Inclusion: Our strength

Inclusion: Our strength

As we highlight Diversity and Inclusion across Wilo Middle and Southern Africa, we take a closer look at a unique story of Gerda Smit. Gerda works as an Internal Sales for Wilo and is located in South Africa. What draws us to Gerda is how she has demonstrated her commitment to the Company and continues to do so. Early in the year Gerda received a recognition award for her top performance in Internal Sales for the year 2024. Customers frequently praise Gerda for her exemplary support, reflecting her diligent efforts. This is not Gerda's first accolade; she has consistently excelled, earning the top performer award for the second consecutive year. Gerda embodies WILO’s core competency of “Seeing through the eyes of our Customers,” consistently delivering value in all her endeavours.

How do we reflect on Gerda’s story when it comes to Diversity. Gerda is an employee who has a life-altering disorder that has affected her in many ways, including her job. However, living with a life-altering disorder did not stop Gerda to perform exceptionally and exceed expectations.

Gerda agreed to share more of her story with us. To facilitate this, Mrs. Sophie Nokies, Head of Human Resources, and Ms. Tarine Strauss, Marketing Specialist at Wilo South Africa, met with her for a coffee at the serene Klein Kaap Boutique Hotel, where the atmosphere was remarkably calming. This boutique hotel provided an ideal backdrop for an in-depth conversation with Gerda, particularly as her life-altering condition is exacerbated by light, movement, and sound, which can lead to loss of balance, dizziness, and severe nausea.

Prior to her diagnosis of Vestibular Balance Disorder in April 2017, which stemmed from a car accident in 2016, injuring one of her inner ear lobes, Gerda enjoyed long bike rides, nature walks, shopping trips, and socializing with others. Nowadays, she prefers to remain at home, as the disorder has heightened her anxiety in public settings, leaving her fearful of the distressing symptoms associated with Vestibular Balance Disorder.

In her pursuit of understanding her condition, Gerda consulted fourteen different medical professionals and underwent a series of tests. Ultimately, she found one of only four physiotherapists in South Africa who specializes in this disorder. Many physicians failed to recognize it as a valid illness due to the limited information available at the time. Gerda recalls a particularly harrowing moment when, after returning from a doctor's visit, she opened her car door and collapsed face-first onto the pavement while trying to exit the vehicle.

Doctors presented Gerda with the option to remove her damaged earlobe, but this procedure would result in a loss of hearing, a sacrifice she is unwilling to make. "I am engaging in exercises that help me manage the disorder and make it more controllable. Unfortunately, the doctor has informed me that I will not fully recover", says Gerda.

In terms of her professional career, Gerda expresses that she feels fully integrated at work and has all the resources necessary to perform her job effectively. When asked about her reaction to receiving the Employee of the Year – Customer Service Award, Gerda stated, "I was incredibly surprised and deeply grateful. It’s reassuring to know that I can still do my work to the fullest. All glory goes to God for that."

For Gerda to continue working, she had to be placed on a full-time work-from-home schedule, and this is following several HR processes in accordance with Labour Law requirements. Management embraced the “Act as One” Wilo core competency, by embracing support within team members, and management has ensured that Gerda had all the equipment she needed to work from home. As a Company, Wilo South Africa has embraced diversity by learning how to accommodate employees with disabilities and disorders and by also providing support and training to Management, and all staff on how to treat one another with respect and dignity.