On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has pledged its commitment to drive positive action on disability inclusion by joining The Valuable 500.
The global disability inclusion movement is today calling on business leaders to act on the structural inequalities against people with disabilities when it comes to disability and inclusion, which the COVID-19 crisis has brought to the fore.
Alongside work across the SSE group, SSEN recently undertook a strategic review of inclusion and diversity across its business, introducing a dedicated working group alongside existing Inclusive Service Panels to drive impactful long-term action.
In addition to this ongoing inclusion and diversity programme, SSEN has committed to further review its recruitment and selection policies in the context of disability inclusion, identifying an initial 10 core roles where it will target an inclusive pathway and accessible work environment for prospective candidates with disabilities. These roles will span multiple areas of SSEN's business and will include pathways for those with visible or invisible disabilities.
Since its launch at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in January 2019, 275 companies have so far pledged to join The Valuable 500, putting disability on the business leadership agenda, with the campaign striving to have 500 global business leaders and CEOs signed up to the initiative by January 2021.
Colin Nicol, Managing Director of SSEN, said:
"There's no quick fix or one-off initiative to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. As a provider of an essential service, we are committed to making our business more reflective of the society we serve and are progressing long-term actions to foster an inclusive working environment. As part of this, we welcome the opportunity to join The Valuable 500 and help drive positive action on disability inclusion."
Caroline Casey, Founder of The Valuable 500, added:
"We are excited to welcome the new sign-ups joining The Valuable 500 community today and are proud of their demonstrative commitment to acting on the importance of disability inclusion during this global public health crisis. We are confident that they will be at the forefront of the businesses capitalising on the collective awakening of empathy to ensure disability inclusion is firmly integrated into the business landscape."
For more information please visit:www.thevaluable500.com.