The workshop “Inclusive Business: How to build” was held

On May 20, MacPaw Space in Kyiv hosted the workshop “Inclusive Business: How to build”. The event on how businesses can make their services, products and workplaces barrier-free was organized by the UN Global Compact in Ukraine in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine.

The event was opened by Yulia Gelazhys, Climate and Innovation Coordinator at the UN Global Compact Ukraine. Yulia noted that all employees have their own characteristics that should be taken into account in the workplace. This may include working in blackout conditions, experience in toxic teams, combat experience or the status of an internally displaced person. Yuliia highlighted that building inclusive workplaces not only fulfills European requirements, but also strengthens businesses by attracting and retaining a wider talent pool:

“Inclusion is also important for Ukrainian companies that want to work with the EU. The European Commission will require suppliers to comply with social, environmental and governance standards. And companies with an inclusive policy have a better chance of getting international funding. Inclusion in business is not just a trend, it is a necessity for modern Ukrainian society.”

Svitlana Kolyshko, Human Rights Team Lead, Human Rights for Ukraine Project Coordinator,  Democratic Governance at UNDP Ukraine, noted that almost 30% of the total population has faced discrimination at least once in their lives. This is according to the results of the sociological survey “What Ukrainians know and think about human rights”, which is conducted every two years by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation at the initiative of UNDP in Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in partnership with the ZMINA Human Rights Center. 

“Inclusive businesses that provide equal opportunities for both employees and clients are essential, not optional. Creating a barrier-free environment is important, first and foremost, because it opens up new opportunities for your business: these are new customers and people who will work in a team. Furthermore, with the ongoing war, the number of people with disabilities is likely to rise. Being prepared for this by creating an inclusive environment strengthens businesses by attracting a wider talent pool and customer base.”

Irena Fedorovych, an advocate at Fight for Right, an expert at the Ukrainian Corporate Equality Index, a trainer and consultant on respect for diversity, spoke in detail about equality policies in business: why they should be created and how to make them work not only on paper:

“If your competitors have better policies, including internal ones, then sooner or later you will lose your team, or at least those people who care about the environment in which they work. Developing a good policy is only part of the way. The main task is to implement the policy in a quality manner.”

Експертка зазначила, що політика рівності для бізнесу спрямована на сприяння справедливому та інклюзивному середовищу, де до всіх людей в команді ставляться незалежно від їх раси, статі, віку, інвалідності, сексуальної орієнтації, релігії чи будь-яких інших ознак. Основним завданням такої політики є запобігання дискримінації, сприяння різноманіттю в команді та забезпечення рівних можливостей для всіх працівників та працівниць. Ірена поділилася чітким планом дій щодо впровадження політики рівності у компанії:

The expert noted that equality policy for business is aimed at promoting a fair and inclusive environment where all people in the team are treated regardless of their race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or any other characteristics. The main objective of this policy is to prevent discrimination, promote diversity in the team and ensure equal opportunities for all employees. Irena shared a clear action plan for implementing an equality policy in the company:

• Assess the current state: Analyze existing policies, procedures, and diversity within the organization.
• Develop a comprehensive policy: Outline the company’s commitment to equality and the desired future state.
• Implement training: Provide regular training to foster an inclusive culture and embed equality principles in client interactions.
• Establish support mechanisms: Create clear channels for employees to report discrimination.
• Promote diverse hiring: Ensure the hiring process is inclusive to build a more diverse team at all levels.

“The atmosphere of respect for diversity, commitment to human rights and implementation of this in daily work is definitely not a short sprint, but a long marathon, which will give you huge intangible benefits and a sense of great achievement at the finish line.”

More information on the topic of business and human rights is available on the Diia.Business platform.

Olena Ivanova, UNDP Project Manager for Rehabilitation and Inclusion, told the workshop participants about inclusive environments, goods and services for clients. Olena emphasized that the war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on the labor market, creating a need for increased attention to ensuring the human right to decent work. 

The expert noted that by employing as many workers as possible from different population groups, the problem of burdening the state budget, which supports disabled citizens, can be avoided:

“Young people who are looking for their first jobs and need support, older workers who often receive lower wages, pregnant women, people with disabilities, mothers and fathers who also have their own needs – all people should have equal opportunities and rights. And their efficiency as employees and comfort in the workplace directly depends on us, the employers.”

To do this, employers must adapt their work processes and approaches to their employees:

“Focus on an employee’s strengths and abilities, not their disability. By tailoring work processes and creating accessible environments, companies unlock the full potential of their diverse workforce. Disability is not a sentence, as it is leveled when a workplace or service becomes accessible.”

As an example, Olena cited a typical mistake in design solutions: if the text is printed in a very small font and a person cannot read it, the problem is not in the person’s ability, but in the fact that the font size is chosen incorrectly.

Summarizing, Olena Ivanova outlined the main requirements for a barrier-free workspace that companies should provide for their employees. These include gender-neutral toilets, quiet rooms, mother’s feeding rooms, a gender-neutral place for changing, a place for employees’ children to stay, places for storing and eating, and comfortable and adaptive furniture.

Yevhen Borysenko, architect, urban planner, co-founder of the Pro.UD expert center for universal design, told the workshop participants about the physical accessibility of spaces.

Yevhen shared tools that can help design barrier-free spaces. These include, in particular, the State Building Regulations and Standards, which, according to the expert, should be used by every builder when designing a space. Another important tool is the Album of Barrier-Free Solutions, a practical guide that recommends and illustrates how the urban environment can be friendly to different users.

Yevhen Borysenko also spoke about what universal design is and its role in modern space planning:

“For me, universal design is based on the values that an architect puts into his project. It is the design of all things, which focuses on the person and takes into account the needs of everyone. The goal of this design is to maximize the number of people who can use your object, space, or service.”

The expert also outlined the main practical solutions that should be considered when redeveloping premises and adapting landscaping elements. Here are some of them:

• availability of directional signs, lighting of recreation areas and pedestrian paths
• a tactile map of the territory at the entrance;
• tables and benches with free space for a baby carriage or a person in a wheelchair;
• duplication of stairs with a ramp;
• a canopy from the rain and sun;
• non-slip flooring;
• railing along the stairs and ramp;
• contrastingly labeled glass surfaces;
• gender-neutral and gender-labeled bathrooms;
• equipped workplaces for people with disabilities.

Yana Honcharenko, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, author of corporate diversity and inclusion strategies at Starlight Media, spoke about her experience in developing diversity and inclusion in the company. Yana also shared practical cases that helped her team to increase the number of candidates seeking to work at Starlight Media and to receive recognition from more than 20 national and international awards, ratings and competitions that recognized Starlight Media’s case for gender equality as a best practice.

“If you don’t see or feel inequality, it doesn’t mean that this problem doesn’t exist in your organization. Through your corporate culture, you shape people’s perceptions, which subsequently influence the national culture.”

For those companies that want to start their journey towards diversity and inclusion, the expert spoke about the basic rules of success on the path to change:

• public commitments and reporting are important;
• involvement of business leaders guarantees quality and rapid changes;
• having a specialized department or specialist will help to respond quickly to new requests and work systematically.

How does it work in practice? Yana Honcharenko spoke about Starlight Media’s approaches that have worked for their company. These include regular education, the organization’s responsibility for new solutions at all levels (as an employer, as a media outlet, and as a business), and developed partnerships with international NGOs that have become a valuable source of expertise. 

Yana emphasized the people of the company whom the management considers their allies: 

“Our colleagues are allies of this topic, its co-authors and ambassadors to the fullest extent. Their ideas are always heard, and their initiatives are supported and encouraged.” 

The expert also shared her experience in developing Starlight Media’s veteran policy. As part of its work with veterans, the company has developed important rules that help Starlight Media to work efficiently in this area:

• projects about women and men veterans cannot be created without the involvement of women and men veterans;
• veteran policies should extend to work with families of soldiers and families of fallen soldiers;
• it is important to keep in touch with a person while he or she is in the military. This determines the quality of interaction with them on the way to their return;
• an integral part of veteran policy is also the policy of honoring memory;
• any system should retain the flexibility to respond to exceptional cases and be updated in accordance with needs and challenges.

This event was organized by a team of experts from the UN Global Compact Ukraine, Social Action Center in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and UNDP in Ukraine with financial support from the Government of Japan as part of the Business and Human Rights Accelerator.

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