Verbund’s Valuable 500 Commitment:
VERBUND assumes its social responsibility by ensuring equal opportunities, not just within the Group, but also in the energy sector. Disability inclusion in particular is present in our board level and has been a key element of our business strategy for many years.
At VERBUND there are two units responsible for driving disability inclusion throughout the entire company. One being the HR division where diversity and inclusion management is situated, and the other being a centralized CSR department focusing on accessibility management.
Our inclusion management focuses on three dimensions of diversity: (1) gender, (2) age and (3) disability. VERBUND exceeds the statutory quotas stipulated in Austria and Germany for the employment of disabled people. Additional protections against dismissal as well as unrestricted access to education and training are ensured for employees with disabilities. Last year we launched a strategic project on gender equality, a key focus of our inclusion management.
In our accessibility management we have identified three main types of barriers: (1) barriers in the built environment; (2) barriers in information and communications technology (ICT); and, last but not least, (3) psychological barriers. We aim to reduce or eliminate these barriers using multiple tools. Most recently, we wrote a corporate guideline on accessible buildings with a focus on meeting places. A second measure is the Digital Accessibility Team which was founded in 2020. Its goal is to bundle and create specialized know-how on accessible ICT and involves all corporate departments responsible for IT and communication. Additionally, VERBUND participates in the #PurpleLightUp campaign, supports different actions of organzations or companies always emphazizing on people with disabilities at work or the eonomic impacts on people with disabilities have. Together with our personnel department we organize workshops for able-bodied employees to get closer to the world of people with disabilities and seminars that deliver specific content.
With our occupational health management we aim to preserve and promote the health of all our employees to ensure motivation and working capacity into advanced age.
We believe our efforts will be highlighted and reinforced by participation in the Valuable 500 and lead to further disability inclusion and reduction of barriers in everyday working life and beyond.
