Social-occupational inclusion: Why is it necessary?

Employees are also more productive when they perceive that they work in an organization that cares about society and offers equal opportunities.

Diversity in the workplace provides different benefits to society and the company. Having diverse people on the teams generates innovative and creative ideas. By bringing together profiles with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives, a variety of ideas and approaches are obtained that may drive innovation and solve problems more effectively. It may also lead to more solid and balanced results, as it minimizes bias and enables more informed decision-making representative of reality. 

This is why companies that embrace diversity and inclusion may obtain a competitive advantage in the market. By having a diverse team, they better understand the needs of a diverse market and adapt their products and services as a result. In addition, organizations that value diversity and inclusion often attract this type of talent, which provides an advantage in talent acquisition and employee retention. 

An inclusive environment creates a positive labor environment in which employees feel valued and respected for who they are. This leads to greater job satisfaction, commitment and talent retention. In addition, diversity and inclusion promote a collaborative work environment that promotes mutual respect and is open to new ideas and perspectives.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the business environment, and many organizations have taken measures to guarantee it. Every day more and more leading multinational companies have implemented diversity and inclusion policies, establishing objectives and programs to promote an inclusive and equitable work environment.

However, the adoption of diversity and inclusion policies and practices varies significantly by region, sector and company size. The sectors that are most committed to hiring people with disabilities are food, general distribution and insurance companies.

While an exact number of companies in the world that apply such policies cannot be provided, it is encouraging to see that more and more companies around the world recognize their importance and are taking steps to ensure it in their work environment.

At MAPFRE we have implemented our own methodology to measure our employees’ satisfaction related to social-occupational inclusion. The 1,001 employees with disabilities in 20 different countries have given us a score of 8 out of 10 in terms of well-being for people with disabilities. They have also evaluated different topics such as physical, material, and emotional well-being, as well as the quality of their interpersonal and social relationships, and their professional development within the company.   

As explained by MAPFRE’s Corporate Director of Employee Experience, Anastasia de las Peñas, “we’re very satisfied with the results, which reflect our commitment to inclusion”. She believes that companies committed to diversity and inclusion are able to attract talent and enhance employee loyalty, while also increasing motivation and fostering creativity among team members.“ 

Investing in diversity benefits everyone and adds tremendous value, because it allows us to bring together all types of talents and skills. Encouraging diversity is a key part of any company’s competitiveness”, she emphasizes.  

In order to guarantee equal opportunity in our offices, we have implemented a program in all countries, with measures to boost the real inclusion of people with disabilities in the company.  This program has various modes of action, the 3 principal ones being: normalization, labor integration and improving quality of life. 

• Normalization

Through talks, conferences, workshops, training sessions, volunteer activities or communication actions, we promote the creation of positive attitudes of respect, solidarity, appreciation and tolerance towards disability, in short, an inclusive culture among MAPFRE employees. 

• Workplace inclusion

Through agreements like the one we have with the ONCE Foundation, we have been supporting the workplace inclusion of visually impaired people in Spain and Latin America since 2014. 

• Improving quality of life

Thanks to initiatives like our Family Program, we guide our employees’ relatives with disabilities to achieve the maximum level of autonomy and integration in society, based on early detection, training and employment. 

At MAPFRE, we care about what matters to you and we work every day to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, who represent 15% of the global population.

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