Meet Roberto

From a difficulty comes an opportunity

Roberto Guerra Alvarez has been working for Airbus since 2006. First in the Documentation department of Airbus Commercial and then in Account Payable of FEX (Accounting shared services) department within Airbus Defence and Space. Even back then, Roberto was recognised for his hard work and good interpersonal skills. He exchanged and collaborated with many colleagues at the Getafe site. But in 2023, his department was transferred to Lisbon (Portugal), when the Global Business Services Centre was created to bring together and pool several shared services within Airbus.

For Roberto, living with down syndrome, expatriation was out of the question. It was important for him to keep his bearings in his daily life, in his family relationships and in the relationships he has developed within the Madrid Down Syndrome Association, which has been supporting him for many years.

Meanwhile, Javier Torrijos, Commodity Manager in Airbus Defence and Space Procurement, has been well versed in Airbus' Inclusion and Diversity issues and was keen to make an active contribution. Beyond that, the departure from Airbus of Roberto, who is well integrated professionally, was unthinkable. “I knew Roberto from my regular discussions with him in his previous job. I couldn't bring myself to see him leave Airbus. Especially as I was convinced that his skills were perfectly suited to the needs of our Procurement team.”

A successful integration that owes nothing to chance

Javier spent some extra time carefully preparing his argument, with the ultimate aim of convincing his management, colleagues and HR that this was a win-win opportunity for the company, for procurement and, most importantly, for Roberto. Once everyone was convinced of the human and operational benefits that this could bring, nothing was left to chance and Roberto's integration was meticulously prepared, thanks also to the support of the Down Madrid organisation and the voluntary help of other Javier and Roberto colleagues such as Elena León , Ana Del Molino, Concha Dos Santos and Ivan Gavilan, among others. The team's objective was clear: to enable their new colleague to find his place in the Procurement team, while at the same time ensuring that he was offered working conditions that met his needs and encouraged his personal development.

One of the first challenges was to identify the tasks that matched his skills. After a period of assessment, it became clear that a number of logistical tasks related to supplier visits (picking up, booking rooms, coffee & water and canteen for meetings), but also the end-to-end contract process (scanning, courier shipping, physical and digital archiving) matched his skills perfectly.

To ensure the success of this job mobility, a special, robust support scheme was put in place to allow Roberto to settle into his new role quickly, but at his own pace and in a reassuring environment.

In addition to his great commitment, the successful integration of Roberto was the result of careful thought and amazing teamwork. It took time, investment and the coordination of many stakeholders, such as the HR function. Misa Perez Osez, Inclusion & Diversity Leader, was one of the key players in this professional mobility. "The procurement team was trained to support Roberto in the workplace. It was important that each member of the team understood that although there might be times when Roberto needed extra support, this did not mean that he was unable to carry out his duties," Misa explains.

Another fundamental activity in the success of this initiative is the full support, especially at the beginning, of the Down Madrid Foundation. "A social educator from the Down Foundation, whom I know well, came to my workplace every day for 3 months" explains Roberto. "We prepared some guidelines to carry out the tasks and then we trained together the different activities that I had to carry out.”

But without a doubt, the most important pillar in Roberto's integration was the role of his main tutor, entrusted to Javier, but also to Elena, Ana and Concha as deputies. For several weeks, Javier accompanied Roberto on a daily basis, helping him to get organised and overcome any difficulties. This personalised support ensured a gradual build-up of skills while providing a suitable working environment. Javier has never hesitated to gently challenge Roberto at times to help him become more autonomous and faster in his work. "Roberto is one of us," says Javier. "From the beginning, I have always treated Roberto the same as the rest of my colleagues in procurement."

The first face of Airbus for suppliers is Roberto

Roberto is constantly learning and developing new skills. "I started by speaking English, with simple phrases that I learnt by heart, to welcome suppliers who come to the site for meetings. I meet them at the access control, then I introduce myself in Spanish or English, and finally I explain the new Campus Futura in Getafe before taking them to the meeting room. I am very proud to have been given this job".

Roberto's presence has strengthened cohesion within the team, creating a happy and supportive atmosphere. Everyone agrees that working with Roberto has a positive impact not only on productivity, but also on team dynamics.

A better community and place to work

Roberto Guerra' successful integration into the Procurement team in Getafe has been awarded by Airbus in Spain as the top initiative that makes Airbus a better community and place to work.

In September this year, the Employee Resources Group (ERG) Balance for Business (BfB) and the Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) team launched an initiative to give visibility to the positive inclusion and diversity actions carried out in Spain. Among the 25 applications, Roberto's journey at Airbus, presented under the title "DOWN Capabilities: Breaking DOWN Barriers", was chosen as the top initiative by employees and a jury.

The recognition from the Airbus community in Spain reflects the profound impact that inclusion, diversity, mutual support and understanding have on us. By embracing the unique contributions of each individual, we not only strengthen our culture of respect and collaboration, but also foster a more supportive, innovative and compassionate work environment.