Balance for Better Business is an independent business-led Review Group established by the government with the aim of increasing female participation at board and leadership levels in Ireland.
This year’s Annual Report, the 7th edition, was launched at an event in Dublin which brought together a diverse group of senior leaders from private and public sectors across Ireland including Veolia.
The report features a case study on Veolia's initiatives and achievements in promoting diversity and inclusion in our organisation.
Our case study highlights our 2023-2025 Inclusion Strategy, called Five by 25. The strategy focuses on having concrete actions to create an inclusive culture. Having an inclusive culture is about embracing and celebrating our differences and giving everyone the same opportunities in an environment where everyone feels respected, has a sense of belonging and has the opportunity to thrive.
The case study also included details on specific initiatives arising from this strategy including:
- building an employer brand - “See the World as We Do” - with the goal of attracting more female engineers to our organisation and the industry
- running a targeted campaign to attract female apprentices to our newly launched electrical instrumentation and mechanical apprenticeships
- adopting the use of gender-decoded job advertisements
- shifting our focus in job descriptions to emphasise necessary job requirements and move away from "nice-to-have" qualifications.
This has significantly expanded our pool of qualified candidates and has opened up new opportunities for a more diverse workforce.
Over 50% female representation on the Ireland Senior Leadership Team
10% increase in female representation across our overall business in Ireland
30% increase in female hiring in the last year
Sinead Patton, Veolia's Chief Finance & Commercial Officer for Ireland and Nordics, emphasised the importance of creating an inclusive culture:
As a leader member of Business in the Community Ireland, we continue to work towards creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace for all.
