1.

Policies and practices

If feasible, a company should consider developing and implementing human

rights policies in order to provide a foundation for a socially responsible
approach to the elimination of gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

Such policies should be aligned with international standards in their

employment of women, such as those advanced by the International Labour
Organization (ILO). In particular, there are four core ILO Conventions relating
to women in the workplace that responsible businesses should follow in
developing policy. These include:

Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100), which requires that men and
women receive equal remuneration for work of equal value
Discrimination Convention (No. 111), which prohibits gender-based
discrimination in employment and occupation
Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention (No. 156), which makes
provision for workers with family responsibilities to continue with employment
without conflict between the two duties
Maternity Protection Convention (No. 183), which provides for maternity
protection in the workplace
Furthermore, the ILO's ABC of Women Workers' Rights is a useful reference
and outlines a range of labour standards relating to women workers' rights.
This is a good resource for responsible businesses who wish to ensure that
their practices and processes comply with international standards.

Another useful starting point for policy formulation in this realm is the Women
Empowerment Principles, produced by the UN Development Fund for Women.
These principles, launched in 2009, set out concrete actions aimed at
addressing inequality within the workplace (which are informed by real life
business practices). The seven principles which should inform policy
commitments include:

Principle 1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work respect and support
human rights and non-discrimination
Principle 3: Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men
workers
Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for
women
Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing
practices that empower women
Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy
Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender
equality
In addition to the above, a company may commit to:

Compliance with national law on gender equality. If there are no national laws
in relation to gender discrimination, the policy should commit to international
standards, such as the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Where local laws differ from the
company's policy, the higher standard should prevail as long as it does not
violate national law
A regular review of its gender policy, viewing it as a living document'. The
policy and any revisions should be disseminated to all employees
The creation of a panel specialising in gender issues, if appropriate
Implementing human rights due diligence if it is required in the
circumstances. This could occur, for example, when a company is moving
operations into new markets
Maintaining records on the recruitment, training and promotion of female
employees which might be measurable and incentivised. These records can
then be analysed to assist a company when implementing policy and
committing to gender goals.Publishing these figures is advisable since
transparency is important, and circulating this information to all the
stakeholders maintains a high level of accountability
Monitoring and auditing to oversee compliance with gender policy
There are a range of useful resources which can be used by businesses for
policy implementation. For example, the UN Global Compact and UN Women

have established a practical guidebook which outlines how to translate the

Women's Empowerment Principles into practice and offers company
examples. Such practical actions which companies can commit to via their
corporate policies might include:

Principle 2: Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Non-discrimination:

Prominently publicise an explicit company statement that prohibits genderbased discrimination in hiring, retention policies, promotion, salaries and
benefits
Design recruitment initiatives that reach out to more women; review and
analyse remuneration of all employees by gender, employee category and
job title
Ensure equal opportunities for women to lead on important assignments and
task forces
Survey employees to elicit the views of women and men towards company
policies on equal opportunity, inclusion, non-discrimination and retention
Establish and implement a confidential grievance policy as well as procedure
for incidents of discrimination, sexual harassment and gender-based violence
Principle 4: Education and Training

Train and educate employees, particularly male staff, on the company's

business case for women's empowerment
Offer career clinics and mentoring programmes for women's career
development at all stages
Promote training programmes tailored for women
Principle 7: Transparency, Measuring and Reporting

Report annually, by department, on company gender equality plans and

policies, using established benchmarks
Publicise findings on company efforts towards inclusion and advancing
women through all appropriate channels and pre-existing reporting

obligations
Include monitoring and evaluation of company gender equality goals into
ongoing performance indicators
With regard to Principle 7, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the
International Financial Corporation (IFC) have joined forces to help companies
expand their sustainability reporting to include an emphasis on gender issues
and company gender initiatives. The Embedding Gender in Sustainability
Reporting: A Practitioner's Guide provides suggestions for key indicators to
measure gender equality. For example, it recommends that in measuring
gender equality within a company's organisational governance and values,
the following should be considered: gender breakdown of the organisation's
board of directors; the number and percentage of management posts by
gender; and percentage breakdown by gender of the top five highest-paid
executives.46

An additional resource that can assist with policy formulation comes from the
Knowledge Gateway for Women's Economic Empowerment, established by
UN Women. The gateway provides a range of resources which can guide
responsible businesses in the development of gender equality policies,
particularly relating to women's economic empowerment. The online library
of resources includes national laws and policies, company profiles, research,
case studies to initiatives and partnerships, and training materials. Topics
cover driving female entrepreneurship, transforming the workplace and
accessing, owning and controlling resources.

As part of their broader commitment to gender equality, responsible

businesses can choose to cooperate with other companies by joining EDGE
(Economic Dividend for Gender Equality) an initiative developed by the
Gender Equality Project. EDGE provides a diagnostic tool aimed at
encouraging businesses to close the gender gap. It is based on three steps:

Measurement: Companies can measure their progress in closing the gender

gap by monitoring key metrics and indicators. Key metrics include gender
mix, unexplained pay gaps and employee ratings of the company on gender
equality. Key outcome indicators include equal pay for equivalent work,
recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring,
flexible working and company culture.
Community: EDGE also provides companies with the opportunity to exchange

best practice and benchmark reports to compare progress.

Certification: Businesses can then become certified for their commitment to
non-discrimination within the workplace, once they are deemed to have
achieved gender equality based on the indicators and global standard
2. Staff training

Staff training initiatives will help guide employees in adhering to relevant

policy requirements (and supporting procedures) aimed at promoting gender
equality within the organisation. They can also be used to transform genderbased stereotypes that may negatively impact or hinder women's progression
within a business. At the most basic level, responsible businesses may
consider the use of including gender training in their annual yearly training
plan and providing easily-accessible training manuals detailing gender
equality policies.

Beyond this, the Women's Empowerment Principles offer guidance on the

kinds of education and training initiatives that businesses might implement.
The principles advise that companies:

Invest in workplace policies and programmes that open avenues for

advancement of women at all levels and across all business areas, and
encourage women to enter non-traditional job fields
Ensure equal access to all company-supported education and training
programmes, including literacy classes, vocational and information
technology training
Provide equal opportunities for formal and informal networking and
mentoring
Articulate the company's business case for women's empowerment and the
positive impact of inclusion for men as well as women
The ILO has developed a toolkit Break gender stereotypes: give talent a
chance', which explains how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can
overcome gender stereotypes to tap into the full potential of their employees,
both men and women. Although the toolkit is designed for SMEs, it provides
practical guidance, including a training framework, on issues that may be
useful to larger businesses when holding awareness-raising workshops. The
toolkit also provides a range of resources, including two particularly useful

components: Unit 1 builds participants' awareness of the business benefits of

gender equality, while Unit 2 helps participants to analyse the impact of
gender stereotypes on businesses. Furthermore, the toolkit encourages
employees to consider the business benefits of gender equality, the negative
impact of gender stereotyping and the gender division of labour.47

In addition, the ILO has developed a Maternity Protection Resource Package,

which provides capacity development and training on maternity protection
within the workplace. The package outlines three training programmes that
businesses can use to ensure best practice, including:

Advancing maternity protection through policy development

Advocacy for improving maternity protection
Breastfeeding action at the workplace

3. Skills development training and support

A socially responsible company may establish programmes that promote

access to skills development training for female employees within their
workforce and potentially within their supply chains. Such training should
ideally address those areas where women have typically been unable to gain
relevant experience or build up relevant skills (depending on circumstances)
and which may have stymied their ability to achieve full equality in the
workplace. Potential areas of focus might include (for example):

Career planning
Team and project management
Information technology
Financial management
In countries where women are not given access to basic education,
responsible businesses may also carry out training to equip their female
employees with more basic life and technical skills. Such training can include:

Communication
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Financial literacy
Gender equality48
If feasible, a company should try and ensure that training provided to workers
is accessible to all women, including those with family responsibilities. In
addition to formal training sessions and programmes, it may also be useful to
implement more informal mentoring' systems. As well as providing
immediate workplace and guidance, mentors can prove invaluable in helping
female employees progress their careers in the longer term.

In male dominant' industries, companies may consider providing women with

specific technical training to narrow the gender gap. For example, in its report
on Guidelines on gender in employment policies, the ILO notes that there is a
significant gender gap in technology training. It notes that women's lack of
access to (which affects their ability in) ICT limits women's opportunities to
progress in the knowledge economy', as well as in ICT roles where more
advanced digital skills are required. In response to this challenge, businesses
could promote ICT courses for women to expand their knowledge in this area,
enabling them to access more skilled roles.

In addition, women have traditionally been under-represented in sectors such

as mining which have historically been the preserve of male workers. This
heritage as well as the context in which it typically operates can mean
that there are barriers to be overcome before real equality of representation
can be achieved. To address this, there is a movement within the industry to
try and ensure women are given the right professional opportunities to allow
them to succeed and to ensure equality within the industry. Indeed, the IFC,
along with South African mining company Lonmin, have produced Women in
Mining: A Guide to Integrating Women into the Workforce. This provides
(amongst other suggestions aimed at "integrating women into the mining
sector") a number of recommendations with respect to the recruitment of
women, career development support and lifestyle support.49

For those companies seeking to enhance the capabilities of women outside of

the workplace (for example in the community), the ILO's training package,
GET Ahead for Women in Enterprise, marks a useful starting point. The
training package promotes enterprise development among women in poverty
who want to start, or who are already engaged in small-scale business. The
ILO recommends that training includes the following elements:

Business ideas, opportunities and challenges

Marketing
Production, services and technology
Finance
Management of self and others
Business support and networking
Action planning for your business

4. Panel addressing gender issues

If feasible, a panel could be constituted to address internal gender

issues.Ideally, the panel would include a member of the board, upper and
middle management, as well as female and male employee representatives.
The panel could be used as a tool to identify any barriers to employment or
the advancement of women. The company can then undertake measures and
strategies to meet any challenges.

For example, the ILO has suggested that companies establish a Pay Equity
Committee to identify and eliminate any pay inequality within the
workplace.50 It has provided guidance on the composition of such a
committee and suggests that the following points should be taken into
account when deciding on its composition:

Members should be willing to recognise and eliminate any gender bias

Female workers should be allowed to play a significant role in the process

If female workers from ethnic minorities are concentrated in some jobs, they
should be appropriately represented
5. Grievance mechanisms

A company might develop grievance mechanisms and procedures to address

complaints, handle appeals and provide recourse for women who have faced
discrimination in the workplace. The establishment of an effective complaints
procedure will convey the message that the company takes gender
discrimination seriously; is capable of dealing with complaints consistently
and within a specified timeframe; and alerts employees to patterns of
unacceptable conduct.

According to guidance from Harvard University, any grievance mechanisms

should ideally be:

Legitimate and trusted and ideally be overseen by the company and its
employee representatives
Well publicised and accessible
Transparent in terms of process and outcomes whilst allowing for
confidentiality where necessary and desirable
Based on engagement and dialogue between the relevant parties (where
appropriate)
Predictable in terms of process including key steps and options within the
process, timeframes and the monitoring of outcomes
Fair and empowering including the appropriate treatment of imbalances in
power, knowledge and influence between protagonists
A source of continuous improvement including the achievement of learning
on the basis of received complaints, the identification of systematic problems
within the workplace and lessons learnt from the grievance process itself 51
The ILO provides more specific guidance around the specific issue of
harassment.52 It notes that an effective grievance procedure will provide
various options to the individual making the complaint, allowing the victim to
choose the option that is most suitable to their circumstances. For example,
the complaint can either be informal or formal.

The ILO outlines seven steps that businesses can implement as part of a
formal grievance procedure:

Conduct a private interview with the complainant and articulate the

allegations in writing
Convey the allegations to the alleged wrongdoer in full
Provide an opportunity for the alleged wrongdoer(s) to respond and defend
themselves against the allegations
If there is a dispute over facts, investigate the claim, take statements from
witnesses and collect other evidence
Make observations on whether the complaint is substantiated
Prepare a written report documenting the investigation process, evidence,
findings and recommended outcome(s) to senior management
Implement (with the support of senior management) the recommended
outcome(s) or decide on an alternative course of action
It is further recommended that the formal complaints procedure is overseen
by a gender-balanced dispute settlement committee that includes a member
of senior management as well as a staff member who is trained in handling
such grievances.

When gender discrimination is identified, disciplinary actions and sanctions

should be implemented to ensure occurrences do not re-occur in future. Such
actions may include a written warning or reprimand, removal of management
authorities or duties and in serious cases, suspending or terminating
employment.
6. Create family friendly working conditions

Where appropriate and feasible, a company may create structures in the

workplace which provide family friendly working conditions. Adequate
maternity protections and the implementation of family friendly policies can
play an important role in promoting women's equal opportunities and
treatment in the labour market, and can ensure maternity is not a barrier to
career advancement. Mother-friendly practices will also help to encourage

women to remain in the workplace before and after childbirth.

The ILO's Maternity Protection Convention (No. 183) provides a good starting
point. This identifies five key areas for maternity protection in the workplace:

Maternity leave
Cash and medical benefits
Health protection in the workplace
Employment protection and non-discrimination
Breastfeeding arrangements at work
These areas can be responsibly addressed through a variety of means,
including the following:

Flexible working hours, including reduced daily hours of work

The choice to work from home
Flexible maternity leave
The provision of on-site day care centres, or company-subsidised day care
The provision of comprehensive medical coverage, including antenatal clinics
and scans
Meetings with pregnant women before and after maternity leave to discuss
how working conditions can be improved for them
Transition coaching before and after the birth of a child to support employees
in managing work and family responsibilities
A 'buddy' programme to help women to stay in touch whilst on maternity
leave
The provision of breastfeeding rooms
Training for women upon their return to work after maternity leave to provide
them with information on updated processes and policies
Although companies should ideally focus on the implementation of

international best practice, the ILO provides a database outlining maternity

protection legislation for women across all countries. The database can be
used by responsible businesses in identifying country-specific information
relating to maternity protection, including length of maternity leave; cash and
medical benefits as well as their qualifying conditions and the source of
funding; health protection; non-discrimination and employment security; and
breastfeeding upon return to work.

7. National action plan

When companies are moving operations into regions where gender

discrimination is culturally embedded and clearly not in line with company
policy, it may be advisable to join government-led or supported
initiatives.Taking a collaborative approach ensures compliance with national
legal standards and facilitates government endorsement.

For example, the Gender Equality Model (GEM) was developed by the World
Bank in 2001. The model promotes gender equality standards in key areas,
such as selection and hiring processes, training policies, professional
development, family-work balance and the prevention, handling, and the
following up of cases of sexual harassment. The model can be adopted by
private sector companies, as well as government agencies.

In Egypt, for example, the government, in partnership with the UN and other
international organisations, created the Gender Equality Model Egypt
(GEME).53GEME provides private firms with the training to document gender
disparities, take corrective action in particular cases, and institutionalise
gender equality. Firms self-select into the project, but GEME requires that
their human resource departments have sufficient resources so they are able
to implement gender equity policies and monitor the results. Ultimately,
outside auditors monitor the firms' human resource practices with an impact
evaluation component that determines best practices for use throughout
Egypt.54

This framework was based on a Mexican model, implemented in 2003 with

assistance from the World Bank.

In 2005, firms participating in GEME reported:55

An improved labour environment (31% of firms)

Better communication between management and workers (23%)
An increased number of women in managerial positions (9%)
Increased productivity (8%)
A reduction in salary gap (8%)
A reduction in maternity-related discrimination (8%)
The GEM model has also been extended to countries in Latin America and the
Caribbean with both Chile and Mexico converting the GEM into public policy
and into an annual action plan for government agencies.

In Mexico, for example, the GEM was converted into a programme of the
Mexican federal government, while GEM principles of work equity were
incorporated into State policy in the General Law of Equity between Men and
Women, which was approved in 2007. By 2011, a total of 300 firms had been
certified in Mexico, benefiting nearly 300,000 employees. The World Bank
reports that implementing the GEM in Mexico has contributed to:56

Eliminating discriminatory hiring processes due to maternity

Improving communication in the workplace
Improving employee performance and productivity
Reducing wage inequality between men and women, and increasing female
access to high-level positions
Implementing family-friendly policies, such as flexible working hours
The implementation of the GEM in Argentina has also produced successful
results. The GEM principles were used to develop the Argentinean Gender
Equity Model, which was later tested in a pilot programme led by Instituto
Nacional contra la Discriminacin (INADI; Argentinean National Antidiscrimination Institute). The pilot ended successfully with the certification of

nine companies, benefiting 21,000 workers. The companies reported, at the

end of the programme, that they would ensure the following:

Commitment to gender equity is explicit in the companies' policies

Elimination of discriminatory practices in personnel selection and hiring
practices
Training policies aimed at men and women alike
Adoption of special strategies for promoting female access to management
positions and encouraging female leadership in general
Benefits for work-family balance for men and women not just for men
Incorporation of mechanisms for addressing cases of sexual harassment and
promoting a respectful working environment 57