Partnering with social enterprises geared towards diversity in employment can help organisations boost corporate excellence, social responsibility, and empowerment of underserved communities.
This is one of several insights found in the latest Chief of Staff Asia research paper, on remote working. Navigating Remote and Hybrid Work Boundaries in Southeast Asia is now available for subscriber download here.
Since 2019, Home Credit has been partnering with Thisable Enterprise, an organisation dedicated to promoting employment for individuals with disabilities. This collaboration has onboarded 10 disabled employees, who are thriving to this day in the operations department.
Later, the company teamed up with Difalink, a startup with the same agenda. It launched a three-month internship programme, where beneficiaries included two hearing-impaired interns and a third with vision impairments. Through this partnership, such employees can be successfully engaged in remote work from the comfort and safety of their homes.
Another social enterprise that HR can work with is Virtualahan, which is based in the Philippines and also serves disadvantaged groups such as the chronically ill and solo parents. This organisation trains beneficiaries in digital skills from the start, supports them with life and career coaching, and connects ‘graduates’ with employers looking to tap into remote productivity and enhance their brand image.
Partnerships like these help to boost diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) outcomes. At the same time, they spread job opportunities to those who would otherwise be left behind while allowing organisations to acquire unique and well-represented teams.
