In 2021, significant steps were taken in our journey to sustainability such as becoming the first major company in Ireland to eliminate the gender pay gap and the launch of the An Post Green Institute which forms part of our commitment to developing our management and leadership pipeline to ensure sustainable leadership for the future. The below details the other achievements we have made in relation to Decent Work and Economic Growth in 2021.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion
We are striving to develop an inclusive workplace where everyone feels accepted, supported and valued – a place where every employee can access opportunities and resources and where they can bring their true selves to work. We believe the more we foster a collaborative environment and value differences, the closer we get to living in a truly inclusive community like the ones we serve. Our strategy has five areas of focus: gender, ability, intergenerational, ethnicity, and LGBTQ+.
Gender
In 2021, we became the first major company in Ireland to eliminate the gender pay gap. We also took a number of actions to bring us closer to achieving our commitment of gender balance such as the use of software to remove gender bias from all our role profiles, ensuring that shortlists for our management roles are gender balanced and establishing the Advance Mentoring programme for managers, with female managers prioritised in year 1. You can read more about how we achieved this milestone with our positive changes in the 2021 Gender Pay Gap Report.
Ability
Currently 4.4% of our employees have disclosed a disability to An Post , which exceeds the 3% employment target for persons with disabilities that is specified by the Disability Act 2005. To help support us with our ambitions to recruit and employ more people with disabilities, in 2021 we continued our partnerships with the Trinity Centre for Person’s with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID). We also joined the Open Doors Initiative’s ‘Employers for Change’ service to help encourage more people with disabilities to apply for positions within An Post.
Intergenerational
We understand the benefits of a generationally-diverse workplace and appreciate the unique habits, behaviours and preferences that different generations have. To offer tailored support for our intergenerational employees we engaged in research to identify the challenges and nuances of having five generations working together, this will inform the actions we will take in 2023. In 2022 we continued to support 14 graduates through the second year of their graduate programme and celebrated the graduation of another 14 who had completed the programme, having started in 2020 during the pandemic.
Ethnicity
In 2021, we held a number of local events celebrating the cultural diversity of our employees, such as recognising the different languages spoken in our Dublin Mails Centre. We recognise we have more work to do to ensure we represent the communities that we serve and will run an inclusion survey in 2022 to better understand and target the needs of our employees from different ethnic backgrounds. This will enable us to introduce initiatives that make real lasting impact.
LGBTQ+
We actively support the LGBTQ+ community in An Post. In 2021, we established Bród@anpost, an LGBTQ+ employee group made up of dedicated employees and allies who can connect in a safe space to help move the LGBTQ+ agenda forward. We are also in the process of exploring how to implement ‘Mx’ titles for employees across our internal systems.
Zero hour contracts
An Post is against the excesses of the gig economy. We are committed to providing all of our employees with fulfilling, secure careers with opportunities for professional development. In 2022, we maintained our commitment to no zero-hour contracts.
The health, safety and welfare of our employees is a top priority. We continue to monitor the situation regarding Covid-19 with our Covid-19 Response Team prepared to act swiftly based upon the advice of the Government Chief Medical Officer and the HSE expert team. Despite cessation of travel restrictions in May 2022 and the easing of all pandemic related restrictions within Ireland, we continue to provide the necessary support to our employees, including the ongoing provision on demand, of Hand sanitiser, disposable face masks and anti-viral sanitising wipes and sprays.
Health and safety
Vehicles pose great risks to our drivers and the communities that they serve so in order to keep everyone safe, we train all our drivers in braking, fire safety, speeding, preventing rollaway incidents and vehicle maintenance. Through our training programmes, we are continuously improving our road safety record. As a result, we saw a 40% improvement in our Road Traffic Injury Rate, falling from 0.45 in 2021 to 0.27 per million km in 2022. Through our training programmes and awareness initiatives, we are continuously improving our road safety record.
Employee Wellbeing
Throughout 2021 we focussed on putting in place new supports to ensure that we do as much as possible to foster a happy and healthy organisation such as holding regular webinars and support sessions on financial wellbeing, mental health, resilience and healthy eating. We held two big walking challenges across the organisation to promote an active lifestyle. During the ‘Big Step Challenge’ in April 2021 we walked 41,486km which was enough to walk around the world and do a victory lap of Ireland. To complement our Occupational Health services, we also introduced an Employee Assistance Programme. This confidential digital platform provides access to advice, information and support on health, financial, wellbeing, and social issues.
Developing future talent
Our talent management strategy enables our people to reach their full potential and helps An Post build the skills and capabilities we need for the future. In 2021, we:
Launched the An Post Green Institute as part of our continuous commitment to developing our management and leadership pipeline. The Green Institute includes:
Strategic leadership, mentoring, and front-line manager programmes
Our Education Support Scheme which financially supports employees to advance their education and build their capabilities
Access to external professional academy development programmes.
Continued our Graduate Programme.
Continued our Values in Practice recognition awards, enabling employees and line managers to honour to each other’s dedication to fellow-employees, customers and our organisation.
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