We believe that a diverse workforce enhances the performance of an organisation at all levels. We recognise that only by promoting inclusion, through the creation of employment and training opportunities, can we promote the career success of those who are disadvantaged in accessing the labour market.
The Incluir programme aims to create training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and/or impairments, migrants, refugees and people at social risk.
The Incluir Centres are part of the Incluir Programme and operate on the basis of an innovative training and development methodology that is tailored to each trainee and adapted to the functions that can be performed within the Group.
The Incluir centres, which include a simulation store, have been designed with different types of disabilities in mind, using signage and fonts to facilitate reading for people with low vision or dyslexia, touch screens and texts in Braille for the blind and partially sighted, colour coding for the colour-blind and headphones for greater comfort for people with autism. The two centres in Lisbon and Porto are open to the public.
The Incluir programme was recognised as best practice in the Qualification and Inclusion category at the first edition of EuroCommerce’s European Commerce Awards.
In Portugal, Jerónimo Martins SGPS (the Group’s holding company) and Recheio have been awarded the Inclusive Employer label by the Portuguese Institute for Employment and Vocational Training since 2021. In the case of the holding company, we achieved the Excellence level for the first time in 2023. Pingo Doce has also held this label since 2023.
In 2023, Ara began implementing an inclusion programme aimed initially at employees with disabilities and women who are responsible for household income.
In the case of employees with disabilities, Ara provides training, legal and labour support and accompanies the people hired, as well as preparing the teams that take them on.
As for female employees who are responsible for household income, they are given training centred on empowering women in vulnerable situations, so that they are in a better position to manage and progress both in their personal and professional lives.
Our intranet has become even more accessible with the changes we introduced in 2023. We highlight the intranet’s greater compatibility with screen readers and keyboard navigation, tools that reduce the barriers that prevent people with visual impairments or intellectual disabilities, among others, from enjoying all the opportunities offered by the online world. The new tools are available in the countries where Our JM is implemented.
In partnership with the One Day Foundation, Hebe runs a programme that offers young people at risk who live or have lived in orphanages an internship with the possibility of a permanent contract in the future. This initiative ensures that young people are trained to work in stores, particularly in customer service, and that they receive mentoring from the company.
“I was glad to have been a mentor for these young people, who were facing their first work experience. Specifically with regard to the young man I accompanied, I wanted to show him that he should not be afraid to express his opinion, but at the same time remind him that other people can also have different views and needs. I did my best to motivate him to achieve his goals and tasks, in a relaxed environment.”
Wioletta Maruszak
Area Manager at Hebe
Given the high representation of employees of Ukrainian origin in Biedronka’s workforce, the company has taken a structured approach to their integration. A dedicated team has been set up to create:
