The Director of Sustainable Development, Laura de Vega, has highlighted the value of difference and equal opportunities within Aquona as an inclusive company.

Aquona has participated in the ‘Inclusive Companies’ meeting that was held online today and was organized by the Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Castilla y León, COCEMFECYL.

The objective of the conference has been to analyze the value that people with disabilities contribute in terms of diversity in companies, as well as the sharing of good practices carried out in business organizations and other entities in Castilla y León in terms of responsibility corporate social.

From Aquona, its director of Sustainable Development Laura de Vega, has highlighted the organization's commitment to equity at the highest level of the company's boards of directors and the mixed companies in which it participates, with a Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals from which concrete commitments are derived in the area of ​​equity.

These commitments are based on six strategic objectives included in the company's own strategic plan, as explained by Laura de Vega:

• Integrate the value of equity and equal opportunities into the corporate culture and set ambitious goals
• Be a benchmark in terms of equity
• Improve the balance of presence of women and men
• Integrate work, family and personal life balance into the organizational culture
• Define and practice inclusive communication
• Promote and guarantee an adequate work environment free from harassment

Regarding the culture of equity, the starting point was the approval of measures to promote equal opportunities, increase the number of women in leadership positions and people with disabilities in the company and it has been continued by other measures related to communication such as the creation of the equity network, the dissemination of content in this area in the internal newsletter, the publication and subsequent dissemination of the inclusive language manual or the holding of workshops on unconscious biases in both gender and disability to middle managers. In addition to the previous projects, Aquona's status as a company attached to the network of companies for a society free of gender violence is added through which the company disseminates the rights of women victims of gender violence, adding to the annual campaigns of the Ministry. "For example, since 2017, the more than 115 vehicles in our fleet carry the 016 serigraph and the leitmotif of the‘ There is a departure ’campaign," said Laura de Vega.

Externally and following the vocation of being a lever in the more than 130 municipalities in which Aquona is present, the company externally promotes the values ​​related to equity and equality. Participate The ewoman Zamora event for the promotion of female leadership or the Aquae STEM educational program that Aquona carries out with the Aquae Foundation in schools in Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha to promote scientific, mathematical and technical vocations among Primary school students are clear examples of this.

In terms of inclusion, the mentoring project 'bootcamp impulsa' that Aquona promotes together with Suez Spain, a group of companies of which it is part, stand out to promote female talent in the organization or alliances and agreements with entities such as the Red Cross or the Foundation ONCE, through the Aquae Foundation, which have made it possible for people with disabilities or at risk of social exclusion to be able to work or carry out internships at Aquona, thus facilitating their inclusion in the labor market.

Universal accessibility, alliances and commitment to the community

One of the most outstanding projects is that of universal accessibility in offices, which aims to "guarantee physical and sensory accessibility in our offices", explained Laura de Vega. "We have implemented in the Zamora, Ponferrada, Palencia and León offices the 'S Visual' service for video interpretation of sign language and we have installed magnetic loops and smart beacons associated with an app that guides the user through the office" he added.

These and other actions would not be possible without the collaboration of foundations and entities with which Aquona has worked for years. For example, with the Zamora Red Cross, we promoted the ‘Most positive balance’ that involved the entire workforce in the analysis and subsequent proposals regarding conciliation. Thanks to these alliances, Aquona is able to “multiply the impact” of its actions, being a signatory of the European Diversity Charter promoted by the Alares Foundation, in addition to having the 'Optimum' distinctive from the Castilla y León Board and working as the hand of Red Acoge, Excecyl or Cocemfe, among others. Recently, Aquona has obtained the Bequal Plus seal that accredits it as a socially responsible company with disabilities.

Last but not least, Aquona encourages inclusion in the local communities in which it operates. “In 2019 we have carried out more than 64 actions, such as the sponsorship of the sports season of the Paralympic athlete, Iván Eras, the solidarity sports scholarships in Zamora or, in 2020, the agreement for the support of the Inclusive Sports School of Castilla and León ”, Laura de Vega stressed.

"It is clear that there is still a long way to go and that the path is being made by walking, but in the area of equity we must accelerate the pace, as a society as a whole and from companies in particular, as we are doing in Aquona" finalized.