Respecting differences is an important part of Deloitte's culture and professional behavior. Keeping in mind specific interests and needs of women in our office, in 2008 Deloitte Croatia organized the training Assertiveness skills, celebrating International Women's Day in this practical and useful way. The training’s goal was to further improve women's knowledge on assertiveness, a type of communication which enables one to stand up for her/his rights and freely express thoughts and feelings.

Two separate trainings, held on March 5 and 6 by psychology professor Ms. Jasna Belamarić, were organized as the series of brief lectures and group discussions. Deloitte women in Croatia learned how to improve their communication with members of both genders, how to be assertive in the business communication, and how better interpersonal skills can lessen the level of everyday stress.

The comment of Aida Kirlin, Senior Manager in ERS, excellently summarizes the general opinion of Deloitte women on this event: «For me, being assertive means being able to find the middle path between aggressiveness and passiveness in our everyday life, whether personal or professional.  The training gave us opportunity to realize the strong points, as well as shortcomings, in our communication with colleagues and clients. I hope this will be the first in a series of trainings, because our interpersonal skills can always use further improvement.»