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Welfare and diversity and inclusion
WELFARE, DIVERSITY&INCLUSION
(405-1)
(Code of Ethics, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group). The Group believes that diversity is a value to be recognised, understood and reinforced. It undertakes to create an open and inclusive work environment with the conviction that the diversity of its people is a source of organisational well-being and competitive edge for the business. In its Code of Ethics, the Group endorses, inter alia, “the creation of a respectful and collaborative work environment, repressing any form of harassment; policies for personnel’s mental and physical well-being, striving to balance the needs of the business with their personal and family needs; refusal to exploit labour and, especially child labour, zero tolerance for any type of illegal labour and a commitment to ensure fair, merit-based, skills-based regulatory and remunerative treatment without any discrimination”. In addition, as confirmation of its commitment to inclusion and diversity and the respect for human rights and equal opportunities, in 2020, the Group signed the
Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), established by UN Women, the UN entity dedicated
to gender equality. These principles aim to enhance and promote equal opportunities for women in the workplace, the market and the community through which the Group operates. The activities and projects for the Group employees are supported by both the National and Local Equal Opportunities Committees112 and directly by specific internal structures.
112) A bilateral and joint corporate body set up pursuant to article 1.3.C) of the national labour agreement for the Mobility/Railway sector and article 3 of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group’s contract of 16 December 2016. There is one national committee and 15 local committees.
GROUP INITIATIVES (CARRIED OUT DIGITALLY THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY)
| DIVERSITY&INCLUSION
[404-2.03]
* WECARE online space created to inform personnel of the
Group’s caring actions and provide support on handling the psychological impacts of the pandemic, creating real, inclusive relationships and raising awareness about disability (1,200 participants in a total of 22 initiatives);
* CULTURAL ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH
HEARING LOSS: an interpretation service in Italian sign language was integrated into the Wecare webinars to give access to the content to people with hearing loss and raise awareness of all participants about the value of accessibility as a shared responsibility; * 4WEEKS4INCLUSION the second edition of the intercompany marathon dedicated to inclusion and enhancing diversity with over 200 companies and 700,000 people involved.
FS was in the front line with the participation of senior management in two events to raise awareness, coming second in the “WIN4Inclusion” charity trophy and organising a webinar with over 120 participants,
“Diversissimo me”, dedicated to the inclusion of all the identities that characterise each of us.
* CREATION OF A DASHBOARD for monitoring the improvement of D&I policies at the FS Italiane Group;
FS STORIES CAMPAIGN INCLUDED IN THE TOP50 ACTIONS OF THE DIVERSITY BRAND INDEX 2021
The “People” (FS stories about employees’ strengths and uniqueness through their own words) and “Le Persone e il fare” (first-hand accounts of the commitment and passion that employees put into their work every day) campaigns came in amongst the top fifty inclusive schemes from the assessment board for the Diversity Brand Index 2021 which measures the level of inclusion at brands according to companies’ real commitment to Diversity & Inclusion.
| EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS
* JOINING FORCES TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
an awareness campaign about gender-based violence. All employees got involved by launching the #iononrestoaguardare (I will not be a bystander) campaign on 25 November, an invitation to spread awareness about this “silent” call for help by sharing photos to say together we stand against gender-based violence. Furthermore, a webinar was organised to spread awareness about the importance of not being a bystander so that the people around
women can catch on to even the less obvious signs of psychological abuse as well as physical violence in order to protect and prevent the risk. * CLEAN UP THE WORLD as part of Legambiente’s “Clean up the world” initiative, the FS Italiane Group organised a morning for Group employees and their families to redevelop some urban areas and clean up waste, restoring their value.
| WELFARE
* WELFARE PORTAL: a single, integrated tool for finding all the welfare services offered by the Group and using the ever expanding selection of assets and services, which recorded higher usage by employees in 2021.
Specifically, on the FS Welfare portal, employees can: find out about the Group’s welfare plan, use welfare credits by either requesting reimbursement of expenses regarding work/life balance benefits or by availing of new welfare assets and services, and find information on the special agreements and discounts available for employees for numerous cultural initiatives; * UNILATERAL DONATIONS: in 2021, the Group offered the payment of two contributions: one for a holiday voucher and one to reimburse expenses incurred for babysitting services, creches, study holidays, day camps and play centres, in addition to assistance services for elderly and non self-sufficient family members;
* ASSISTANCE FOR DISABLED CHILDREN: the Group once again offered monetary assistance (€800) to employees with disabled children in 2021;
* CUSTOMER CARE FOR EMPLOYEES: the Group provided the service to support employees with welfare initiatives, including supplementary healthcare, again in 2021.
| EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE INITIATIVES
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* GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: a collaborative project (#NONèNormale - It is not normal) organised throughout the Group’s intranet to mark 25 November, aimed at identifying violence, stimulating discussion among employees and preventing it from occurring.
* EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN:
Women in Rail agreement distributed among the equal opportunities committees; this agreement was signed in Brussels on 5 November 2021 by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the European Transport Workers’
Federation (ETF) to increase the number of women in the railway sector and improve their conditions.
* PREVENTION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND SEXISM: * analysis of the 2020 Annual Report of the confidential female counsellor (appointed as part of the code of conduct for cases of sexual harassment in the workplace) and follow-up meeting to examine the report; * Proposed actions aimed at preventing sexual harassment in the workplace at the FS Italiane Group drafted and presented to the People management & compensation manager; * meetings between the equal opportunities committees and the confidential female counsellor to decide on how to act in potential cases of harassment, in order to become a point of reference for employees in this regard; * FAQs drafted on sexual harassment in the workplace as per the “code of conduct for cases of sexual harassment in the workplace” and published on the Group intranet. * COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS: promoting dialogue on gender-related issues via news and events, expanding the range of addressees.
* WORK/LIFE BALANCE: roll-out of a study on working from home to assess potential impacts for female workers.
* HEALTH PREVENTION AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY: * pilot training/motivational seminar called “Women move the world” organised on 8 March for all members of the equal opportunities committees to promote physical exercise as a factor of well-being, also in relation to work; * notice published on the Group intranet on the outcome of the above seminar with regard to both gender and sustainable mobility.
