The Salvatore Ferragamo Group is made up of talented people who are passionate about their work and their association with Ferragamo. Realizing people's potential is a priority for Ferragamo, which strives to attract new talents and rewards those who contribute every day to the Brand's success with their passion. The Group believes in equal opportunity and invests in the professional development of its resources, encouraging employee initiative to create the conditions for growth—all in accordance with its historic values.
Video filmed in 2018
The video We are Ferragamo, made in collaboration with the Business of Fashion, tells of Ferragamo's approach to sustainability, and of the importance attached to teamwork by the brand. The video reviews the main intervention areas in the field of sustainability: innovation and digital, creativity and design, craftsmanship and connection with the territory; and how teamwork is pivotal to promote the Company's sustainable development.
Protection and safeguard of human resources are crucial for Ferragamo, which has consolidated its commitment on this issue by achieving, for the Italian operations, the ISO 45001 certification on health and safety management for the workplaces. Moreover, in 2019 Ferragamo has obtained, for all the Italian operations, the SA8000 certification. The SA8000 international standard covers the social accountability aspects of a management system and encourages organizations to develop, maintain, and apply practices that incorporate respect for human rights and workers, protection against child labour, and health and safety. The Brand is committed to protect garment workers’ income, health, and employment, while calling for jointly working on sustainable systems of social protection for a fairer and more resilient garment industry.
OUR MANIFESTO
At Ferragamo, we envision a future where diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) are not buzzwords but ingrained in the fabric of our organization.
We aspire to be a trailblazer in the fashion and luxury goods industry, setting new standards of excellence in cultivating and celebrating an inclusive and equitable environment for our employees, clients, and stakeholders.
Through our DEI&B efforts, we aim to foster a sense of belonging for everyone within our organization. We will cultivate a caring environment where individuals can bring their authentic selves to work, knowing they will be supported and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. We believe in the power of connecting diverse ideas and talents to unlock innovative solutions, drive creativity, and foster a culture of excellence.
As a fashion & luxury goods company, we recognize our responsibility to advocate for equity and fairness throughout our value chain. We are committed to ensuring that our products and services reflect the diversity of our customers, while promoting responsible sourcing and manufacturing practices. We will actively engage with our suppliers, partners, and stakeholders to uphold ethical standards and contribute to the well-being of the communities we touch.
In pursuit of our vision, we understand that this is an ongoing journey, requiring continuous learning, self-reflection, and accountability. We are committed to regularly assessing our progress, measuring the impact of our initiatives, and making necessary adjustments to drive meaningful and lasting change.
Guaranteeing its people the opportunity to grow in a work environment where diversity is considered a value is a priority for the Group, which has launched many initiatives in this direction.
The Inclusion Policy, which was formally adopted in 2019, aims to support multiculturalism and promote equality and equal opportunities, fighting all types of discrimination and condemning any form of harassment. In addition, the Policy sets the goal of promoting meritocracy and fair treatment at all levels, facilitating the development, expression and enhancement of individual potential.
As further confirmation of the commitment in terms of inclusion and diversity, in 2020 Ferragamo has launched a cultural change process focus on diversity and inclusion, which aims, through learning sessions and activities, to promote and raise awareness on the impact of diversity and inclusion in the business.
On the subject of inclusion and disability, Ferragamo joined “The Hiring Chain” global campaign, promoted by CoorDown, launching an important job inclusion project at corporate level that led to the inclusion in the Company of a resource with Down syndrome.
Our Company also promotes stable employment with 94% permanent employment contracts.
Our culture is focused on innovation, continuous improvement, and young talent development: during 2022, 45% of our hires involved people under 30, and the Group has talent from 83 different nationalities, making the company a dynamic and inspiring place to work in.
The average age of the Group in the year 2022 was 39 years.
Furthermore, Ferragamo has joined Valore D, the first business association in Italy committed to creating a professional world free of discrimination, where gender equality and the culture of inclusion support the growth of the organization itself.
Our Company also measures the engagement of its employees by listening to them through a global employee survey, extended to all HQs and stores worldwide, with its partner Great Place To Work. Of all employees involved in the 26 countries where Ferragamo is present, 88% took part in the initiative by answering the survey.
An important step taken to confirm Ferragamo’s commitment to inclusion and respect for equality and dignity was the adoption of the Women’s Empowerment Principles promoted by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, which provide companies with guidance about how to promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace and in communities.
“At Ferragamo, we envision a future where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are ingrained in the fabric of our organization. We cultivate a caring environment where individuals can bring their authentic selves to work, knowing they will be supported and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. Today, women play a vital part of our organization and make up 65% of our workforce and hold 60% of our leadership roles. We are proud of these achievements and are committed to furthering our journey on gender equity in our company. Joining the WEPs (Women's Empowerment Principles) community is a step forward in this journey, aligning us with like-minded organizations dedicated to advancing gender equity.”
Marco Gobbetti, CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo.
This focus is also reflected in the composition of the Parent Company's Board of Directors, which consists of 40% women.
Demographic changes are profoundly and irreversibly transforming the world of work and changing the company's idea of productivity.
Globalization, new technologies, and dynamic personal preferences and needs have made it more likely that people will change roles and careers several times during their lifetimes, requiring the need to continuously acquire and improve skills and abilities.
The Salvatore Ferragamo Group, understanding the importance of human capital development and the value of culture, offers learning programs to employees.
Our people are guided on their growth path to develop the skills they will need to pursue a successful career. We are committed to enabling our employees to improve their skills for their current role (upskilling) but also to provide the training they need to take on a different role in the Company (reskilling).
Thus, with a view to promoting the growth of resources, training activities involving 3,592 employees (94%) continued in 2022.
Courses were mainly conducted in e-learning mode, followed by many classroom activities or instructor-led online courses. For corporate employees, the courses covered, among other topics, soft skill enhancement, DEI&B, use of IT tools, languages, and specialized trainings. For retail staff, courses covered, among other topics, personal development, training regarding the Brand, products and collections, with in-store coaching sessions organized in some cases.
Regarding compliance training, courses mainly covered topics such as anti-corruption, the tool of reporting violations through the whistleblowing channel, cybersecurity and data protection, with special focus on personal data protection.
To strengthen the DEI&B culture in our organization, our Group during 2022 promoted the "Breaking Bias" course, which was initially assigned to the corporate population and has been completed by 376 colleagues. Also, on the DEI&B theme, the "Introduction to Deaf Culture" course was launched to learn more about deafness and continue to foster a deep relationship between disability and the work environment.
From the need to think sustainably in 2022 came Sustainability Pills, a training project structured in six modules to introduce the macro-themes that define the word "sustainability," with the aim of inspiring and engaging our employees in the sustainable development of Ferragamo's strategy.
Finally, considering that the adoption of the ZDHC strategy (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) is an integral part of Ferragamo's commitment to sustainability - which sees as one of the main objectives that of minimizing the environmental impacts associated with the performance of its activities, contributing in a positive way to the protection and safeguarding of the environment itself - a training course was held for dedicated Ferragamo personnel and the Group's main raw material suppliers. This course represents the first step in the direction of achieving corporate targets aimed at monitoring and managing the chemicals used within production processes to gradually eliminate them.
Ferragamo considers training a priority, as it is necessary to ensure the professional growth of employees and the development of the key competencies lying at the basis of the Company's heritage.
An example of the attention Ferragamo pays to protecting artisanal skills and the Company's know-how is the Manovia division - the historic unit for prototypes and production established in 1967 and recently re-opened in a renovated location - and the Modelleria division - a lab for Men's and Women's Leather Goods opened in 2017, where craftsmanship and research meet.
Salvatore Ferragamo featured as a pioneer in the process that eventually gave rise to the «Made in Italy» concept. The Group has always been upholding the principles of its Founder by keeping production in Italy. It brings together excellent craftsmanship and Italy's robust creative tradition, and the importance it places on the Made in Italy concept is reflected also in its efforts to archive authentic and diverse materials to create a memory of an entire industrial and social culture. For the contribution provided in terms of tradition and innovation, Ferragamo obtained the “Art of Craftsmanship” award at the 2018 Green Carpet Fashion Awards. The award was collected by a representative team of Ferragamo expert artisans.
Smart working aims to increase productivity and improve the work-life balance of employees. The adoption of the smart working project provided the introduction of a training content aimed at managers and corporate employees, to facilitate the culture of smart working and cultural change through concepts such as working by objectives, developing trust and time management.
The Salvatore Ferragamo Group is particularly focused to the issue of flexible working and has promoted in this regard the closure of Company offices on Fridays, allowing employees to work in smart working, while reducing CO2 emissions.
Up to two smart working days per week are allowed in the Group, and Friday closing has been promoted to continue to improve the work-life balance and to reduce the environmental impacts of commuting.
As a result of the smart working initiative jointly closing corporate offices by one day a week, an estimated saving of about 13 tons of CO2 will be generated in 2023, compared to 2022.
Another initiative with a view to improving the work-life balance of employees has been undertaken in Australia, with the reduction of the work week to 38 hours.
