P4Q:”It`s important that the workplace is considered to be equal”

Founded in Alonsotegi (Bizkaia) 25 years ago, P4Q is a market leader in electronic manufacturing and creating IoT devices for solar energy and the medical sector, and over 37% of its employees are women. That is 15 points over the average for the companies that took part in the Impact of Equality on Industrial Competitiveness study conducted by the SPRI Group. These figures are a source of pride for the organisation; “in the same way that we pride ourselves on data about our turnover or international presence, the fact that equality in our company is over the average in Basque industry is something to be proud about”, acknowledged Edurne Martinez, Head of Personnel.

Since 2020, SPRI has led the “Women in Manufacturing” expert group at the World Manufacturing Foundation, an organisation based in Milan whose goal is to promote the role of manufacturing as a dynamic and positive driver for social and economic growth and for greater sustainability. At SPRI, this initiative is part of the B-WOMENIN Industry strategy that seeks to foster the role of women in Basque industry. On this occasion, the work focused on identifying good practices for equality and competitiveness with 8 Basque companies.

In the case of P4Q, the greater presence of women in all the company’s department has become one of the traits of the evolution of the company. The two people who head the international plants in China and the USA, the Commercial Director, the IT Director, the Financial Director and the Personnel Director are currently women.

This commitment to equality has been a natural process that has gradually permeated the whole company and an own business culture has thus been created that is noted for the combination of three elements: employment policies higher than those set by the collective agreement; work-life balance policies that go beyond what is legally established; and a communication policy that fosters the showcasing of the women’s role in the company.

Characteristics of the P4Q business culture include the differentiating factor of working in self-managed teams that allows employees to gain responsibilities that they would not develop in other companies, and the commitment to work-life balance policies that go beyond what is required by law so nobody has to forego their professional development. The stress is on being aware that the trend has shifted away from just providing a salary to all the other work-life balance arrangements or compensations being increasingly more important to the company’s workforce.

They conduct an annual satisfaction survey that allow them to discover which work-life balance measures are best rated and those that that most impact the company’s competitiveness. “When apart from the salary, you have aspects covered that go beyond remuneration, you have security and you are reassured in your professional development; and that peace-of-mind leads to greater competitiveness. Peace-of-mind is factor for employees to be competitive”, explained Eduardo Iracheta, Communication & Marketing Manager. Location and scheduling flexibility, the possibility to work remotely, a canteen and health insurance for all employees (including the partner and offspring, regardless of their civil status) are some of the most appreciated measures. They highlight P4Q’s commitment to the work-life balance and to child bearing. “We have a baby boom, given the age of our workforce, but we also think it is down to the work-life balance measures, such as pregnant women being able to take fully-paid leave prior to giving birth from the seventh month of pregnancy”.

However, despite the progress, they acknowledge there are difficulties to fill the technical posts with women; they stress the importance of making the industrial sector attractive to women. Greater outreach work is needed between schools and companies in order for more girls consider working in the industrial sector as an option. “At P4Q, we know that women are under-represented in industry; that is why we are part of the ERRONKA INDUSTRY PROJECT, where we encourage schools to visit our plant. Whenever a group comes to visit us, we showcase the women who work in our company. P4Q considers it important that the workplace is considered to be equal, that everyone has opportunities and can grow”, stressed Edurne Martínez.

P4Q aims to continue advancing in equality policies and their participation in the SPRI study has allowed them to reflect on the areas to progress. “This type of measures boosts us in attracting and retaining talent. It helps us to attract the best people and bolsters our competitiveness. The fact that the workplace is considered to be equal, that everyone has opportunities and can grow, is important for PAQ”, pointed out Edurne Martínez.