How To Find More Meaningful Work, According to a Global DEI Expert

Alina Butler is Head of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Wabtec. Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors.  Our people, with their extraordinary collective talent, vision, and experience are our biggest asset. Our dynamic leadership team has a proven strategy to empower over 27,000 employees in over 50 countries around the world.

Safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity are paramount for Wabtec employees like Alina, who not only ensure that the company’s transportation equipment and systems are safe and forward-moving (literally and figuratively), but that the team is safe and forward-thinking.

“It’s vital for our workforce to reflect the vibrant diversity of the cultures and identities shared by the customers and stakeholders we serve around the globe,” she tells Fairygodboss. “Our continued success is made possible by creating an inclusive and equitable workplace that serves the needs of our diverse employees. We deeply respect our employees’ unique backgrounds, experiences, and differences. Workplace diversity not only contributes to our success as a proven source of innovation, but it also remains central to our core value of putting ‘people first.’”

It’s no wonder why Wabtec has garnered so much recognition as a great place to work — it scored 100 points in the 2024 Human Rights Campaign Foundation Certification as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ People. In 2023 and 2024, it earned the Disability Equality Index Certification as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion in the US and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation Certification as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ People in Brazil. In 2024, it was also recognized among the Vets Indexes as a 4-Star Employer in the US and earned a Disability Equality Index Certification as Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion in Brazil.

Here, we caught up with Alina to learn what she’s most proud of at Wabtec, what makes her work there so meaningful, and her best advice for other professionals looking to make career moves to find work that resonates with them.

What does meaningful work mean to you?

A commitment to progress. Our commitment to progress is rooted in our values, and we’re pursuing our vision of inclusion and belonging for everyone. We embrace the infinite differences our people bring to Wabtec including gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, LGBTQIA+ identification, and beyond. We are who we are as a company because of the valuable contributions our employees make to our highly innovative and mission-driven culture.

How do you know if it’s time to take a career break or make a career pivot to find work that better aligns with your goals or passions?

Knowing when to make a career change can be a deeply personal and introspective decision. It has always been important to me to have the support of my family to navigate these changes together.

On the other hand, do you have any tips for those who are looking for ways to make their existing day-to-day work more meaningful?

Meaningful work can come from work that is outside of your day-to-day work. At Wabtec, we have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Our global ERGs are led and managed by Wabtec employees. These committed employees work to foster an environment where employees treat each other with respect and dignity, where diverse perspectives are sought after, and where everyone feels safe. Our ERGs support a strong sense of community for members and focus on attracting, promoting, retaining, and developing ERG participants.

These groups play an active role in personal and professional development across all phases of an employee’s career and provide a forum to build strong relationships and allies through networking, learning, and support. ERGs hold events with company leadership, manage formal mentoring programs, sponsor career training geared toward their members, and play a role in giving back to the communities where we work and serve.

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