SSE has joined other businesses in the launch of a new pledge focusing on driving greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Elevate: The Inclusive Workplace Pledge is Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) new pledge to support companies in creating a workforce that is representative of all members of Irish society. It was led by BITCI’s Leaders’ Group on Social Inclusion, which SSE has been a member of for the last two years.
SSE is among the 45 companies that have signed up to Elevate so far. Signatory companies commit to:
- Record the diversity profile of the workforce
- Participate in a BITCI report which will publish the diversity profile of the collective workforce of all signatory companies
- Annually develop one tangible action that ensures the recruitment or retention of diverse talent.
- Annually report on the impact of this action
- Increase ambition on the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda
- Collaborate with fellow signatories to learn and create solutions for social impact
As part of its commitment to the Pledge, SSE has committed to ensuring that all Hiring Managers in Ireland complete an inclusive recruitment upskilling programme to understand how to be consciously inclusive.
Stephen Wheeler, SSE’s Ireland Country Lead, signed the pledge on behalf of the business. He said: “The Elevate Pledge is about making sure we have workplaces that are inclusive of all difference and create the conditions where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. This is something SSE is firmly committed to: it’s good for society, and it’s good for businesses too.
“The pledge is the culmination of lots of hard work by Business in the Community Ireland and its members. I want to thank BITCI for its continued leadership in this space. From the success of the Low Carbon Pledge, we know how effective BITCI is in bringing together Irish businesses to drive forward meaningful action and progress on sustainability.
“SSE’s commitment to the Elevate Pledge is just one strand of our inclusion strategy. I look forward to sharing understanding and learnings with other signatories as we work together to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces across Ireland.”
Find out more about the Elevate Pledge here.
BITCI commissioned Deloitte Ireland to produce a new report which provides insights on why social inclusion is becoming a priority for business, the challenges and barriers to inclusion and, how Irish businesses can improve inclusion now and in the future. Download the report.