EQUANS UK and IRELAND Begins Its Gender Equity Journey With EDGE Assess Certification
EQUANS UK and Ireland, a global leader in low-carbon energy services, has become EDGE Assess certified, confirming its commitment to workplace gender equity. It joins the other companies of the ENGIE Group – ENGIE Brasil Participações and ENGIE Impact which are certified at EDGE Assess level, ENGIE GBS France which is EDGE Move certified and ENGIE Tractebel which is globally EDGE Assess certified.
EDGE is the leading global assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity. The certification process involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of an organization’s culture. As an integral part of the assessment, statistical data is analysed, policies and practices are reviewed and employees receive a comprehensive survey to assess perceptions of career development opportunities in the workplace. EDGE Assess is the first level of certification where the organization recognizes its commitment to workplace gender equity.
EDGE’s assessment has highlighted that EQUANS UK and Ireland has not only demonstrated its commitment to workplace gender equity but has also adopted an intentional and prioritized approach to accelerating gender equity in the workplace. Furthermore, EQUANS UK has a good gender balance in operational functions, targets for the gender composition by management level and an explicit policy mentioning non-discriminatory recruitment and promotion practices that include gender.
A key finding from the EDGE assessment shows that employees – both men and women – perceive they are supported and offered flexibility by their immediate manager if they need to deal with a personal issue. When it comes to equal pay for equivalent work, the organization also has a solid framework of policies and practices to ensure proactive management of pay equity.
To continue its journey of achieving gender equity, EQUANS UK and Ireland aim to improve the retention rates of women that come back from maternity leave as well as further investigate the causes for women to be more likely to leave the organization at the upper management level, a level where women are already underrepresented.
Further areas of improvement focus on strengthening both men’s and women’s perceptions of pay, promotion, career-critical assignments, and feelings of inclusion in the organization. Both men and women perceive the need to become more familiar with promotion criteria. Addressing these perceptions is key and the first step to furthering an inclusive culture of gender equity in the workplace.
Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation, reflects positively on what is still to come for the organization, saying: “EQUANS UK and Ireland is at the beginning of its gender equity journey, one that isn’t completed overnight. Remarkably, the organization has demonstrated, through its EDGE Assess certification, its strong commitment to achieving gender equity in the workplace. In addition, most employees perceive that gender equity is important for the organization to remain competitive in the market, and for galvanizing real change within the business.”
