Orquest and the SDGs: gender equality, inclusive economic growth and sustainability

Orquest and the SDGs

At Orquest, as a global solution provider, we recognize our role and responsibility in promoting the economic and social progress of populations. That is why, in addition to our ongoing commitment to innovation in the industry, our mission is to actively contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

The essential objective of the SDGs is to promote prosperity and economic growth by implementing measures to support education, health, social protection and equal opportunities, while ensuring the preservation of the environment. In this context, Orquest, driven by its young and diverse team, together with innovative technologiy that leaves a significant and lasting impact on both industry and society, contributes significantly to SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (resilient, sustainable and innovative industries).

Orquest and the SDGs: our commitment to gender equality

“Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” is the main objective of SDG 5, a goal that resonates deeply with Orquest’s values. In addition to optimizing the operational efficiency of retail stores through its intelligent scheduling, Orquest generates flexible and balanced schedules that take into account the needs and preferences of male and female employees, fostering a positive work environment free of discrimination.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Orquest accurately forecasts demand, calculates staffing needs and optimizes store scheduling, placing each team member based on their availability and skills. The result is equitable schedules that contribute to the prevention of any gender disparity.

Furthermore, Orquest’s adaptability and its guarantee of compliance with any regulations, without compromising planning efficiency, facilitates the adoption of work-life balance policies, particularly those that support caregiving, tasks for which women are mostly responsible, promoting the equal distribution of opportunities and the empowerment of all female workers.

In addition to helping its customers, Orquest’s commitment to gender equality extends to its own team, which is 43% female and 57% in leadership positions. This confirms its dedication to SDG 5.5, which stresses the importance of ensuring “women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels.”

In this context, our team is aware of and dedicated to eliminating all forms of discrimination. With people of different genders, nationalities and social backgrounds, Orquest’s commitment to the SDGs is even greater, fostering an inclusive environment that values equality, promoting their inclusion in the technology industry, a field marked notably marked by gender disparity.

Orquest and the SDGs: our commitment to inclusive economic growth

SDG 8 promotes “inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all”. Orquest’s commitment to this goal is evident through our contribution to business innovation, job creation and commitment to working conditions that promote work-life balance and well-being at work.

In 2023, Orquest was awarded at the Santander X Global Challenge | The AI Revolution, an event organized by Banco Santander and Microsoft, among others. The award highlighted Orquest as a “disruptive and scalable solution in Artificial Intelligence” with a “lasting social and economic impact“. This recognition underscores our commitment to the industry and the innovative nature of our solution, which coincides with SDG 8, specifically supporting “diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, with a focus on high value-added sectors”.

Furthermore, our dedication to contributing to inclusive economic growth, job creation and employee well-being is manifested in our intelligent scheduling solution. Orquest generates flexible schedules that not only take into account fluctuations in demand and operational needs, but also employee preferences, contract conditions and labor regulations. In this way, Orquest boosts productivity and business efficiency while ensuring that it “protects labor rights and promotes a safe working environment for all workers,” thereby reducing absenteeism and turnover rates.

Orquest also facilitates communication between managers and their team through its intuitive and easy-to-use app. This simplifies the work of the former and empowers employees by providing direct access to their schedules and seamless interaction with their managers to request availabilities, preferences, or accept vacant shifts.

Beyond our contribution to economic productivity, Orquest strongly supports “full and productive employment” for all, including youth and people with disabilities, and ensures equal pay for work of equal value (SDG 8.5). This commitment is reflected in our team, which has doubled in size in the last year, with two out of ten of our team members being under 30 years of age.

Orquest and the SDGs: for resilient, innovative and sustainable retailing

As a SaaS, Orquest plays a key role in fostering sustainability and innovation in retail, in line with SDG 9, focused on “building resilient infrastructures, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.”

By accurately predicting store demand, our solution determines staffing needs, allowing us to optimize resources and reduce unnecessary travel and energy costs. In addition, as a cloud-based solution, Orquest eliminates additional energy costs for our users, ensuring accessibility from any device with an internet connection.

Orquest’s commitment to the SDGs also extends to our technology partners. For example, Orquest uses servers from AWS, a company committed to sustainability. Our supplier assures us that, as of 2022, 90% of Amazon’s electricity consumption comes from renewable sources, with the goal of reaching 100% by 2030, in line with the UN Agenda.

Orquest’s adaptability to evolving demand, diverse market needs and regulatory compliance however complex, coupled with its advanced AI and powerful planning engine, provides retailers with a flexible and agile solution that fosters the development of a resilient and innovative industry.

Ultimately, Orquest and the SDGs is a long-term commitment that recognizes our fundamental role in the economic and social progress of the global population, committing us to the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Our remit extends to actively contributing to the achievement of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9 (Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Industry). In this way, we remain committed and continue to work to foster an inclusive work environment that actively supports equal opportunities and gender equality, as well as the professional growth of our team, while promoting innovation, sustainability and economic development.