It is important in today’s world to be able to recognize the differences in people, to see that the richness of society lies in diversity and that through tolerance we have the power to overcome the barriers that limit social inclusion.
At Enel we are committed to building a society in which we can all live fully, and in which we recognize the rights of others. We grasp the importance of adapting to social differences, focusing on the needs of people with disabilities and the elderly as part of our goal of being an inclusive company.
Inclusion for the common good
A main indicator of the level of development in a given society is its ability to integrate all people without exception, without bias as to their differences or conditions. Based on our commitment to be a service benchmark and to embed the values arising from equity, we have given life to a pet project known as ‘Enel - Codensa Is Inclusive’ through which we have contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of over 3,000 people with disabilities and seniors who visit our service centers monthly. In 2015 we incorporated a differential approach into our customer service model, which has ensured excellent customer service for this important group of people.
The ‘Enel - Codensa Is Inclusive’ program, developed in conjunction with the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation, had an initial investment of $280 million Colombian pesos that were earmarked mainly for the training of service centers’ directors and consultants to achieve efficiency in care, as well as in the implementation of an analysis to diagnose the needs of this population group. From this analysis, around $10 billion pesos were then invested in renovating our service centers, where access ramps, signposting and preferential rows for people with physical disabilities, as well as modules for small customers or those in wheelchairs, are available. For customers with visual limitations up to 3,800 braille invoices have been issued.
A vision of change for everyone
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in Colombia more than 1 million people are registered as having some kind of disability. This produced a commitment from the government to ensure the necessary conditions for this social segment to feel recognized and heard in all spaces offered by our society.
In order to counter discrimination and to open the door to tolerance, we became the first company to develop an Inclusive Care Guide, which serves as a tool not only for our employees, but also for other corporations that want to be part of this culture of integration.
