Ferrari: The Best Place To Work In Europe

Ferrari: The Best Place To Work In Europe

Given its range of remarkable road cars, its unique success in Formula One and its place as one of the most famous brand names in the world, its not entirely a surprise that Ferrari has been voted the best place to work in Europe, but the award presented by the "Great Place to Work Institute" recognizes that Ferrari also provides a working environment that is every bit as good as the cars it produces for the road and race track.

The award is a powerful endorsement of the enormous organizational and financial commitment made by the company in recent years to providing its employees with the best possible working conditions and for encouraging personal and professional growth. More than a thousand companies throughout Europe participated in the survey which measures the degree of satisfaction of employees with their place of work and picks out the best working environments.

This alone makes Ferrari's achievement particularly impressive. In 2003, the then Ferrari Maserati Group was voted the Best Place to Work in Italy but this latest award is the ultimate acknowledgement of the company's ongoing commitment to the personal growth of its staff.

At the end of the 1990s President Luca di Montezemolo launched a major project known as "Formula Uomo" in Ferrari. The project took its inspiration from the company's Formula 1 ambitions and successes.

It covers three basic areas: workplaces and structures, professional training and international growth, and personal and family benefits. The principle underpinning the programme sees human beings as the fulcrum of the company's work system and aims to enhance staff's abilities and stimulate their creativity by placing importance on the contribution each individual has to make.

Much has been achieved in terms of company structures since then: the Renzo Piano - designed Wind Tunnel was built in 1997, the Marco Visconti's New Mechanical Machining Department in 2001, the new GeS Logistics Area in 2002, the Massimiliano Fuksas' designed Product Development Centre and Marco Visconti's New Paint Shop in 2004, and the Maranello Village in 2006.

The new Company Restaurant, also the work of Visconti, and Jean Nouvel's large Production Line building are both nearing completion too. The company renovation programme involved a total investment in the region of 200 million euro.

Training is one of Ferrari's main focuses and this commitment to education has resulted in agreements with both Italian and international universities, specialist training programmes and work experience stints abroad. In 2006, 2,376 individuals (or 88.5% of Ferrari employees) availed themselves of the company training courses which cover both managerial and professional skill-building.

Other Formula Uomo initiatives, however, centre more on personal wellbeing and social involvement. These include: medical check-ups for employees and their children, specialist preventative medicine programmes, participation in company events such as the "Finali Mondiali" and the unveilings of new cars, company stands at the various Grand Prix, sports groups and discounts in various commercial and service outlets.

ENDS

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