Our initiatives include support for parents returning to work after maternity leave, for which two-day seminars are offered in Austria. The aim is to help returning parents reconcile job and family. But even during maternity leave, the “Business@Breakfast” initiative aims to ensure that mothers and fathers are kept up to date, can get involved and stay in contact with colleagues and the company. This is a concept that is particularly popular in the case of longer absences and enables an easier and successful return to work.

In Austria, a women’s advancement plan has also been drawn up to define measures for more equal opportunities. The aim of these measures is to promote the professional development opportunities of women and to improve the compatibility of work and family life. In addition, the women’s network “women@A1” was created as a platform for exchanging ideas and sharing know-how, and for women to support each other.

Another A1 Group initiative to promote equal opportunities is the “A1 STEMfemme” program, which was launched in 2022. This project was founded in the course of the internal ideas competition Empowering Ideas, an intrapreneurship program that looked for sustainable (ESG) projects in 2022. 63 teams came together across the Group, some of them across countries, and presented their ideas. The jury of CEOs and ESG country managers invited ten teams to the “Innovation Camp”, where the ideas became projects. In the end, six of the teams convinced at the final pitch and can call themselves “A1 ESG Champion 2022”. Croatia was able to launch a mentoring program for young women and girls with the idea “A1 STEMfemme” as A1 ESG Champion. The aim is to promote women in the “MINT” fields. During the training, talented young women will gain a deeper insight into the business world of A1 and will be accompanied by mentors.

In addition, the A1 Diversity Community was founded in Austria in November 2020. With the focus on 100% equality, LGBT+, generations, culture and disability & skills, inclusion is promoted and diversity is lived. Under the motto “Just be you”, a sign is set for all people.
For example in Belarus you can enjoy “inclusive coffee”, which is offered in 3 shops that are specially designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Adapted to those who work in the shops and open to all who want to drink coffee. In Serbia people with disabilities work in the telesales team in the course of a cooperation with the NGO Forum of Youth with Disabilities.