Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) has released a preview of the latest Elevate Inclusive Workplace Pledge Annual Report with Veolia Ireland playing a central role.
Veolia’s Sinéad Patton is co-chair of the BITCI Subgroup on Social Inclusion which developed and launched the Elevate Pledge in 2021. The Pledge encourages companies in Ireland to proactively measure, disclose and profile their workforce so it mirrors the diversity within society.
The preview of the fourth Annual Report reveals that over 60 large companies, with a combined workforce of over 160,000 employees, are signatories. By signing up to the Pledge, these companies, including many of Veolia's Irish customers and Veolia itself, make a public commitment to social inclusion.
Highlights from the report preview
Companies remain committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) but more needs to be done
Increasing female representation at senior levels is the most common KPI among signatories
53% of signatories track disability with 7% of the Elevate workforce have identified as having a disability and 6% have disclosed they are neurodiverse
64% of signatories partnered with employment support organisations to widen their recruitment channels resulting in over 160 hires
of the Elevate signatories’ workforce are from ethnic minority groups
Veolia Ireland's internal progress in 2024 demonstrates the positive impact of our diversity efforts, with a nearly 10% increase in female employees and a 25% increase in non-Irish citizen employees.
With Veolia Ireland leading the way, this collective action campaign has helped Irish companies evolve from one-off actions to now pursuing a range of meaningful tangible initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to inclusivity.
