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On Saturday morning, when most people were only waking up after a hard week of work, the employees of the Gdansk-based branch of Kompania Piwowarska equipped with painting accessories, litres of white paint and considerable reserves of energy began renovating the headquarters of Centrum Praw Kobiet in Gdansk. The premises have been waiting for that moment for years, as the last renovation took place in 2013. Thanks to the volunteers from Kompania Piwowarska, now they look brand new.
– The result exceeded all our expectations. We are touched by the willingness to help, engagement and hard work performed by the team of volunteers from Kompania Piwowarska in order to turn CPK in Gdansk into a more pleasant place not only for the foundation team, but above all for the hundreds of women experiencing violence, who come to us every year looking for support. We will always remember this first corporate volunteering campaign in almost 20 years of CPK in Gdansk – says Aleksandra Mosiołek, Director of the Gdansk-based branch of the foundation.
– As the Regional Volunteering Centre in Gdansk (wolontariatgdansk.pl) we are dealing with civic engagement on a daily basis. One of our goals is to organize different forms of corporate volunteering for companies, so they can invest their time and resources in helping organisations in need, while the result will serve others. That was the case with Centrum Praw Kobiet – organisation that takes care of struggling women. We would like to emphasize the fact that the campaign was unique in every aspect and, most importantly, it was executed with great engagement of the employees of Kompania Piwowarska – adds Agnieszka Buczyńska, President of the Regional Volunteering Centre in Gdansk.
Painting straight from the heart
Almost 500 m2 of walls and ceilings, which is more or less three volleyball courts – that’s the surface painted by KP’s volunteers in one day. And let’s not forget about doors, windows, window sills and radiators that they also managed to turn snow-white. The hallway got a new floor and all the rooms new light switches, sockets and handles.
– Our refurbishment team could easily and accurately be nicknamed “company of helping enthusiasts” – laughs Krzysztof Wilma, Area Sales Manager at KP and originator of the initiative. – We have combined the paint provided by our partner, Flügger, with the power of our won muscles, a large dose of engagement and willingness to do good that every one of us had deep in their hearts. It is incredible that sometimes we do not need much to change a lot – he says.
– Saying that the change of the foundation headquarters is visible would be an understatement. It is spectacular! We are glad that we could take part in it. The joy coming from helping others cannot be compared to any other feeling. Try it yourself if you do not believe me – encourages Małgorzata Undziłło, President of Flügger, company that supplied paint for the walls, ceilings, doors, windows and radiators. It also provided primers. Before the volunteers grabbed brushes, a technical advisor from Flügger, Piotr Łada, gave them simple instructions and tips what to pay special attention to so the final result is as good as possible. The team renovating the Centre could count on technical and product support from the company experts at all times.
Kompania Piwowarska bets on women
Having been engaged in social campaigns for years, this time sales force volunteers from the Gdansk-based branch of Kompania Piwowarska decided to support an organisation aimed at helping women.
– That way we wanted to refer to the 100th anniversary of gaining voting rights by female residents of Poland. Thanks to the possibility of taking part in government discussions and deciding about the shape of implemented acts, women could begin fighting for improvement of their situation. Nowadays, Polish women are being supported not only by female parliamentarians, but also by organisations such as Centrum Praw Kobiet. We have decided to support them on that mission – says Krzysztof Wilma.
Kompania Piwowarska attaches great importance to gender equality. Since 2012, the company has been a signatory of the Diversity Charter – it was one of the first companies in Poland to accept the rules specified in the document. The company implements development programmes for its female employees and actively encourages women to apply for jobs in its breweries by organizing open days for students and graduates of technical studies, among other activities. Even though it might seem like brewing is a typically manly industry, currently women constitute 23% of all employees – 63% in marketing, 68% in finances and 69% in HR. Moreover, the number of women in the top management systematically increases. At the moment, every third (31%) management position at Kompania Piwowarska is held by a woman. Furthermore, ladies employed by Kompania Piwowarska receive salaries equal to the remuneration of men doing the same jobs, while the actual amount is based on knowledge, skills and performance rather than gender.
