Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
98
The British broadcaster of the 2012 Paralympic Games invited viewers to “meet the super­
humans.” More than an advertising phrase to highlight Paralympians’ sporting ability,
it also opened minds to the unique talents and potentials of people with disabilities –
or rather, with different abilities. As the world’s leading provider of HR services, we are
passion­ate about this ethos. Adecco helped recruit the people to work at the most inclusive
Olympic and Paralympic Games ever.
With around 32,000 employees assisting
700,000
associates on a daily basis, we
embrace our responsibility to uphold
the UN Global Compact Principle 6: “The
elimination of discrimination in respect
of employment and occupation.” In 2012,
our activities in this field intensified as
we helped recruit the people to work at
the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our
approach is about doing a wide range of
ordinary things for extraordinary people,
for the good of the economy and soci-
ety. “Better work, better life” applies to
everyone and the future of work means
“
superhumans included.”
London 2012 – The most inclusive
Games
As the official recruitment services
provider to the London Olympic and
Paralympic Games, Adecco UK & Ireland
helped the London Organising Com-
mittee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG)
realize their vision to create the most
inclusive Games ever. Lord Sebastian
Coe, Chair of LOCOG, says, “Inclusion is
about removing barriers to making peo-
ple participate at every level.” Embrac-
ing this philosophy, we partnered with
LOCOG to manage 218,000 applications
and hire 8,300 people to work directly
for LOGOC, being the people behind the
Games. Thanks to our Diversity Tracking
Software, we knew that 10 percent of the
registered workforce had some kind of
disability, which was way beyond our 6
percent target from LOGOC.
A Guaranteed Interview Scheme
and the Disability Talent Pool were vi-
tal for this achievement. The Guaran-
teed Interview Scheme meant that if a
disabled candidate’s curriculum vitae
demonstrated that he or she had the
required skills and experience for the
role applied for, Adecco guaranteed them
an interview and the opportunity to
display their skills. The Disabled Talent
Pool was created by Adecco and used by
LOCOG’s Diversity and Inclusion Team.
It gave disabled people who initially
missed out on a position the possibility
to be considered for other opportuni-
ties. Adrian Cross, COO Hyphen, Adecco
Group UK & Ireland says, “Our diversity
deliverables demonstrate what can be
achieved when the right stakeholder
cooperation – supported by robust sys-
tems and processes – are implemented.
The fact that Adecco and LOCOG jointly
worked to deliver and overachieve on
the key elements of the government’s
diversity targets is widely recognized as
ground-breaking.”
The IPC Academy Inclusion Summit
To support one of the goals of the Para-
lympic Games, which is to promote inclu-
sion in our wider society, Adecco joined
forces with the International Paralympic
Committee (IPC) to organize the IPC
Academy Inclusion Summit, which took
place between September 6 and 8, 2012,
in London. Speakers included Organising
Committee of the Olympic and Para-
lympic Games (OCOG) representatives,
companies such as Adecco and British
Airways, as well as Paralympic athletes
sharing their view on what the benefits
of inclusive and accessible societies are by
exemplifying the Paralympic Games as
a catalyst for societal change. Attendees
included more than 100 people from
around the world representing govern-
ments, disabled people’s organizations,
businesses, and the International Labour
Organization. In his opening speech, IPC
President, Sir Philip Craven, set the stage
with a clear message: “London 2012 is
The Future of Work:
Superhumans Included
Adecco Group
By Lilian Furrer, Adecco Group