Disability Support at Powerco

Powerco is committed to growing an inclusive and diverse workforce. It draws on its partnership with Accessibility Tick to develop an inclusive environment for employees and customers alike.

Powerco was one of the first organisations in New Zealand to join the Accessibility Tick programme, designed to help organisations that are becoming more accessible and inclusive for people with accessibility needs.

For Powerco, becoming a more accessible and inclusive workplace has so far included:

Updating its Inclusion and Diversity policy to use the word ‘accessibility’ instead of ‘disability’
Developing and circulating a statement from the Chief Executive expressing the company’s commitment to all employees
Developing an accessibility action plan and sharing it with all employees
Providing all employees with access to accessibility training material
Providing specialist training, such as physical accessibility training, to key health and safety, human resources and facilities teams, as well as committees, throughout the business
Adding accessibility as an agenda item at Health and Safety Committee meetings and scheduling regular assessments of the physical environments
Completing physical accessibility checks of external training venues
Collecting accessibility needs data from all permanent employees

Its vision for the future includes:

Accessible and inclusive practices: An active, consultative commitment to all areas of accessibility and inclusion
Physical environment: A commitment to physical accessibility
Recruitment and selection: A fully accessible recruitment process that reduces discrimination in hiring
Employee support: A commitment to making reasonable accommodations to recruit, retain and support people with accessibility needs
Career development: Equitable career development opportunities are offered for employees with accessibility needs
Communications and marketing: Internal and external comms and marketing are accessible and inclusive of people with accessibility needs
Information technology: Information technology is accessible to people with accessibility needs
Products and services: Goods and services are available to all sectors of the community, including those with accessibility needs
Suppliers and partners: Suppliers and partners mirror Powerco’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion