Affirmative action boosting up Roma employment and education

Charter together with non-profit organization Agentúra práce BBSK organized another best practice sharing event – Small Talk – focused on the use of affirmative actions in the employment of Roma and through the improved awareness about the affirmative actions to increase the employment of Roma, primarily those from marginalized Roma communities. A representative of non-profit organization introduced the affirmative actions as a high-frequency measure increasing participation of a specific group on the specific actions – employment, education, access to public services, or others. Further, the representatives of companies well experienced with employment of Roma people shared their best practices with event participants.

Czech-Slovak Forum on Diversity and Inclusion

The Czech-Slovak Forum on Diversity and Inclusion took place on October 12. This event co-organized by Business for Society & Czech Diversity Charter and Business Leaders Forum & Slovak Diversity Charter Slovakia was one of the Diversity & Inclusion MasterClass project activities, a project funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme.

Program focused on diversity and inclusion in the Czech-Slovak relations in the context of international cooperation. The discussed topics included: the current social and economic challenges for the implementation, management and development of diversity in the Czech and Slovak labour markets, position of women in the labour market, parents at work, age diversity and population ageing, how diversity and inclusion help Ukrainian war refugees in the difficult times as well as other topics.

Among guests were the Slovak sociologist Silvia Porubänová, columnist and journalist Petr Bittner and representatives of the signatory companies of the Diversity Charter from the Czech Republic and Slovakia – IKEA, TESCO STORES SK, Whirpool Corporation SK and the host company Thermo Fisher Scientific. More detailed information can be found here.

LGBTI+ people at workplace

Diversity Charter in reaction to an act of hate-inspired terrorism that occurred outside a Bratislava queer bar Tepláreň on October 12 organized an event dedicated to LGBTI+ people at workplace.

Invited speakers from companies such as Accenture, Slovenská sporiteľňa, Swiss Re and Vacuumlabs shared their experience how to effectively support a culture of respect and acceptance of LGBTI+ people in the workplace and how companies can help prevent hate speech from spreading in society.

At the beginning of the online event, the participants were addressed by Roman Samotný, a long-time activist for the rights of LGBTI+ people and the owner of the queer bar Tepláreň, in front of which the murder took place. "That attack turned everything upside down and it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg of hatred that exists in society. I feel a great urgency to act so that what happened is not swept under the carpet, but that concrete steps that will change the atmosphere in Slovakia are taken." He considers an open work environment to be one of the things that can significantly make life easier for LGBTI+ people. For many of them, the search for a space where no one will make fun of them, but where they will feel safe and accepted, is an acute need. "The chance to get a job and be in an environment that is friendly will give many people solid ground under their feet and energy for life. It plays a key role in self-acceptance and well-being," he said.

He perceives that companies are proactively solving how to communicate the LGBTI+ topic internally - this is a good sign, but the situation shows that it is not enough. We need courageous companies that will declare these principles to the outside world as well. "Companies can be a simulation of the ideal world, when the state fails and does not do what it is supposed to do. It would be an important step and inspiration for other companies and organizations. At the same time, this creates pressure on state organizations, the government and the parliament to start noticing that what they see as a problem suddenly works somewhere else," he added.

An initiative Our lives are at stake has been created to support LGBTI+ rights and calls upon the political representation and the public to ensure equal rights and security of queers, their families, and children. Diversity Charter has been involved in one of its project – Bezpečné miesta (Safe spaces). Charter has cooperated with other partners to bring on 10 recommendation for employers to create more inclusive workplaces for LGBTI+ people.

CSR Summit 2022

The largest and oldest event on corporate responsibility in Slovakia brought also I&D as one of the topics of the conference: (In)visible fathers – what are we missing when we provide advice on how to combine work and family only to mothers? Diversity and inclusion in practice – where to start and where not to end.

Neurodiversity at the workplace

Another signing ceremony of Diversity Charter took place on November 22, 2022 and was part of the international conference Neurodiversity in the workplace.

During the conference, examples of good practice and evidence-based knowledge from abroad were presented. CSR manager of company Profesia Anna Podlesná also presented a new model of cooperation between employers and job coaches called Profesia Lab – a unique opportunity to test the integration of a person with a disability in the form of practice with the support of experts.

Speakers at the conference presented a good practice, insights on how to improve transition of students from school to work, practical experiences that will change the way you look at the workplace and human potential and how can companies, NGOs, and schools work together to make the transition of young people with disabilities into the labor market successful. A record of the conference can be found here.

During the signing ceremony of Diversity Charter, the representatives of nine new signatory companies and organizations (365.bank, Beiersdorf Slovakia, BMI Slovensko, ISG, pretlak, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel, Embassy of Canada to Slovakia, Embassy of Spain to Slovakia) presented their strategies and goals in field of diversity and inclusion at workplaces. Slovak Diversity Charter currently has 129 signatories.