To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the EIB Group organised a full week of events to promote exchanges on disability inclusion with staff and expert guests.
For the second year in a row, the Group, through its Disability Employee Resource Group enAble, joined the global #PurpleLightUp movement. #PurpleLightUp celebrates and draws attention to the important economic contribution of the 386 million disabled employees around the world.
A wide range of enAble members met their Heads of Service and Directors to discuss inner confidence in disabled and neurodivergent staff members. They shared their thoughts on the importance of integrating disability inclusion considerations into everything we do at the EIB Group.
They all highlighted the need to provide adequate working environment for all staff, increase awareness on the importance of inclusion and to share our individual needs to ensure that we can all thrive in the workplace.
Some also raised the importance of role models of disability openness, honest representation of disability and executive sponsors to boost inner confidence.
Outgoing EIB secretary General Marjut Falkstedt, said: “There are moments in life where we all deal with issues related to self-esteem, self-confidence. However, we have colleagues who deal with that matter each day, due to a disability, for example. For me as a manager, the most important is to understand the experience of these colleagues to ensure we are meeting their needs. I ask colleagues to please come talk to me, because it’s the only way I can help build a team spirit where we can all help each other.”
The leader-to-leader conversations enabled EIB Group staff to learn more about disability inclusion such as the fact that over 80% of disabilities are actually non-visible and to reflect and take actions to make the EIB Group workplace more accessible for all and one in which a sense of belonging can prosper.
Disability inclusion has become a clear priority at the EIB and is reflected in its Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and by the work done in recent years to institute pragmatic improvements in its systems, policies and practices. In 2021, the EIB proudly joined The Valuable 500, becoming one of the 500 internationally renowned organisations that put disability inclusion at the top of their management agenda, and became a member of PurpleSpace, the world’s leading organisation for supporting disability networks, enabling network leaders to contribute to the disability inclusion agenda in their respective companies.
In 2021, EIB President Hoyer participated in a #PurpleLightUp Leader-to-leader conversation with the leads of enAble, to discuss our inclusive future.
