Having the people capability to deliver our strategic objectives with a strong values-based and inclusive culture is a foundational pillar of our Driven to Make a Difference: Net Zero by 2040 strategy. To achieve this, we are committed to building and sustaining an increasingly diverse workforce, ensuring equitable experiences, and culture of inclusion and belonging for each of our employees.
To show progress and efforts being made to deliver on our commitments, we recently published our first accessibility report: Inclusive, Equitable and Accessible: Building Better Experiences and Opportunities.
Some key highlights from the report include:
All job descriptions now include a note to encourage candidates to inform ESB if they require assistance with all aspects of the recruitment process.
Our first Accessibility Employee Resource Group was established in July 2023 and members come from a range of business units with varying lived experience of disability.
10% of employees who responded to the voluntary and anonymous employment survey in January 2024 indicated they had a disability, equating to 3.8% of Republic of Ireland employees reported to the National Disability Authority and in our 2023 annual report.
We are continuously seeking how we can improve accessibility to buildings, with the introduction of braille signage and obtaining building sensory audits by leading experts.
“Improving accessibility for all is an important part of life at ESB. This is something that we’re determined to deliver at ESB, to help build and sustain our increasingly diverse, strong values based and inclusive culture, ensuring equitable experiences for all. By doing so, we will have a positive impact on our employees and customers and greatly improve our ability to innovate, collaborate and find the solutions we need to achieve our Net Zero target by 2040,” says Sinead Kilkelly, Executive Director, People and Sustainability.
We are committed to ensuring accessibility for all employees, covering the full range of visible and invisible disabilities and medical conditions, whether permanent or temporary through:
- Providing accessible physical and digital work environments.
- Having inclusive recruitment and selection processes in attraction, retention, and progression.
- Equitable opportunities for personal development and training.
Ensuring reasonable accommodation in line with Employment Equality Acts.
Partnerships to learn and develop from
We continue to engage with key strategic partners such as AsIAm, AHEAD and Open Doors Initiative to deliver inclusive workplace training to our people and to promote the employment of people with disabilities into the organisation.
Since 2006, we have recruited over 170 people with disabilities through targetted initatives with partnerships and, this year, we were delighted to expand this positive action measure into our award- winning Graduate Programme.
“Having recently joined as ESB’s Access Officer and Accessibility Specialist, I believe that true accessibility and inclusion goes beyond compliance. It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and empowered. By embedding accessibility into our everyday practices, we can harness the diverse talents and perspectives that drive innovation and ensure our community is better served,” says Caroline McGrotty Accessibility Specialist and Access Officer at ESB.
The full report can be accessed by linking here via Inclusive, Equitable and Accessible: Building Better Experiences and Opportunities.
Please see below our video on our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at ESB.