- The telecommunications operator remains in the index for the fourth consecutive year and improves its score compared to the previous edition.
- Telefónica is one of the 10 telcos that are part of an indicator that selects 380 companies from 44 countries.
- Inclusion in the index is a recognition of Telefónica’s commitment to gender equality, which represents a key and transversal element in its global strategy with impacts on four stakeholders: employees, society, customers and suppliers.
Madrid, January 27, 2021 – Telefónica has strengthened its position for the fourth consecutive year in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which measures the commitment, practices and policies related to gender equality in participating companies.
The company has improved its score, with respect to the previous year, by more than 10 points, and is one of the 10 telecommunications operators worldwide and of the 18 Spanish companies included in the index. These data are relevant as the number of companies included has increased by 55 compared to the previous year, for a total of 380, with a presence in eleven sectors, from 44 countries and regions, and a combined market capitalization of 14 trillion dollars.
Among the aspects of Telefónica’s diversity and inclusion strategy most valued by Bloomberg are the establishment of diversity criteria in the performance objectives of the workforce, the representation of both genders in the selection processes, training on biases, as well as the drive to break down gender barriers in the technological field, developing and promoting numerous initiatives such as Technovation Girls, Hacker Women, Women and Engineering or Scale Up Women, among others. Similarly, internally, Women in Leadership, a program to accelerate professional careers and increase the visibility of female employees, is being developed.
“At Telefónica we are convinced that the diversity of our teams, together with an inclusive leadership style, helps us to obtain better business results. Our commitment is to continue promoting an open and egalitarian culture that allows us to attract and retain the best talent, foster innovation and build a fairer society without leaving anyone behind”, says Ruth Ortiz, Talent, Reward, Organization and People Data director at Telefónica.
The GEI benchmark measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women branding. “Companies included in GEI 2021 are expanding the universe of ESG data, incorporating gender-related data to meet investor demands,” says Peter T. Grauer, president of Bloomberg, for whom “making this data public advances inclusiveness and transparency in the markets”.
Further strengthening its commitment to transparency in the equality environment, Telefónica is one of only five Spanish companies to have responded to WDI’s Workforce Disclosure Scorecard in the 2020 edition – workforce information supported by 52 investors with $6.5 trillion under management – with a score of 77%, compared to an industry average of 61%.
It is also a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, promoted by the United Nations Global Compact and aligned through the Global Diversity Council and Telefónica’s Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which seeks to ensure both gender equality and multiculturalism and a variety of profiles, ages, skills and experiences.
About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, a global leader in financial, business and news information, provides critical insights to help make decisions with its dynamic network of information, people and ideas. www.bloomberg.com
About Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the world’s leading telecommunications service providers. The company offers fixed and mobile connectivity services, as well as a wide range of digital services for individuals and businesses. It is present in Europe and Latin America, where it has more than 341 million customers.
Telefónica is a fully private company whose shares are listed on the Spanish stock exchanges and on the New York and Lima stock exchanges.
