A special day: stories of inclusion and connection from the territory

In the Spazio Enel offices special things happen, there are days that broaden the idea of energy, showing it in its fullest essence: a relationship between people and not just a service that a company offers to customers. One of these moments was an event organized in Cosenza together with U.I.C.I., the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, an organization that, for over a century, has carried out extraordinary work in inclusion, education and dialogue. It was a special day, one that deserves to be told. «Before the pandemic, we were already organizing several meetings in our Spazio Enel offices throughout the territory», explains Carmine Chieffo, territorial area manager for Campania and Calabria. «It has always been a way to meet customers and citizens, to engage in dialogue, to get to know each other. Then came a two-year stop, for reasons we all know. When we resumed, we wanted to put an even stronger focus on social issues».
The reason for the dialogue between Enel Energia and U.I.C.I. in Cosenza is twofold: on one side the desire to tell and listen to their work in raising awareness and bridging the gap on sensory disabilities, and on the other the presence of a bridge between Enel and U.I.C.I.. That bridge is Annamaria Palummo, a colleague who works closely with customers and who is also visually impaired and a National Councillor for U.I.C.I..

For Enel, inclusion and recognition of diversity are more than just a corporate commitment: they are a projection toward the future, a kind of superpower, an attitude that allows perspectives to be broadened, reflecting and amplifying the energy present in every corner of Italy and in every Italian. For six years, the mission of the Open Power culture has been to open energy to more people and more technologies, to make Enel Energia a company that listens to the world and its needs, both those of customers and of employees. Because listening is the essential dimension of every inclusion strategy: engaging with people, with their stories, with their uniqueness is the only way to be able to do the right things.
This activity can only start from one of Enel Energia’s great resources: its presence throughout the territory. «The Spazio Enel offices are not just a place where you learn about offers and sign contracts, for us they are a home that welcomes our customers, a place where we take time to talk about everything that can improve their lives. They are a human point of contact with citizens», explains Michele Abbate, head of the South Macro Area.

The work, at every level within Enel Energia, of people like Annamaria Palummo is of incalculable value: the diversity policy within the company allows us to reflect society and meet its needs, in so many large and small things. In the case of blind or visually impaired people, this ranges from signing contracts in an inclusive environment at Spazio Enel offices, to an accessible website, to bills in Braille.
Diversity is made up of widespread corporate culture, of policies like the Diversity and Inclusion Policy adopted already in 2015 or the Global Workplace Harassment Policy of 2019, of the work we do with associations like Parks: Liberi e Uguali, to fully realize the potential in developing diversity strategies and best practices. But diversity is also – simply – opening the doors of stores, sitting down together, talking and listening.
And this is exactly what happened in Cosenza, thanks to U.I.C.I. and the work of people in the territory: corporate policies need human contact to become real in everyday life. «It was very moving to listen to their testimonies, the realization of the illness and the change, the challenge of acceptance, the incredible ability to rethink daily life», says Abbate. «And it taught me so much to see women and men who are satisfied, professionally accomplished, with wonderful families, who built or rebuilt their lives starting from a very serious issue like blindness or visual impairment».

«In the end, this is exactly the reason why the decision was made to call the stores on the territory "Spazio Enel" and not "Enel Points"», comments Chieffo, «because it had a more airy and open idea: relationships, encounters, dialogues with people need – precisely – space, and that is what we wanted to make available to Italy with a widespread network, in every corner of the country».
And Italy, after all, is an extraordinary country, full of ideas, energy, and solutions. Another event organized by the South Macro Area, this time in Benevento, allowed the presentation of an association that assists children with developmental problems through hippotherapy and work (and play) with horses. Pediatricians, neuropsychologists, and instructors took part. «They explained how the meeting between young patients and animals works, how it can help them grow and unlock themselves. There was also the father of a child who shared his experience, it was moving but also a great inspiration, because that morning showcased a courageous and experimental reality, unique in the center-south».