Investing in employee diversity and well-being is key to success

For Israeli and international companies, the past couple of years have been a rollercoaster. After the deep crisis triggered by the pandemic in 2020, 2021 marked a year of market bonanza, with 2022 bringing new deep challenges caused by the disruption of supply chains and severe geopolitical crises. However, according to Anat Kenan, Executive Vice President of Global HR at Alma Lasers, there is a way for companies to brave the storm in an effective way: investing in employee diversity and well-being.

“Alma is a proud Israeli company that has established ten subsidiaries around the world in recent years, but still maintains its headquarters in Israel,” she explained. “Alma built its brand, develops its technology and manufactures its products here and from here it emanates its corporate culture and company values.”

One of the top three global leaders of energy-based medical and aesthetics solutions, Alma Lasers chooses to put great emphasis on diversifying its employees and allowing them to grow and develop while maintaining a positive life-work balance.

The company also employs veterans who suffer from PTSD and people with special needs, making sure to accommodate for their necessities. In addition, Alma invests in young employees, including soldiers just discharged from the army, offering them important roles, and makes an effort to recruit for senior roles internally.

“Alma promotes 23% of employees per year, a very high number considering that the average for internal promotions is between 5 and 6.6% percent,” Kenan said. “If the one being promoted is a woman, even better. We have three female vice-presidents out of eight.”

As a result of the company’s culture, Alma managed to avoid lay-offs during the pandemic as well as in recent months.

“During the corona period when many companies laid off workers, Alma kept its employees and gave bonuses,” said Kenan. “They remember it to this day.” 

“After COVID, when many companies recruited a lot of workers, Alma did not take part in this salary madness,” she added. “We remained an attractive workplace but we kept a very clear boundary. And thank to this, among other things, the company does not have to fire anyone in the current wave of layoffs.”