Centrica
At Centrica, we are developing our diversity strategy in relation to all our stakeholders, moving from a more traditional equal opportunities approach to one of inclusion and valuing difference. Our aim is to promote activity across the company that will enable us to understand, reflect and serve the breadth of diversity in the communities in which we operate.
Accessibility
Paying Your Bills publication
Working with Employers' Forum on Disability and Mencap, British Gas has produced the Paying Your Bills booklet, which is an easy to use guide with practical step-by-step advice about managing household finances, understanding bills and avoiding getting into debt. Specifically written for people with a learning difficulty, it is equally valuable for those moving into their home for the first time or for those whose first language is not English. Managing money is an essential part of living independently. This project will help people to be more empowered in how they do this. It will also prove a useful tool for outreach organisations, family members and other advocates. Find out more about this publication in our Community section .
Textphone provision
Centrica has reviewed the requirements of hearing- and speech-impaired customers with its call centre operations in collaboration with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). A Centrica policy has now been developed with text phones installed throughout the business and contracts established with services such as RNID Text Direct (formerly known as Type Talk).
Telephone language translation
To ensure that we communicate effectively with our ethnic minority customers, Centrica has established a telephone translation service for customers whose first language is not English. We provide this service, which covers in excess of 100 languages, to over 300 customers every month.
Reflecting diversity in our advertising
Our commitment to the Leonard Cheshire Visibility campaign reminds us to ensure that our brand media strategies proportionally represent the 9.4 million people in this country who are disabled. Visibility is an information programme that helps our marketing functions incorporate diversity into their work, by raising awareness within organisations of the value of the disabled market and the way in which it could be effectively targeted through marketing campaigns. A number of well-known companies, including Centrica, have given Visibility their backing
Alternative Media Provision
Alternative media provision is now exceeding over 15,000 items per month to customers in large print, Braille, audio and other less common formats. These communications range from gas and electricity bills and statements through to marketing inserts and terms and conditions. Ad-hoc employee communications are now also available in alternative formats upon request.
Web accessibility
The accessibility of Centrica's corporate website has been rated in the top ten of FTSE 100 companies.
The survey carried out by web accessibility consultants Nomensa ranks Centrica in seventh place, and adds that those businesses ranked among the top ten showed a noticeable difference from the rest of the league table.
The reports says; "Companies such as Centrica demonstrate a clear accessibility and usability strategy, working toward ensuring that their website is usable by their entire customer base."
One of the key drivers for the relaunch of Centrica.com in 2002 was to ensure it was accessible to all users, including those customers and stakeholders who are disabled and who use adaptive technology to access their information.
The site includes features such as scalable text and quick access keys which make it easier for everyone to navigate.
- In 2000 Centrica produced its own set of web accessibility guidelines based on internationally recognised best practice.
- In 2003, the Centrica website received a commendation from the Proshare Private Investor Awards for its high level of accessibility.
- During 2004 we have worked with Nomensa to further improve our own set of web accessibility guidelines to ensure all our sites remain at the forefront of changing access technology.
Employees
As part of our diversity and inclusion policy we aim to provide equality of opportunity for everyone and welcome applications from people with disabilities. Our policies and initiatives in this area are described later in this section. We encourage employees and applicants to advise us if they have a disability where there may be a need to make adjustments.
Although we do not make it mandatory for employees to declare a disability, we believe the figure to be just below 3%.