Telefónica is the first Spanish company, and global telco, to join the ‘Generation Valuable’ programme, promoted by The Valuable 500, a global initiative that promotes a new business system and culture that values and integrates people with disabilities.
“For Telefónica, contributing to providing opportunities for people with disabilities is not only an ethical imperative, but also a question of talent and business. In the current context, no company can afford to do without any valuable professional,” said José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman of Telefónica. “Diversity allows us to better understand the real needs of our customers, to connect with society, and to be more innovative and productive. Together, we need to empower people with disabilities to humanise technology and break down barriers with digitalisation. Thank you to The Valuable 500 for promoting such an innovative initiative as ‘Generation Valuable'”, concludes the Chairman of Telefónica.
Generation Valuable is an innovative mentoring programme spearheaded by 28 early adopter corporations worldwide, which will identify and create a community of disabled talent to share and report on their experiences to today’s C-Suite managers with the aim of making companies more inclusive.
The programme, launched at this year’s World Economic Forum, aims for an employee with a disability and a mentor from their organisation’s senior management to explore together the transformation pillars of The Valuable 500 – C-Suite, Culture, Customer, Reporting, Representation and Procurement – over the course of twelve months.
“This initiative demonstrates that there is a wide range of disabled talent in business, and that they are more than capable of taking on positions of power and leadership. Enabling them to reach their full potential by breaking glass ceilings is a game changer,” says Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500.
The Valuable 500 is made up of 36 of the FTSE 100, 48 Fortune 500 and 28 of the Nikkei. Seventy per cent of its members have a turnover of more than $1 billion and 52% employ more than 10,000 people. Telefónica joined the initiative at its inception in 2019.
Commitment to inclusion and diversity
Telefónica is aware that in order to successfully integrate talent with disabilities into teams, it is necessary to have an inclusive environment. It has therefore reinforced its awareness campaigns, workshops, training courses and accessibility guides.
Telefónica’s objectives in the area of disability, as well as the different actions, are monitored by the Global Diversity Council, made up of senior executives. This body has reinforced the monitoring of this issue in 2022, with monographic sessions to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the company and in society.
Telefónica has also continued to promote products and services that improve the autonomy of people with disabilities. This is the case of the POS accessible to the entire network of ONCE vendors or the approximately 1,000 contents with triple accessibility available on Movistar+ television as part of the 5S service. In this regard, the company has signed the “Principles for promoting the digital inclusion of people with disabilities” promoted by the GSMA, as well as agreements with specialised entities.
