“One word is not enough to describe a person”.

BETTER

We are a boutique consultancy working in the field of inclusive culture building, sustainability and stakeholder relationship management. As a representative of the B CORP movement in Poland, we promote and implement good business practices – also in the field of diversity & inclusion.

Even though the Better team consists of only 7 people, we strive to ensure that all employees have a guaranteed sense of security and belonging. Some of the initiatives carried out by the company include: providing new hires with information on equal treatment in employment, ensuring flexibility in employment – in terms of working hours and working hours (based on family status, place of residence, as well as personal preferences), carrying out activities to support work-life balance, encouraging all employees to inspire each other and share knowledge related to equality and diversity issues, surveying the opinions and needs of our team, as well as their level of satisfaction with the workplace.
In addition to its team-directed initiatives, the company supports the promotion of diversity&inclusion in Poland – including through the Diversity Congress, which has been organised since 2014. Better’s CEO also initiated and is one of the founders of the Diversity Equity Inclusion Alliance Foundation.
Since 2021. Better is a signatory of the Diversity Charter.

DEI ALLIANCE

The DEI Alliance Foundation was founded in 2022. Our mission is to support employers in creating truly inclusive workplaces and to raise public awareness of diversity.

Our manifesto

• We believe that diversity, social justice and inclusion positively impact us all.
• We believe that diversity and a respectful culture provide leverage for teams.
• We believe that the success of any organisation depends on the ability to draw from diverse thoughts and experiences, challenge established ways of thinking and unlock solutions that enable agile working.
• We believe in putting people first.
• We believe that everyone can be an ally and create a more inclusive culture that supports diversity in all its forms.
• We believe in the power of collaboration.
• We believe in being human-centred at all levels: organisations, teams, products and services.
• We also believe that this is good for the development of the world and for future generations.

What do we do?

• We provide knowledge and tools
  We use both proprietary and globally proven tools in our work. We are a source of reliable and up-to-date information on DEI. We help to effectively and empathetically implement strategies related to building inclusive workplaces. We are constantly learning and unlearning ourselves.
• We create a unique community
  We connect people and organisations – regardless of sector, size or industry. We learn from each other, we support each other, we trust each other. We are each other’s equals. Together we are changing the image of DEI in Poland.
• Sensitising our environment
  We aim to positively change the diversity narrative in our society. Through campaigns, we create awareness in Poland. We join forces with those who care about disadvantaged groups to change the world for the better.

We are the initiator and co-organiser of the #SayHiToDiversity.
We regularly share our knowledge in the DEI Alliance newsletter and on social media (Linkedin and Instagram).

PHILIP MORRIS

Philip Morris is currently undergoing profound changes focused on creating a smoke-free future. They affect the business, are reflected in the internal structures of the company and are closely linked to the implementation of the Inclusion & Diversity strategy. We know that only as a diverse team can we fully fulfil our business goals.
We are presently focussing our Inclusion & Diversity strategy on four main areas: equal opportunities for women and men, support for parents and carers, building a dialogue across generations and different employee groups. Within the framework of the defined areas, actions are implemented to support each of the above-mentioned groups:

Equal Pay Certificate and Presence of Woman in Management Positions
– Levelling the playing field is one of the cornerstones of the company’s activities on many levels – including remuneration. We were the first company in Poland to receive the Equal Salary Certificate awarded by the Equal Salary Foundation. We were recertified last year. It confirms that we do not differentiate pay by gender and that our organisation has been consistently working and implementing equal pay measures for years.
– Philip Morris International also announced the achievement of its global goal to improve gender balance, ensuring at least 40% female representation in managerial positions by 2022. Success can also be spoken of in the case of the Polish market, where such a role is already held by more than 45% of female employees. Despite having achieved one of its targets, the company continues its efforts and sets further ambitious directions on the way to building an environment of equal opportunities. The target is 35% women in senior management by 2025.

Happy Parents, a Tool to Support Equality Parenting
– Fulfilling business ambitions and building a development path on one’s own terms would be much more difficult if it were not for the solutions we have developed to support equality parenting.
– The Happy Parents programme is designed to provide working parents with the best possible conditions when they return to work. Parents returning from parental leave can now work part time (50% of full-time equivalent) for the first month at Philip Morris companies in Poland with 100% of their full-time salary.

Generational Dialogue – We Want to Draw on the Experience of 4 Generations
We are welcoming people just entering the workforce to join our company, while on the other hand, we celebrate the milestone anniversaries of employees who have been with us for 20, 30 or even 50 years. We know that only as a diverse team – in terms of age, gender, nationality or culture – can we successfully achieve our business goals in the smokeless transformation the company is undergoing.
– In 2022, Philip Morris in Poland was recognised for effectively combining and harnessing the potential of different generations in the organisation – Philip Morris Polska Distribution sp. z o.o. and Philip Morris Polska S.A. were the first companies in the country to receive the “Employer of the Dialogue of Generations” certificate.
– As an employer providing employment opportunities for some 7,000 people in Poland, we see this as a great opportunity and hope that other companies will also join the initiative.

CD PROJEKT RED

The most important element of diversity is respect, empathy, and consideration of others, which is why at CD PROJEKT RED we strive to create a work environment where everyone can be themselves. This includes taking into account the needs of everyone, including underrepresented groups, and basing our work on acceptance and continuous growth.

„Dziewczyny w grze!” („Girls in the Game!”) Program
“Girls in the Game!” is a mentoring and scholarship program for high school girls created to help them take their first steps in the video game industry.

“Girls in the Game!” participants have the opportunity to learn about many practical aspects of the video game industry, gain hands-on experience creating games, and receive financial support to cover the costs of additional classes, training or hardware.

They are also mentored by experienced specialists from CD PROJEKT RED who provide their expertise and support as the participants work on gaming related projects. Mentors also help build their mentees’ confidence and guide on next steps in their career so that they avoid falling into common pitfalls or stereotypes and instead pursue their dreams. Our #SayHitoDiversity campaign features Olga Cyganiak, who was a mentor in the first edition of the program.

More information – click here

Menstrual leave
Menstrual leave gives all menstruating employees who experience severe period pains an additional day off.

The ability to take menstrual leave is meant for all RED employees who experience severe period pains and is available to all menstruating employees across all types of employment contracts.

Each menstruating employee can take one additional day off per month whenever period pain occurs. Unused days off do not accrue or carry over to the next month, nor are they paid out when the employee departs from the company.

Menstrual leave fosters inclusiveness by accepting that there are biological differences in the workplace. It acknowledges that pain and other symptoms that are incidental to menstruation like migraines and nausea are real. Breaking taboos can only be done by speaking up and turning an often sensitive topic into a normal conversation.

More information – click here

Psychological support at CD PROJEKT RED

Every CD PROJEKT RED employee can make use of free and confidential psychological support from a therapist or speak with a Trusted Person at the company.

Psychological support at CD PROJEKT RED is offered to all employees for free across five languages (Polish, English, Ukrainian, German, and Russian). Employees interested in making use of this support can book a visit or a video consultation.

At the company, we also have Trusted Persons whose role is to intervene in situations where undesirable behaviors that are antithetical to the culture at the studio occur. Every employee at CD PROJEKT RED can reach out to a Trusted Person to ask for advice in such a situation or to flag it, trusting that any requests for anonymity will be respected.

Additionally, all employees have the opportunity to take part in webinars that cover a wide variety of topics related to mental and physical health, both in and outside of work. The studio also organizes talks with renowned specialists from various disciplines — they discuss numerous topics, from how to effectively plan rest and create an environment conducive to sleep to interpersonal relationships and how to build them.

DELOITTE

At Deloitte, we know that diversity has many dimensions and that we all build an inclusive culture every day, so our initiatives are also created by our employees.

Woman That Matters
Woman That Matters is a mentoring program aimed at female students who are entering the job market and want to consciously plan their career path with the support of experienced female experts. Thanks to meetings with Deloitte’s female leaders, mentees not only have the space to exchange experiences and inspirations, and build a network of business contacts, but also learn about good practices useful in starting their careers. The goal of the program is also to support the development of Deloitte’s female leaders, the program gives them space to share knowledge and settle themselves in as mentors.
The 4th edition of the program began in March 2023. A total of 261 mentoring pairs were formed in the four editions. This year, for the second time, the TECH track was specified for female students interested in development in technology.
The Woman That Matters program was also qualified for this year’s edition of the Responsible Business Forum’s Report “Responsible Business in Poland 2022. Good practices”.

GLOBE – an employee network of the LGBT+ community and allies
GLOBE is currently numbering more than 150. The network’s activities focus on informing and educating: training for employees, celebrating the Pride Month, and webinars organised in cooperation with NGOs. Once a month – rainbow coffee online, and every other month there are events aimed at network members, i.e. outings to the theatre, forest walks, parties, meetings with the CEO of Deloitte, etc.
The activities of the GLOBE network are very important in terms of building a sense of belonging and have a great impact on the perception of LGBT+ people in the workspace.
In June 2022, we supported the Open For Business conference as an official partner. During the conference, we presented the OFB report: The Economic Case for LGBT+ Inclusion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): https://open-for-business.org/poland-open-for-business-summit#
In October 2022, Deloitte was also an official partner of the LGBT+ Diamond Awards organised by Natwest and ABSL, with the CEO Tomasz Konik presenting an award in one of the categories. During the event, Deloitte also promoted its report – Deloitte: LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work: A Global Outlook https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/lgbt-at-work.html.
We participated in the report “Safe Harbours: why we need talk about LGBT+ people in the workplace?” prepared by MNW and Skanska, which showcased examples of companies and their actions for the LGBT+ community: https://biznesniewyklucza.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/bezpieczne-przystanie-2022.pdf.
The GLOBE initiative was also shortlisted for this year’s edition of the Responsible Business Forum’s Report “Responsible Business in Poland 2022. Good practices.”

DEI Ambassadors Program
At Deloitte, we launched the DEI Ambassadors Program, with more than 100 people signed up. Participants in the program develop ideas for initiatives in categories such as support for women, neurodiversity, disabilities, cultural differences, and generational differences. The goal of the program is to create a Deloitte culture based on diversity and inclusion of different employee groups, create and support grassroots employee initiatives, activate employees, and educate about DEI.

INCLUSIVE.BUZZ

Diversity does not create hierarchies. We bring together emancipatory minority movements in an environment of excluded people.

Base by Inclusive.Buzz is a unique project. We work with an international and queer team consisting of refugee and migrant people from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Algeria, Iran and Belarus. Together we create a menu that represents flavours from all over the world, all vegan or vegetarian, and organic. At the same time, our restaurant at 28 Marszalkowska Street in Warsaw has become an important meeting and activity place for activists and minorities. The whole place is run by the Inclusive.Buzz Association and all profits go to fulfil our statutory goals.

We joined the campaign because we believe that it is invaluable for individuals and society to give agency to the excluded. We prove on a daily basis that changing positions of privilege and hierarchy generates new strengths and opportunities within a team. We give voice to the excluded so that they can act according to their own needs, not those imposed from above. We support nurturing safety in action for lgbtq+ people, as well as migrant people. Through inclusivity we help regain self-determination. We build a civil society from the grassroots up.

ANG GROUP

ANG Group has been a diverse organisation since its beginning, building a workplace free from any discrimination or divisions.

Since 2013, ANG Group has been a signatory to the Diversity Charter. We care about equal treatment, prevent discrimination and strive to build an inclusive organisational culture. This is ensured by the principles that guide us (Code of Ethics, our Governance) and the Ethics Committee elected by the ANG community.
In 2021, we launched a series of webinars hosted by Divercity + to support the building of an inclusive culture in ANG Group, and in particular in the offices of our experts. Two meetings were held: “Open to Diversity” – introducing the topic of diversity management, we talked about, among other things, the difference between inclusion and integration, the benefits of building an inclusive culture; and “Bullying and Negative Behaviour,” during which we discussed what bullying is, how to prevent it and how to react if it happens. This training is mandatory for all the managers at ANG. Any person who experiences bullying, discrimination or other unethical practices can report it to the Ethics Officer appointed at ANG Group, who guarantees anonymity to the reporting person.

We are active in the Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable working group led by the Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business and the Divercity + organisation. Within its framework, experts from various organisations share their knowledge and experience, and topics that seemed most relevant to diversity management over the past year were and are being discussed. The result of the work of this group is a practical guide for organisations that we co-created “Diversity and an inclusive culture step by step” (published in June 2021).

https://nno.pl/poradnik-na-temat-zarzadzania-roznorodnoscia-i-budowania-kultury-wlaczenia/

WORK FROM BED FOUNDATION

The Work From Bed Foundation was founded in the name of inclusivity and diversity. For us, these values are not one of the policies currently being implemented, but underpin all of our activities. Why? Because for us, it all began with inclusivity and diversity…

The idea for Work from Bed came to life in 2015, when Majka, the founder of the organisation, met Artur, who had suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident as a teenager. Artur had never worked before. He wanted to, but couldn’t find an employer who would dare to hire him. He spent most of his time in bed watching TV. Majka was working at a popular PR agency in Silesia at the time, but the thought was already born in her head that social entrepreneurship was the career path she wanted to follow.
Long story short – two years after their meeting, Work from Bed Foundation was formally established. It was formed to:

• employ people with disabilities – legally and with dignity,
• break disability stereotypes,
• prove that people with motor disabilities can do intellectual work without problems.

Since 2017, we have been combining social and business activities. What does this look like in practice? On a day-to-day basis, we work like any other advertising agency – we make posters, strategies, websites, run social media. We try to spice it all up with WCAG. In addition, we carry out social impact projects in line with our mission. What makes us different from other agencies? We employ people with physical disabilities. Is this a problem for us and our clients? NO!

Assistive technologies

Some of our team use assistive technologies. Thanks to them, we are able to remove computer work obstacles, so the quality and pace of our work does not differ from any other business in our sector.
Łukasz, who handles content writing and social media, uses an eye tracker. He has quadriplegia and would not be able to use a standard mouse comfortably. The eye tracker allows him to control the cursor and perform tasks on the computer using eye movement. We bought the equipment using OWES funding (owes.swr.pl/).

Ergonomics in the workplace

At Work from Bed, we all work remotely and spend many hours in front of screens. This has a huge impact on the comfort of our work and, consequently, its efficiency. That is why we organised an ergonomics audit of workplaces. First, the selected people were visited by a physiotherapist who took a close look at how we work, and then proposed specific solutions. Then we bought equipment that dramatically improved the quality of our work: super-comfortable armchairs, desks, mouse pads. We covered a large part of the expenditure with subsidies. What is the lesson here? If you want it, it’s easy. Just take the time to find solutions and the money will be there.

Flexible working hours

We try to adapt our work schedule to the needs of our employees. We focus on flexibility because we are aware that everyone has individual needs and lifestyles. This approach allows us to work in harmony with our own rituals, which is particularly important for people with disabilities. You ask how do you manage in such a fast-paced industry as advertising? With good organisation, many things succeed. And this is true regardless of whether the company employs people with dissabilities or not.

At Work from Bed we were DEI (diversity&inclusion) before it was fashionable 😉

We welcome people with disabilities into the labour market. Do you?