that women employees play in different departments, work areas, and positions at GM. Without them, the company would not be able to carry out its meaningful work towards promoting a more sustainable, respectful, and circular world.
