The Business Advisory Board on Disability (BABD) is an action group of companies, which exists to solve the problems of disabled people from the perspectives of business and society.
The Board consists of organizations on terms of membership, on free voluntary basis. In the beginning of 2014 there are over 40 companies in the board. The board is open for a new membership of any interested organizations.
What do the companies have from participation in BABD?
- Use of large companies experience in the issues related to versatility, social responsibility, inclusive employment of challenged people and charity
- Strengthening of the company’s brand at the labor market. Social responsibility issues become a part of values and development strategies for more and more companies, both worldwide, and in Russia
- Increase of their own staff loyalty
- Obtaining professional recruiting agency services from ROOI Perspektiva which is competent in different aspects of challenged people employment
- Performance of employment quota for challenged people by recruiting specialists necessary for a company
- Obtaining of advisory and training services from ROOI Perspektiva, as well as practical assistance in legal issues related to challenged people employment, their adaptation within the team, and on the increase of the company’s services and products accessibility for clients with disability
- Participation in different social events organized and held by the board members: the contest “path to career” for the students with disability, forum “business for equal opportunities”, film fest “cinema without barriers”, photo exhibition “life in full color”v
- Exchange of experience and examples of successful employment of challenged people in the companies – BABD participants
Tamara Kopachevskaya, head of marketing department in COLEMAN Services:
“We started collaborating with BABD about 3 years ago. Our company took its first meek steps in this direction. Other companies’ experience, their projects, and their willingness to share the information and contribute to this initiative promotion, made a valuable contribution to our activity in the sphere of social responsibility This helped us understand the principles, mechanisms and nuances of the interaction, and above all- to see the prospects which are opening to our company- an opportunity of helping talented applicants in finding their place which is really valuable in terms of lack of qualified staff at the labor market.”
Victoria Markova, HR director in LLC “Sodeksa Eurasia”:
“Since our company has representative offices in 80 countries, the results and directions of our activity vary depending on the legislation and mind set of a country, but the main purpose – realization of equal opportunities principle- becomes invariable. In France we have employed about 600 challenged people, including 50 with severe form of disability, in Thailand we are collaborating with the Department of the Jobless Employment, in Italy we are closely collaborating with organizations on challenged people employment and rehabilitation. In the USA there is a special committee on disability study, whose purpose is to increase the number of stuff with disability and make them a part of our unified team. In Russia Sodekso is a member of BABD and closely collaborates with ROOI Perspektiva. Challenged people must have equal rights in the society, their working experience, knowledge and enthusiasm increase competitiveness of a company at the market.”
Sophia Chernova, HR director in LLC Nike:
“We are committed to the rule of versatility in equity when recruiting staff to our company. Challenged people can on equal terms go through the contest for any position which is relevant for their profile skills and ambitions. We never deny an applicant by the reason of disability or absence of disability.”
Marina Hadina head of career direction in Headhunter:
“Headhunter is one of the main labor market players in Russia, through our services ten thousands of people per month find the jobs. On the one hand, we know employers’ needs and their requirements, to the applicants, on the other hand, we see who applies for the submitted vacancies, and how high activity at the labor market is. Applicants having different distinctive features, including disabilities is the reality the employers are facing, and they can and must provide jobs for different people. We develop and support services which are comfortable for the both sides. In this aspect our tasks are closely related to BABD mission. In its turn, Headhunter company is an open employer, and employs different stuff providing effective working conditions for everybody. This year we’ve opened an opportunity of internships in companies for young specialists with disability. We really hope that this experience will have a success and become an example for our partners and clients.”
Elena Arefyeva, HR director in DPD in Russia:
“Nowadays our managers are ready to consider applicants with disability on equal terms with the others, and our staff reacts positively when they see a person in a wheel-chair in the office. The greatest advantage the company obtains from employing a person with disability, as well as participating in other projects is the increase of its staff tolerance. More than once we received comments from our staff who say that they feel more protected, that they understand that if they have some troubles the company won’t deny them.”
Tatiana Pesotskaya, social projects manager in Clifford Chance:
“Our company got a loyal, professional and responsible employee in person of a lawyer with some physical limitations. When we meet him in the office every day, we still make our contribution to general inclusion of challenged people into normal life, work, etc. I want to believe that his example also motivates other challenged people who are still students or schoolchildren, and who come to our excursions and presentations.”
Alena Pavlyk, senior HR manager, Ernst &Young:
“Ernst &Young has already collaborated with “Perspektiva” for several years and is an active member of the board. It’s nice to see more and more companies showing their interest for BABD and supporting the idea that disability mustn’t be an obstacle for challenged people to be successfully employed. Our company, as well as all the BABD members, truly believe that there mustn’t be any career limitations for challenged people. There are so many talented people among them, with really outstanding abilities, motivation and willingness for self-development.”
Mina Arakelyan, deputy to chief of LLC URALSIB corporative university:
“LLC URALSIB as a partner of ROOI Perspektiva in 2011 began the project “Service of equal opportunities” directed to improve the quality of service for the bank clients with disability. The first stage of the partnership project was a cycle of trainings on comprehension of disability issues, terminology, etiquette, legal basis for service for challenged people. The trainings were held for heads and specialists of back offices of Moscow regional directorate of the bank. Along with the training participants, Perspektiva couches developed 20 situations connected with the service for the clients with disabilities, which were included into the training program as the training material, and allow to discuss in groups possible challenges and behavioral models of the bank front office staff. URALSIB and Perspektiva are planning to go on collaborating in 2012. They are planning to extend the training program to regional subsidiaries of the bank, to make a tutorial film, to make and edit a brochure on the service for clients with disability, to distribute it in the bank subsidiaries.”