Landmark gender equality initiatives transform PLDT in 2021

MANILA, Philippines, March 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2021, PLDT Inc. fortified its commitment to promote diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion among its employees, with landmark initiatives, campaigns, memberships, and policies for workplace gender equality.

These efforts, together with those of its Home and Enterprise business units, subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. and international business arm PLDT Global, support the Social pillar of the integrated telco's sustainability program and are led by its People Group.

"We take pride in being an equal opportunity employer with an inclusive culture. This will help us attract and further develop an employee talent base that will generate a broad spectrum of ideas which captures the diversity of the many communities in which we operate," says Gina P. Ordonez, Chief People Officer at PLDT and Smart.

For International Women's Month, PLDT and Smart's Yes, She Can! internal campaign featured webisodes with female employees, including leaders that offered advice on how to navigate a workplace considered a man's world, as women representation is evident in PLDT and Smart's governance structure and leadership team. A digital activity also enjoined employees to post tributes for women colleagues. These efforts earned PLDT and Smart a silver citation at the 57^th Anvil Awards.

PLDT and Smart's Chief Sustainability Office also organized a webinar with the Philippine Business Council for Women Empowerment (PBCWE). Discussions on workplace gender equality, and on how women's economic empowerment can be practiced in the workplace, led to PLDT and Smart signing up as the first two Philippine telco members of PBCWE.

For International LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the landmark PLDT and Smart Pride: Everyone is Included campaign raised awareness and promoted acceptance of LGBTQ+ employees, demonstrated the companies' diversity and that every individual is valued. "This is the inspiration of our commitment to promote a safe and inclusive workplace regardless of gender, identity, sexual orientation, or expression," Ordoñez says.

PLDT's Pride Month activities covered a learning session on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE), including how to prevent acts of discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, aligned with PLDT and Smart's goal to provide a safe, secure, resilient and healthy working environment.

PLDT Global also initiated new LGBTQ+-centric policies, providing health and medical coverage to partners of employees in same-sex unions.

PLDT's group-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives underscore its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to the principles espoused by the UN Global Compact.