Fater and workplace health
People First is the vision that guides Fater and places the individual at the center: from this principle, all support and prevention initiatives are developed in a coherent way, designed to have a real impact on everyday life. Health is not something added to work, but a principle that guides its design. Time, space, and flexibility all influence people’s health. For this reason, Fater has introduced concrete solutions such as hybrid working, along with a focus on workload sustainability and the protection of those working shifts, both day and night, with the aim of fostering greater responsibility and trust.
People First means recognizing the workplace as an environment where people can receive continuous support: physical, mental, relational, and financial wellbeing is supported through psychological counseling, prevention programs – including the possibility of free blood chemistry tests directly at the workplace – telemedicine services, a structured welfare system, and financial education programs. These initiatives are built around people’s real needs through tailored programs for each site. This vision also includes choices that bring work closer to everyday life, such as the possibility of bringing children aged six and above into the office (an initiative that has so far involved more than 50 children), and allowing dogs on campus.
Work environments are designed to be safe, accessible, and inclusive. In a country like Italy, where on average three workplace fatalities are recorded every day, safety is a priority, and speaking of safety means, first and foremost, speaking of prevention: proactively addressing risks is an integral part of people’s wellbeing. It is in this logic that training represents a structural lever: in the last fiscal year, over 120,000 hours of health and safety training were delivered, equivalent to around 10 days per employee, to strengthen skills that help anticipate and reduce risks. This is complemented by awareness initiatives such as the Rock & Safe concerts, which have involved more than 1,000 people, helping make prevention a shared value.
To make this commitment clear and accessible, “La Mia Salute” (“My Health”) was developed as the communication umbrella through which Fater speaks to people about everything related to health and safety. Communication is targeted and inclusive, designed to address the diverse workforce and make messages relevant to each individual’s real needs. Alongside digital channels, physical materials are also used across different sites to strengthen the culture of prevention and make the company’s support tangible in everyday life.
Prevention also extends to skills that accompany people beyond work, because People First considers safety a core value in everyday life as well. In this sense, the Safe Start program intervenes on daily behaviors and habits to strengthen a culture of prevention, involving more than 2,400 participants among employees and their families. There are also other initiatives aimed at providing tools that can make a difference for one’s own safety and that of others, such as basic and pediatric airway obstruction courses, which have involved over 1,000 people across all sites in two years, as well as safe driving courses.
Individual wellbeing is accompanied by relational wellbeing. Relationships, exchange, and a sense of community significantly contribute to organizational health. In this context, initiatives include a painting course led by the Chief Manufacturing Officer and the launch of ERGs (Employee Resource Groups), communities of people working on inclusion topics. The direct involvement of leadership strengthens the credibility of the People First approach and helps build a culture in which caring for people is a concrete and shared commitment.
The vision of health that guides People First is above all cultural. Health means balance, community, and attention to people in their entirety, countering loneliness and stigma and designing wellbeing based on relationships and real needs, to make the organization more fair, sustainable, and deeply human.