The observance of Equal Opportunity at Enel is a principle that is present in the Code of Ethics as well as in the Company’s identity.
European Social Dialogue
The European Social Dialogue is the name given to the systematic meetings of business and workers’ associations at the industry and/or inter-industry level. Pending the re-definition of the procedures for participating in inter-industry bodies of Italian and European employers, Enel continues to participate in the definition of the guidelines expressed by the industry European Social Dialogue. Specifically, the Parent Company’s Equal Opportunity unit takes part in and actively contributes to various kinds of meetings at the European level on issues of policy of the Human Resources, Social Affairs, Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity in the EURELECTRIC Association and the General Departments of the European Commission: Transportation and Energy, Employment and Social Affairs, Research, Education and Culture. Women at Enel Executives 32 Supervisors 611 White-collar workers 7,014 Blue-collar workers 20 Total electricity 7,677 Enelpower abroad 41 GAS, TLC, CITIDA 4,440 FTL abroad 15 Total non-electricity 4,496 TOTAL ENEL 12,173
Top managers in a mentoring experiment to develop female leadership
This was an experimental application of mentoring – an instrument of organizational development with a high potential for training – to the field of Equal Opportunity.
The idea was developed by the Equal Opportunity and European Social Dialogue unit of the Parent Company’s Department of Industrial Relations and is based on the positive experience of
participating with other European partners in the DIAMOND Project (Internet site:
http://www.e.Ist.se/jem/diamond/). One of the 52 out of 330 approved by the Labor Ministry for the funding provided for by Law n. 125/1991 “Affirmative action for realizing the equality of men and women in work”, the project was developed by Enel Distribuzione SpA over a period of 18 months.
The experiment involved managers from Enel and 12 partner companies in the offices of Turin, Rome, Bari and Cagliari. The participants were 24 female middle managers (12 from Enel and 12 from the partner companies), who had 24 top managers (12 from Enel and 12 from the partner companies) as mentors.
The objectives that were declared and attained can be summarized as follows:
> to reinforce the work position of the middle managers directly involved in the project and, in general, that of the female personnel of Enel and the partner companies;
> to offer the participants in the project the opportunity to exercise leadership from a gender point of view;
> to allow the participants in the project to transform their professional and personal aspirations into a concrete development plan, in synch with corporate goals and verifying the validity of mentoring as an instrument with a high potential for the development of resources;
> to disseminate the culture of equal opportunity and the gender approach (mainstreaming) both within and without Enel and the organizations involved in the project;
> to create a network of companies interested in promoting equal-opportunity policies and organizational projects based on gender.
Wind: projects for the integration of disabled persons in the workplace
In connection with the agreement entered into with government employment offices for establishing a plan for the integration of protected categories of workers in the workplace, Wind’s Milan headquarters started to implement an agreement regarding training periods, training and guidance with the Don Gnocchi Foundation, a not-for-profit organization for the development and professional training of disabled persons.
The project intends to foster planning and gradualness in cases of targeted hires in order to allow both disabled workers and the company an initial period adapted to the professional and human characteristics concerned. To this end an initial training period of three months is provided for to put into practice the knowledge acquired during a course taken at the Foundation and promote the professional growth of the trainee.
If nothing critical gets in the way, at the end of this period it is provided for the trainee to be hired. Cooperation with the Don Gnocchi Foundation also provides for identifying disabled candidates who have not necessarily gone through previous training periods. This program contributes to making the integration of the disabled in work environments more effective and satisfying, as well as enabling companies to evaluate specific needs in order to facilitate the attainment of important results with respect to the autonomy of the individual.
• Transparency in communication with the media
• Economic commitment in communities
• Partnership with local, national and international institutions
and associations for development
Relations with the media are based on the principles of clarity, promptness, and transparency. During a Eurisko study (July 2002) on Enel’s image, the focus group of journalists interviewed was unanimous in its positive assessment of the activity of the Press Area and emphasized:
> its helpful and cooperative spirit;
> the punctuality, truthfulness and completeness of the information.
At the same time as the Sustainability Report was being planned, Enel decided to adopt an international benchmark to offer an overall and structured vision of its projects and initiatives in support of local communities.
Enel traditionally stands out in the Italian panorama, and increasingly in the international one as well, as a company that is attentive and sensitive to social development. Adoption of the model of the London Benchmarking Group (www.lbg-online.net) will allow Enel to ensure continuity to the fundamental consistency between the Company’s strategic aims and social ends.