A common footprint for the company's welfare and wellbeing services across the globe. And a new framework for thinking about wellbeing at the company, based on the three pillars of the individual employee, their family and their local community. Pirelli's new global welfare programme, MORE, was launched in November but is an initiative that's built on strong foundations.
“Pirelli has always cared about the welfare of its people,” says Donatella De Vita, Global Head of Welfare, Engagement and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programmes at Pirelli. “But in recent years, we've recognised that welfare is becoming increasingly front of mind for employees – and for those choosing where to work – especially younger workers.”
It's a trend being seen by many companies. A Gallup poll in the US in 2022 found that 61 per cent of employees cited work-life balance and wellbeing as “very important” when considering a job offer with a new employer, compared with 53 per cent in 2015.
“So, we've been listening to our people and have responded by creating MORE,” adds De Vita. “It's a programme that gives 360-degree support to our people's wellbeing – putting them at the centre with personalised and dedicated initiatives, and also supporting their families and social ecosystems.”
Global reach
MORE is an initiative that is, at one and the same time, more inclusive of every Pirelli employee than ever before, and truly global in its reach.
“Historically, welfare programmes were localised, and therefore very variable,” says De Vita. “MORE redefines our global welfare guidelines, making them clearer, more comprehensive and establishing absolute minimum standards common to all Pirelli countries. In this way, the programme unites every Pirelli workplace and employee.”
Whether individuals are based in a country where Pirelli has long been operating – such as Italy, Germany, the UK and Brazil – or in one where the company has arrived more recently – China, Romania, Mexico – there are now recognised, minimum-standard guidelines.
Three pillars of wellbeing
In creating MORE, Pirelli HR directors across the world worked together to determine the most relevant values that go to the very heart of Pirelli. They knew that a truly comprehensive wellbeing programme needed to go beyond the individual to also include their family and local community. “When it comes to wellbeing, the three go hand-in-hand,” De Vita confirms. “So, MORE is ‘For you', ‘For your family' and ‘For your community'.”
The first pillar – For you – “promotes people's wellbeing and their inclusion in an open and stimulating work environment”. “Diversity and inclusion, being accepted as an individual, is probably the greatest factor of personal wellbeing at work,” says De Vita. While it's up to local HR managers to apply initiatives in areas such as work-life integration and personal development opportunities, the “For you” pillar sets out two key minimum standards across the globe. One is access to a healthcare programme with healthcare costs partially covered by either a specific healthcare fund or insurance. The other is a company “life programme” that guarantees a monetary amount to the employee's family in the event of their death.
Then there's support for people in their various life phases which constitutes the second – ‘For your family' – pillar of MORE. Again, local HR managers will support employees with targeted initiatives consistent with the needs in each country, such as programmes for caregivers and financial support for nursery years and children's education. But MORE enshrines two key standards for Pirelli parents in all countries: it establishes a minimum number of weeks of parental leave for mothers and fathers, and a payment to contribute to the extra costs of a new child, dubbed a “newborn bonus”, for each baby born or adopted.
The third pillar, ‘For your community', is focused on involving employees in supporting the local communities where they operate through corporate volunteering and educational, environmental and cultural projects. “Over the past five or six years we've increasingly seen that when our employees are involved in something good for their community, when they can use their knowledge to give something back to others, it gives them a higher sense of purpose and generates a real sense of wellbeing and belonging,” says De Vita.
MORE sets out two global minimum standards under this pillar: one encourages employees to spend a minimum of half a day a year volunteering in the Corporate Volunteering Programme, as organised by the company for groups of colleagues. With some 32,000 employees, this means that Pirelli could potentially contribute up to 16,000 days a year worldwide to supporting local communities in this way. The second standard applies to countries where Pirelli has a manufacturing plant and is an “Adopt a School” initiative to support a secondary school near the plant by promoting technical skills training and educational activities to create a bridge for students to the world of work.
Even MORE benefits to come
The new welfare programme is being rolled out globally and, while some countries have already achieved – and exceeded – these minimum standards, the goal, set out as a target in Pirelli's 2024-25 Industrial Plan Update, is for all Pirelli employees to be involved by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, local HR teams will have the freedom to adapt these measures to best suit their own teams and local communities. They can also launch new programmes within the guidelines, meaning MORE is a constantly growing and evolving welfare platform.
It is also one that will be carefully monitored, with progress results published every six months to ensure objectives are being met and that the ultimate targets will be reached. With MORE, Pirelli is setting new standards in its welfare offering. It is focused on including each and every employee and, at the same time, having the widest reach yet – ensuring minimum, universal standards in all regions of the world where the company has a presence. It's a great example of how Pirelli is constantly innovating to make the company an ever-more desirable place to work.
