The introduction of the MAMFORCE standard was an ideal tool to achieve the desired change that will help us retain the existing staff, increase employee engagement, improve productivity and contribute to a change in organizational culture.

Said Gordana Ana Dijaković, who oversees Zara’s human resources.

The evaluation of the management system, analysis of employee-related data, and employee feedback on their experiences working for the organization were used to develop a series of improvements. These were in turn put in practice and implemented systematically over a period of a year.

Several initiatives, designed to align the values held by the organizations, with the values and modes of operation of the employees, have been implemented. To improve information flows, and foster team cohesion, direct communication channels and procedures have been worked on. Several types of regular meetings and channels have been introduced with the aim of shoring up organizational values, developing inclusiveness, or sharing information on the benefits designed to improve the employee well-being. Regular quarterly feedback meetings with individual employees have been introduced, training on soft skills and leadership has been carried out, and attention was given to the issues of personal and professional growth of employees. The transparent management enabled the introduction of flexible working arrangements. This has proven extremely important for employees’ work-life balance, who mostly belong to Generation Y and have small children. A system of mentorship was introduced as an important form of support for women’s careers, to the newly hired employees, and to those returning to work after an extended absence. Diversity and inclusion policy has been adopted as well.

Due to this dedicated work in introducing change, significant improvements have been recorded in key areas relevant for certification. The management system score has been improved by an extraordinary 42%, where a better supervisor-employee relations have been observed, workload distribution is more efficient, employee loyalty and group cohesion have also been improved. Employee satisfaction and engagement have improved by 18%, resulting in a strong sense of belonging to the organization. Sick leave was reduced from 23% to a negligible 2.4%, which in turn improved the productivity significantly.

Moreover, the feedback from employees that they are now able to balance private and business life better, and to collaborate better, which are both now at 88%, give additional boost to these new practices. Finally, the inclusive leadership received a 93% score, and 95% of employees would recommend ZARA as a good place to work for women.