The Women Managers’ Section of the Managers’ Association of Slovenia has presented the 2026 Vključi.Vse Award for Diversity and Inclusion to Peruna d.o.o., a company based in Kranj. With people with officially recognised disabilities and others facing barriers to employment accounting for approximately three-quarters of its workforce, the company demonstrates that inclusion is not merely a social initiative on the sidelines of business, but an integral part of the way it operates.

In most companies, people adapt to their jobs. At Peruna, it is often the other way around. The Kranj-based company, which operates as an enterprise employing people with disabilities, manufactures its own industrial products and provides subcontract manufacturing services. Its 46 employees include people with a wide range of needs and limitations, including mental health challenges.

"For us, inclusion means giving everyone the opportunity to participate, contribute and demonstrate what they are capable of. When we design processes, we strive to ensure that everyone can carry them out," emphasised Peruna's Managing Director, Dejan Kovačič, upon receiving the award at the Managers’ Congress in Portorož.

"When even the person who requires the greatest adjustments can carry out a process, we create a safer environment for the entire team. Finding such solutions is one of the greatest drivers of our innovation."

The Same Standards for Everyone

Inclusive employment does not mean lower expectations. Customers expect Peruna to deliver the same quality, reliability and adherence to deadlines as any other company.

"Quality, deadlines and results apply to everyone. We adapt the path, not the goal," says Kovačič.

The fact that empathy and high business standards can coexist is also confirmed by the employees themselves: Peruna was named the winner in the small companies category of the 2025 Zlata nit (Golden Thread) survey.

From 80-Kilogram Pallets to a Humanoid Robot

One of the best examples of how workplace adaptation works in practice is the refurbishment of plastic transport pallets — a service that extends their lifespan and supports the circular economy.

Although the pallets weigh 80 kilograms, the company has used extensive in-house expertise, time and mentoring to divide the work into manageable stages and adapt the process for an employee with a physical disability, who can now perform the task independently and safely.

Peruna takes a similar approach to technology. In the spirit of Industry 5.0, where machines do not replace people but instead reduce their workload, the company is piloting the introduction of a humanoid robot to perform the most physically demanding and repetitive tasks.

The project is being managed as part of the company's human resources processes, with employee feedback continuously monitored. Following their first interaction with the humanoid robot, employees' average rating of their sense of safety and trust increased from 3.61 to 4.38.

Mentoring, Predictability and Equal Opportunities

Every new employee is assigned a mentor whose goal is not to provide permanent support, but to help the individual achieve independence.

Work generally takes place in the morning, within an eight-hour working day, with no work scheduled on public holidays. The pace of work is adapted to each individual's health-related capabilities.

Starting salaries are the same for everyone, regardless of health conditions or physical limitations. Women account for one-third of the workforce, but hold half of the positions in the company's core management team and almost two-thirds of the positions in its broader management team.

Peruna has implemented an integrated management system in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards. The company also shares its practices with universities, technology parks and partners across Europe. Within its local community, it is a longstanding supporter of the Igraj se z mano (Play with Me) festival.

Kovačič sees the award primarily as recognition of the people at Peruna, who individually and collectively take responsibility for achieving results.

As he concluded: "Dignity is a prerequisite for innovation. And an innovative present is a prerequisite for a secure future."

About the Vključi.Vse Award

The Vključi.Vse Award is presented by the Women Managers’ Section of the Managers’ Association of Slovenia to recognise companies with established diversity and inclusion strategies and a strong commitment to gender equality.

Through this award, we advocate for gender-balanced corporate leadership, recognising that diverse leadership teams foster more open organisational cultures, better understand their customers and achieve higher profitability.

The members of the 2026 Vključi.Vse Award Selection Committee are Aleša Mižigoj (Chair), Barbara Smolnikar, Barbara Zupančič, Anisa Faganelj, Klaudija Javornik, Matej Černe and Enej Kirn.