The Certification of Gender Equality
Law 162 of 5.11.2021, also amending and supplementing the so-called Equal Opportunity Code of 2006, established, as of January 1, 2022, the Gender Equality Certification.
The Certification is intended to attest to the concrete policies and measures adopted by enterprises to reduce the gender gap in relation to the opportunity for growth in the company, equal pay for equal tasks, gender difference management policies and maternity protection.
Enterprises with Gender Certification can obtain benefits such as:
an annual contribution relief (for 2022 1% up to a maximum of 50 thousand euros);
a bonus score for the granting of state aid and/or public financing in general;
a better ranking in calls for tenders for the acquisition of services and supplies;
the improvement of corporate image and reputation;
the implementation of a #Sustainability pathway, in line with Goal 5 “Gender Equality” of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
50 million euros have been allocated to finance, as mentioned, a relief for 2022 equal to 1 percent of social security contributions borne by the company, up to a maximum of 50,000 euros.
The certification can be requested by any company of any size and legal form operating in both the public and private sectors.
On 3/16/2022, the Uni PDR 125:2022 reference practice on gender equality was published (https://www.informazionefiscale.it/IMG/pdf/prassi-di-riferimento-unipdr-pdr100866103.pdf), which outlines the requirements to be met in order to be certified.
The implementation of a gender equality management system, aimed at promoting gender equality in Italian companies, specifically involves the activation of the following areas:
– opportunities for growth in the company and equal pay;
– parenting and work-life balance management policies;
– business process management policies.
The stages of the certification process include:
– the measurement of the organization’s maturity with the calculation of KPIs;
– The formalization of gender equality policies;
– the implementation of a management system, drafting and implementation of a strategic plan.
To ensure a holistic measurement of the maturity level of individual organizations, 6 Indicator Areas have been identified:
- Culture and strategy
- Governance
- HR processes
- Opportunities for growth and inclusion of women in business
- Compensation equity by gender
- Parental protection and work-life balance.
To achieve certification the minimum score is 60 percent and each area contains a mix of qualitative-quantitative KPIs. The KPIs are applicable based on enterprise size, from micro to large enterprise.
The corporate gender equality policy, must be defined by senior management, communicated and disseminated within the organization, should be subject to training.
Implementation of the strategic plan should include identification of business processes related to gender equality issues, related strengths and weaknesses, definition of objectives, actions to close gaps and monitoring of KPIs, implementation of a management system.
The Nexum Group together with Ambire SB is structuring a model to accompany organizations in obtaining certification and to offer development and training interventions to reduce the gender gap.
