Marking a groundbreaking step towards deaf inclusion in the workplace, Teleperformance (TP) in the Philippines and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde have formalized a partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing, recently.
The partnership with the Benilde Deaf School (BDS) marks a pivotal moment in the journey of the first and largest Great Place to Work company towards advancing the organization’s diversity, inclusion, and equity (DE&I) policies, a press release from Teleperformance said Thursday, January 4.
The MOA includes a comprehensive program to train Deaf interns and equip them with the necessary tools for their integration into the workforce.
Present at the signing rites was the newest Chief Executive Officer Rahul Joll, joined by Chief People Officer Jeffrey Johnson, and VP for Human Resources, Communications and Marketing, Rachel Cacabelos of Teleperformance.
Among CSB’s representatives were Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Angelo Marco Lacson, and OIC Dean of the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies, Ana Kristina Arce.
“Teleperformance is geared towards hiring more persons with disabilities in the coming years. This internship program provides a safe and inclusive workplace, while ensuring that our Deaf interns have the necessary resources they need to thrive in their respective careers,” said Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff Jeffrey Johnson.
Over the years, TP has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to deaf inclusion. Notable achievements include hiring PWD employees and ensuring the presence of dedicated Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpreters in corporate events, the press release said.
Through the introduction and empowerment of Deaf interns in the workplace, Teleperformance aims to hire more persons with disabilities in full-time positions, it said.
“Our Impact Sourcing team has been operating for more than a year. With the appropriate support, reasonable accommodations, fair policies, and a culture centered on inclusivity, persons with disabilities can surely flourish in the IT-BPM industry”, Aura Manalo, Impact Sourcing Supervisor and Lead of the TP Disability Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ERG), said.
“The Deaf community at TP are proof that any PWD can succeed and thrive if a workplace is committed to its inclusive policies and programs,” Manalo said.
“For 2024, we will be engaging self-identified employees with disabilities with a series of empowerment sessions. We will also set sensitivity training and exercise to properly educate our teams and create a safe space for PWDs,” she added.*