Sensitizing corporates attitude towards equal opportunity

The aim of the project was to put the Equal Opportunities Act into practice within large companies. Autonómia, the Nevelők Háza Association in Pécs and their corporate partners implemented a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project in which, rather than corporate donations, the focus was on the company’s own micro-environment and its problems.

During the project, company staff – particularly those from HR, marketing and communications – played an active role in the planning: through interviews, focus groups and needs assessments, they identified issues relating to equal opportunities, and then, through study visits and collaborative work, familiarised themselves with the activities of civil society organisations working with disadvantaged groups.

The project’s target group comprised, on the one hand, the employees of the participating companies and, on the other, groups that are under-represented in society and face difficulties in integrating. As a result, the companies developed more thoughtful CSR and HR strategies, as well as equal opportunities plans, and concrete actions supported by staff were implemented. The project increased employees’ awareness of and commitment to social issues.