The Responsible Business Forum and Smart Kolektiv announce the call for the Most Inclusive Employer Award for the year 2023. This award is given to business entities that have shown a strategic commitment and excellence in fostering diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion in the workplace. 

Companies with more than 20 employees can apply for the competition. They should have integrated diversity and inclusion issues into their business strategies and actively engage in initiatives and projects that contribute to creating an inclusive work environment. 

“With this award, we aim to recognize companies leading the business community in operating based on the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion, thereby contributing to positive changes in society as a whole. Through this award, we also aim to raise awareness within the business community and the broader public on the inclusion of people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in the labor market,” stated Neven Marinović, Director of the Responsible Business Forum and Smart Kolektiv. 

A jury composed of prominent representatives from the civil, public, and private sectors will make the decision, considering the recognition and integration of inclusion and diversity principles at a strategic level (strategy), the way these issues are managed, and the existence of policies and procedures that regulate this matter (management). The jury will also evaluate how the strategy and management are reflected in the company’s day-to-day activities and initiatives undertaken in 2023 to implement this topic in the work environment, as well as indicators of success in their efforts. 

The principles of diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace refer to a company’s efforts to create a work environment where all employees have equal opportunities for advancement, feel included and accepted in all aspects of work, regardless of who they are and where they come from. 

• APPLICANTS are required to fill in the application form, which can be found at THIS LINK, and it should be sent to the email address: kancelarija@odgovornoposlovanje.rs by November 20.
• The AWARD PRESENTATION will take place at the CSR & ESG Forum on December 12. 
• For MORE INFORMATION on the terms and criteria of the competition, please download the Methodology for Awarding the Most Inclusive Employer Award HERE. 

The “Most Inclusive Employer” Award is presented as part of the project “Job Fit: Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities” funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Youth with Disabilities Forum. Other project partners are the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, Caritas of Serbia, Smart Kolektiv and the Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities