On September 23, 25 cyclists on tandem and hand bikes paid Allianz a visit. Their cycling tour took them from the Federal Labor Office in Nuremberg via pit stops at various companies over to Allianz SE in Munich. Their goal: to be included in the labor market.
Allianz has a long tradition of supporting people with disabilities: the company has been a partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since 2006, promoting the Paralympic movement on a national level. Entering into a dialogue with the athletes plays an important role in laying the foundation for Allianz' future involvement in this area. For example, a group of young employees at the company's head office in Munich lend their support so that students with disabilities may have a higher chance of getting hired. The dialogue with those taking part in the inclusion tandem tour was an important milestone for identifying common starting points and putting them into practice in the long term.
The participants of the inclusion tandem tour included Anna Schaffelhuber, Verena Bentele, Gerd Schönfelder and Michael Teuber, all of whom won countless medals at the Paralympics in Sochi, Vancouver and London. They also regularly attend Allianz employee events in the capacity of speakers.
“As an employer, Allianz encourages diversity amongst its staff, of which people with disabilities are undoubtedly a part. In doing so, we focus on individual strengths - after all, they are what really matters in life”, says Maximilian Zimmerer, member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE. “Only when we concentrate on these individual strengths do new doors open and new prospects arise. We want to do our bit to make sure disability is accepted as a normal part of life - both in society and in the labor market.”
Initiatives aiming for greater inclusion at the workplace are already taking place in many locations of the Allianz Group around the globe - and new ones are emerging. For a long time now customer inquiries in the Allianz call centers in Brazil, Italy and Thailand have been dealt with by blind individuals or individuals with visual impairments. They are extremely perceptive to other people's moods, which makes conversation easier. Allianz Deutschland has won a prize for e-Learning without limits, creating learning opportunities for everyone, whether disabled or not. Allianz France enables individuals with hearing impairments to use a special claims service and communicate using sign language. This initiative, too, has won a gold medal. These examples demonstrate that Allianz responds to the various demands presented by both customers and employees and advocates interaction as a given.
