Arvato Group | Eiweiler, 12/07/2017

Inclusion Award for Arvato CRM Solutions Eiweiler

Arvato CRM Solutions Eiweiler has won the Inclusion Award of the Government of the Saarland. The award honors the concept and projects for the integration of employees with disabilities into everyday working life. In addition to the implementation of the Bertelsmann Group Inclusion Agreement, the site adopts many more measures for the promotion of employees with health impairments. As a consequence, Arvato Eiweiler employs considerably more people with disabilities than the legislation requires.

The integration of employees with health impairments is a very high priority at Bertelsmann. Arvato CRM Solutions in Eiweiler demonstrates how this priority is put into practice with great success: in recognition of the concept and various measures for the inclusion of these employees, the site has now been honored by the Government of the Saarland with its 2017 Inclusion Award. Juliane Haas, HR Officer and Representative for Employees with Disabilities of Arvato Eiweiler, Katja Simon, Staff Representative for Employees with Disabilities, and Site Manager Frank Lorth accepted the award in the state capital of Saarbrücken.

“We measure employees with disabilities by their abilities, not their shortfalls, entirely in the spirit of the Bertelsmann Group Inclusion Agreement,” said Juliane Haas. The consistent implementation of the measures penned down in the inclusion agreement formed a cornerstone in the application of Arvato CRM Solutions Eiweiler for the Inclusion Award. Individual regulations for the design of working hours, procedures and workplaces, a preferred consideration for training measures, a performance evaluation appropriate for the circumstances, and support with the reintegration into working life are among these measures. Furthermore, the Arvato site convinced with a percentage of employees with disabilities that is considerably above the 5 percent quota required by legislation – at the end of October 2017 it was almost 14.5 percent, and more than 7 percent among the group of managers.

Many Small Measures

In addition, Arvato Eiweiler presented various projects as part of its application, aiming to promote inclusion. As Juliane Haas emphasized, they are not just about big initiatives but also “many small measures that, summed up, enable or secure employment for many colleagues.” A part-time job with responsibilities custom-tailored to his competences was set up for an employee with an autoimmune disorder. Another visually impaired employee was given a larger monitor and special software enabling him to read the text on the monitor. In other cases, the purchase of height-adjustable tables, ergonomic office chairs or the introduction of special shift plans helped facilitate the work for employees.

Arvato Eiweiler has also been implementing the measures of the Operational Integration Management (Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement BEM) since 2009 and, according to the company, far beyond the legal requirements. They include, for example, individual shift adjustments and break regulations, ergonomic and disability-friendly workplaces, special computer glasses, support with the application for rehabilitation measures, and much more.

“We Want to Send a Signal Here”

“We are proud of our commitment in the field of inclusion and our corporate culture; all employees deal with these colleagues in a very sensitive way, and they get support from everybody,” said Site Manager Frank Lorth. “We want to send a signal here and demonstrate that there are many opportunities for people with disabilities especially in the service center environment and that many issues can be solved if you take the time to find creative solutions and involve the proper counselling centers,” added Katja Simon.

The Government of the Saarland has been organizing the Inclusion Award for special efforts for the inclusion of people with disabilities into working life since 2003. This year, more than 270 companies of all sizes had applied for the award. An expert jury chaired by a state secretary selects the winners. Each of them receives a certificate and the right to market their company publicly with the award for three years. In addition, the private employers receive prize money subject to using the amount for the promotion of the participation of people with disabilities in working life. In the case of Arvato Eiweiler, the prize money amounted to €750.