“Help each other – That’s more important than anything else”

In our Diversity@NORMA series, we present the diversity of employees who work for NORMA Group. In 2021, the focus of the series is on female employees at NORMA Group. Female staff members from various departments and countries talk about their professional and personal experiences and provide insights into their wishes for the future.

Viviane Delion is HR Coordinator at the NORMA Group site in Atibaia, Brazil. In this interview, she talks about her career, professional challenges and her wishes for the future.

What woman has had the greatest impact on you in your life and why?

My mother definitely had the strongest influence on me. We were three children and she raised us all by herself. She always worked and still found time for us kids. She always was and still is there for us. My mother always encouraged me to go through life courageously and strongly.

Do you have a professional role model? And how important is your career to you?

I don't have a particular professional role model. So far in my professional life, there have always been many female and male co-workers who have inspired me.

My job means a lot to me. I started working at the age of 15. Of course, mainly for the simple reason that I had to earn money to make ends meet. In my first job, I worked as an assistant in an HR department. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect, but working with people and helping them to develop themselves gave me great pleasure right away. I really enjoy taking care of people and supporting them in their personal development. In HR, I can put this passion into practice very well.

What challenges have shaped your professional career?

Two challenges in particular have shaped my career. I started a new job as a Manager Coordinator when I was 22. I didn’t know exactly what to expect. But I took the plunge and quickly familiarized myself with the new responsibilities. Here I learned for myself that one should not be afraid of new challenges, but rather face up to them courageously and confidently. I also learned that we have to accept and appreciate people’s individuality. For it is this diversity that makes up our society and we can achieve so much with diversity.

I mastered another professional challenge at the age of 26 when I started a new job with an international company. I quickly realized that my English skills were not good enough. So I decided to go to England for a year. I went to England with little knowledge of English and hardly any money. And what can I say. This was definitely the biggest challenge in my life so far, but I would do it again anytime. Not only did I improve my English, I also met wonderful people and became much more self-confident and open-minded. I can only recommend working in another country to everyone.

What has changed socially during your professional career?

When I started working, there were still many boundaries for women professionally, particularly in Brazil. Now these boundaries are disappearing and we women are conquering the world of work more and more for ourselves. Of course, men and women are different. Men often think more rationally and women are often more empathetic. When you bring the two together, we complement each other perfectly.

What do you wish for the future?

I especially wish for the corona pandemic to come to an end. I long to be able to do something together with friends and family again. I think this pandemic has made us all really appreciate being with other people again.

In Brazil, there are still not that many women in leadership positions. I hope that this will change in the future. But I think we are on a good path here. And of course I would like to see our site here in Brazil continue to be so successful.

Do you have any advice for women in general?

Yes. Don’t be afraid of new challenges because you can master them. Be open-minded and courious, think outside the box sometimes and keep reinventing yourself. Help each other – That’s more important than anything else.