So we have determined social inclusion as one of our main focus areas. In our era, there are new ways of thinking, which emphasize the idea that the benefit offered to people and societies should be at the center of business. These approaches also contribute to the transition of the ways of doing business. 

Nowadays, the future of a company is defined by the ideas, support and loyalty of its employees, customers, suppliers, consumers, shareholders, its local communities, and the governments which are in relation with it. Therefore, the sustainability of a company is closely related with the added value it creates for all these stakeholders, rather than its financial profits.

For BCSD Turkey, it is very valuable that companies adopt a business model which observes social inclusion because it is one of the fundamental concepts of sustainability. Under this focus area, we aim at creating awareness about the measurement, assessment and management of companies’ social capital and its social impacts. 

“Women employment and gender equality” constitutes one of the primary focus areas of BCSD Turkey since 2016, and therefore, Women Employment and Gender Equality working group is created to initiate an active cooperation with all the stakeholders interested in this area. 

Social Inclusion Projects

The Digital Platform: At the end of 2017, Equal Steps Platform project has put into action by the SKD Turkey Social Inclusion Working Group. Equal Steps Platform has started to broadcast through an objective of including women's employment, self-assessment tools for companies, road maps, works done both in the world and Turkey, and studies and events under a channel. Equal steps aimed at establishing a private sector-focused network on equal opportunities began broadcasting as a joint meeting point of the private sector, civil society and the public. 

Another objective of the platform was to ensure that both private and private sector employees, public and NGOs, as well as women entrepreneurs use grants for women's employment, thus creating a private sector-focused network on the issue. 

Platform esitadimlar.com, whose main objective is to increase female employment in the private sector and to ensure equality of opportunity between women and men, can be visited.

Case Study on Women Employment and Gender Equality in Private Sector: This project is launched with the purposes of sharing the good practices about gender equality in the business world, and thus, inspiring the companies which have not taken any steps about this matter, and ensuring that more and more companies initiate efforts about gender equality. Within the scope of the project, 9 companies’ good practices related with women employment and gender equality are analyzed. The analysis is made with a methodology developed by PwC, and the project is funded by TSKB and AFD (French Development Agency). The results of this research are shared with the public during an event, organized through the cooperation with TUSIAD and Global Compact Turkey in March 2017. 

Recent Changes in Female Employment Training: Lots of topics were discussed at the seminar, which had the purpose of informing about the recent regulations on maternity leave or partial employment after maternity leave. The seminar was held with the helps of PwC Turkey Business Law Services Unit.