NCPE awards 37 organisations with Equality Mark certificate

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality said that a total of 60 companies and government department/entities are certified with the Equality Mark, which means that over 15,800 employees are working in equality certified places of employment.

“Employers are recognising that equality certification is an important management tool,” NCPE said in a press statement.

NCPE explained that the certification takes place during its Annual Conference, which awarded 37 organisations with the Equality Mark certificate this year. 12 of these organisations were newly certified organisations while 25 received the re- certification award.

The Equality Mark certificates were presented to these organisations by Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, Helena Dalli and NCPE’s Commissioner, Renee Laiviera.

“NCPE grants the Equality Mark, valid for two years, to those organisations that demonstrate a commitment towards best practices which go over and above the minimum required by law in the area of gender equality in employment and in the provision of goods and services,” the statement reads.

NCPE added that entities go through a re-certification process after the two-year period elapses, whereby NCPE ensures that the commitments taken were adhered to and that the entity is willing to retain these good practices in the years to come.

“The implementation of equality principles in the recruitment process, equal opportunities for training and promotions and the implementation of Equality and Sexual Harassment policies are the basis of the commitment that these entities adhere to voluntarily.”

The statement added that as a result of this audit, employers benefit from the retention of trained and experienced staff, the reduction in recruitment costs of new staff, access to the full talent pool in the labour market, thus increasing profitability 
through innovative approaches based on the different skills and experiences of both 
genders, the diverse abilities and experiences of their work will be translated into the 
enhanced product / services of the company, and attract investors and business opportunities that increasingly take gender diversity 
into consideration.

“
Employees on the other hand benefit from a workplace free of harassment, family-friendly measures such as telework, flexible hours and reduced hours, equal opportunities for training and promotions, translating these into a work-life balance. Thus gender equality policies at the place of work can benefit both employers as well as employees.”

For more information on the Equality Mark, log on to www.equality.gov.mt or contact NCPE on 2590 3850 or [email protected]