Disability Inclusion and enABLEment

People are Shell’s greatest asset, including all our colleagues, partners and customers with disabilities, including physical, neurodivergent and long-term health conditions. Creating an inclusive, psychologically safe and accessible environment is a priority for us. According to the World Health Organisation, around 16% of the world’s population, or an estimated 1.3 billion people, live with disabilities. Yet, we know that many people are reluctant to talk openly at work about the barriers to access they face and the adjustments they need out of fear that it could negatively affect how they are treated, or impact their ability to fulfil their potential. That is not the culture we want at Shell and we are creating an environment where people with disabilities can excel.

 Here are some of the things we’re doing at Shell, subject to local laws and context:

Recognising the importance of senior executive sponsorship to drive progress, the disability inclusion and enABLEment focus area is sponsored by one of our Presidents, who reports into Shell’s CEO.

Our in-house team covers 60+ locations in over 30 countries around the world to ensure that all employees have access to reasonable office-based and homeworking adjustments so that they can work effectively. The team is supported by functions such as Shell Health, Human Resources, Real Estate and IT. We extend this support to those about to join Shell, allowing them to review and request adjustments before they begin their careers at Shell. In addition, Shell’s Occupational Health teams provide confidential support in the workplace through understanding needs and supporting with adjustments. For non-physical adjustments, we also have non-physical adjustments toolkits for both line managers and employees. We continue to focus on building individual accountability, and have a Disability, Accessibility and Inclusion Portal providing comprehensive guidance for line managers, leaders, people with disabilities and allies. The purpose of this portal is to support employees in contributing to a working environment that is psychologically safe accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.

In addition to workplace adjustments, our Travel Accessibility Desk offers dedicated support for employees with disabilities to have a smooth and inclusive travel experience, providing tailored support for transportation, accommodations, and airport assistance.

By creating safety to share, and listening to each other’s experiences, we can learn more about what each of us can do differently to make someone else’s experience better. By doing so, we can all contribute to a more inclusive world. Many Shell colleagues around the world continue to courageously share their inspiring stories, which has created a deeper level of empathy among staff to reflect on and become stronger active allies. Here is one of these inspiring stories:

Shell employees and contractors are required to complete training courses that reinforce expected behaviours for a respectful, inclusive workplace and build our stance against discrimination and harassment, including bullying and sexual harassment. Whilst only one part of building an inclusive culture, it is an essential one when combined with our other actions to drive meaningful change. We continue to focus on building inclusive leaders and individual accountability for creating an inclusive culture.

By better understanding who we are, we can work towards where we want to be.We have rolled out Self-ID for employees in our HR system, which includes an option to voluntarily declare if they identify as having a disability or long-term health condition where relevant and legal. This will allow us to better track our progress with data insights, as well as better understand different groups’ experiences, identify strengths that we need to sustain and identify opportunities for improvement.

We seek to build a sense of community and collaboration within Shell's sites where employees feel welcome and valued. By enabling people to balance their work and personal lives, we can help them perform at their best.

Pay is an important part of working life. Our Fair Pay Principles are designed to manage pay at Shell and help us ensure that employees are valued, respected and recognised for the work they do. Shell's pay is designed to be market competitive and free from bias. The basis for paying fairly is equal pay for equal work, taking into account factors such as performance and experience. Through regular benchmarking, Shell's compensation is typically higher than the minimum wage level observed locally, including in countries without legislation on minimum wage. Pay adjustment at Shell is linked to performance and we share this information with employees to help them understand how their pay adjustments are made. We continue to engage employees transparently and openly about our pay policies to help build understanding, trust and confidence in our approach. Shell provides a range of benefits, such as global minimum standards for life, accident and disability cover, as well as maternity and parental leave, except in certain cases where we are precluded from offering this. Our benefits packages are tailored to each country to meet the requirements of local laws and regulations.

Our goal is to empower our employees to feel their best and perform at their best. Care for people is a key desired behaviour within our performance culture. We do this by promoting mindsets and behaviours that support good health, and protecting our people from illness by mitigating known risk factors. We use evidence-based tools and provide access to timely support and care for those who are injured, ill or struggling.

Interventions to promote mental, physical and social well-being are delivered via a mix of measures. For example, through the design of our workspaces, through local benefit offerings such as gyms and health checks, and through our country-based employee networks, group activities and events. Our programmes and global campaigns, such as that for World Mental Health Day, help develop individual and team well-being skill sets to create healthy and psychologically safe working environments and nurture a culture of care.

Working with others