Ten signatories, including The Office of the President of the Slovak Republic and the City of Bratislava, Joined the Charter of Diversity

Ten employers have signed a voluntary initiative to promote diversity and inclusion at the workplace, including the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic, the Capital of the Slovak Republic Bratislava, Slovnaft and McDonald’s.

With their signatures, 10 signatories joined the Charter of Diversity in the Mirror Hall of the Primatial Palace in Bratislava:

•     Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia
•     Denník N
•     Office of the President of the Slovak Republic
•     Capital of the Slovak Republic Bratislava
•     McDonald’s Slovakia
•     plus55
•     SLOVNAFT
•     Unilever Slovakia
•     UP Slovakia
•     Veolia Energia Slovakia

Thus, after two years since its inception, the Charter of Diversity now has 76 signatories from different sectors and business fields. “Among the signatories, we will find state institutions and civic organisations. It is a positive signal which shows that the issue of diversity, be it age, culture or gender, is starting getting attention across society,” said Michal Kišša, Executive Director of the Pontis Foundation which administers the Charter of Diversity.

The Office of the President of the Slovak Republic can serve as a model in the field of diversity and inclusion. It has an almost balanced share of employees by sex, workers are between 24 to 71 years of age, and the office also employs people with reduced health ability. “We do not apply either positive or negative discrimination. We build a working environment based on openness and tolerance. Thanks to this, we have more than 50% representation of women in the office, including key executive positions,” explains Štefan Rozkopál, Head of the Office of the President of the Slovak Republic.

The research project KapaCity by the Centre for Research of Ethnicity and Culture states that foreigners make up 8% of the capital’s population, which is also a third of all foreigners in the country. Hence, Bratislava is the most multicultural town in Slovakia. Therefore, the Municipality of Bratislava also joined the promotion of diversity. “Diversity is the greatest asset this city has since it is an essential prerequisite for innovation. We are convinced that Bratislava should be a city of cultures,” says Zora Jaurová, Advisor for Culture to the Mayor of the City.

One of the signatories of the Charter of Diversity is company plus55 which seeks to promote the employment of people over 55 years. The platform aims to connect employers with seniors who often do not have enough opportunities to work. “This group of people is the most experienced and these people want to share their knowledge. It is necessary to create the conditions for them because, in cooperation with a team of young people, there can be an effective synergic effect,” says Pavol Šalátek, Managing Director of the company.

The signing of the Charter of Diversity Slovakia was accompanied by an expert seminar titled Inclusive Cities and Companies which was held in cooperation with the Metropolitan Institute Bratislava.