Danamon Launches The DAYATARA Program To Support Equality And Inclusion Of Persons With Disabilities In The World Of Work

Photo: Doc. Danamon

JAKARTA - In an effort to support diversity and culture of inclusion in the world of work, PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk (Danamon) launched the Danamon Empowered program Carrying Equality (DAYATARA) in early October 2024. This program was designed as a form of Danamon's commitment to implementing the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), especially for people with disabilities.

The DAYATARA program not only provides opportunities for people with disabilities to undergo internships in companies, but also aims to create a more inclusive, fair, and equal work environment for all individuals.

The phenomenon of inequality in the world of work is still a significant problem, especially for people with disabilities in Indonesia. According to data from the Job Decent Indicators in Indonesia 2022 published by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), only 3.13 percent or about 7.8 million of the total 22.97 million people with disabilities in Indonesia have the opportunity to work. Obstacles in access to education, training, and decent work have trapped many people with disabilities in the inability to achieve economic and social independence.

Danamon, as a company that has a high commitment to corporate social responsibility, is taking concrete steps through the DAYATARA program to provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities in stages.

The DAYATARA internship program provides opportunities for people with disabilities to work at the Head Office and various cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Surabaya. The interns will receive guidance for six months, starting from October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

During this internship period, the participants will be accompanied by Danamon employees who have been specially trained as mentors andmen so that they can be actively involved in creating an inclusive and disability-friendly work environment. This program not only focuses on the aspect of job skills training, but also builds a strong social relationship between Danamon employees and interns.

Furthermore, Danamon believes that diversity in the workplace will improve the company's performance. Based on the 2023 Dimensional Indonesia (DDI) survey, companies that have above diversity show better financial performance, which is 2.4 times higher than companies with low diversity. This emphasizes that diversity is not only a matter of social responsibility, but also related to the potential for sustainable business growth.

Evi Damayanti, Chief Human Capital of PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk, said at the launch of DAYATARA at the Tower of Bank Danamon, Jakarta, that diversity and inclusion are the main pillars in creating innovation, collaboration and mutual success in the world of work.

"DAYATARA which stands for Empowered Danamon Carrying Equality. it has an important meaning that Danamon believes that the diversity of backgrounds, competence and talent will be a driving force for success, one of which is diversity in terms of physical conditions that are not a barrier for employees to work together to achieve one goal together in accordance with the abilities of each individual. We take important steps by welcoming internships from individuals with disabilities in various departments within our organization," said Evi, Sunday, October 27.

"As the first program, Danamon is partnered with the Setara Empowered Group (Jiva Square) in creating an inclusive and disability-friendly work environment through workshops and onboarding programs to prepare mentors and mentors as well as the work environment in order to provide optimal support for persons with disabilities before the internship process begins," said Widyarini Utami Talent Acquisition, Employer Branding, Performance and Culture Head Danamon who became the project manager in this program.

As a form of internal involvement of Danamon employees, DAYATARA's own name is the result of an internal competition involving Danamon employees, where Danamon employees are given the opportunity to provide ideas on behalf of the DEI program. Through DAYATARA, Danamon is not only trying to create an inclusive workspace, one of which is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to improve skills and work experiences that are beneficial for the development of their careers in the future.

Evi concluded that in the end, Danamon is committed to continuing to provide equal job opportunities, not only for persons with disabilities but also other diversity in organization through other programs by carrying out the principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness (DEI). Danamon also hopes that this step will inspire other companies to follow in their footsteps in creating a more inclusive work environment in the future.