According to the latest report of High Council for Equality, 80% of women consider that they are regularly confronted with sexist attitudes or decisions in their professional environment. Businesses therefore have a crucial role to play for effective equality between women and men.

So, in concrete terms, what actions should be put in place in business to make a difference?

On January 26, 2023, we brought together two CSR managers, an associative structure and an expert from Komeet to discuss the subject of equality in business.

Our 4 speakers who work on this subject on a daily basis testified:

• Manaelle Perchet, Impact & Social Manager at Wemanity
• Teresa Resta, CSR Manager at Bearing Point
• Lucile Dupuy, Co-founder of Hally
• Héloïse Arnold, Communication and CSR Manager at Komeet

In this article, we summarize the best advice given during the roundtable and all the best practices!

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Equality between women and men: what legal obligations are there and how can we go further?

“Legal obligations help to move forward, they can be the first trigger to make potentially reluctant management/decision-makers understand the need to move forward.”
- Manaelle Perchet

“It's important to remember that when we talk about sexism, sexist and sexual violence, parity... all these topics are linked.. There is continuity and a sexist climate that will create a breeding ground for sexism. It is therefore necessary to go further on all themes!
- Lucile Dupuy

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The Professional Equality Index or Egapro Index

This index is the basis for getting a first idea of which topics to act on first. It is mandatory to calculate it from 50 employees, it must then be published on a dedicated site. Depending on the score, there are corrective measures that need to be put in place.

” Gender equality, diversity and inclusion should not only be in the hands of CSR. It must be put in the hands of teams in order to be able to co-create solutions together.”
‍Manaelle Perchet

To go further:

• Measure the Equality Index Before Being Subject to the Obligation
• Use Your Score as a Compass for the Company

Do you want to have a more global vision of the challenges and levers?
Discover our Mapping gender equality in business To visualize where to act, at what level and with what resources.

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Sexist and Sexual Violence and Harassment

Businesses must fight against sexist and sexual violence through several legal obligations:‍

1. ‍Information and awareness-raising for employees : it's not just sending an email or acting by posting! Time must be devoted to these topics.‍
2. An Obligation of Action and Results : we must stop sexist and sexual violence when there is it.‍
3. Adjust a sexual harassment referent : This person must guide and support employees who are victims of sexist acts

To go further:

• Test different awareness-raising formats, for example with virtual reality
• Enforce Zero Tolerance for Sexist Actions (Even Jokes)

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Parenting in Business

Parenting is a big issue related to the balance of life times and career development. In fact, mothers still take a lot of the burden of motherhood. The law provides for 16 weeks of leave for a first pregnancy.

Since 2021, the leave offered to the co-parent is 28 days and can be taken within 6 months following the birth of the baby.

” The theme of parenting is a point on which we wanted to go further than legal obligations. It was a desire of the management and a request from the employees.”
- Teresa Resta

At BearingPoint, a consulting firm, measures have been taken to increase parenting equality: extended leave, nursery places, coaching sessions... All these initiatives are welcomed by employed parents!

To go far:

• Extend Paternity Leave and Reimburse It to 100%
• Implementation of “second parent” leave, which also includes single-parent couples

Parenting is only one of the levers for acting on equality.
To discover other concrete ways: 15 actions to mobilize your business for gender equality

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Gender Equality: Other Issues to Take Action On

Support the development of careers and the empowerment of female employees

At BearingPoint, they have launched a program that aims to retain female talent. It is a training course to provide keys, to enable you to assert your leadership and create an initial network of colleagues internationally. This program helps to break the glass ceiling and promote a more inclusive environment. For an international perspective on the subject, consult This article from UN Women on Women's Leadership in Business.

They also created the Female Acceleration, a program for all female employees with personal coaching sessions, discussion groups, etc.

These initiatives have been highly appreciated by BearingPoint employees!

Promoting the empowerment of female employees is also a strategic HR lever.
‍Discover how solidarity commitment strengthens gender equality and retains talent

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Establish Skills Sponsorship with Associations That Act for Equality

Skill sponsorship means allowing employees to donate their time and expertise to causes that need it.

The consulting firm Wemanity allows all their employees to do skills sponsorship thanks to The Komeet Platform. The company collaborates with associations that work directly for the integration of women into the professional world such as Forces Femmes, Womenpreneurs, Sistech :

Sixty days were dedicated to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, representing 50,000 euros in donations. This makes it possible to create a positive impact for the association, which is the main aim, but also to make employees aware of these causes.” Manaelle

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Develop Equality Beyond Your Company Through Advocacy Actions

Going Further Also Means Raising Issues for Advocacy Outside the Company Walls. Indeed, all authorities have a role to play:

“With Hally, we want to register the companies we work with as true “allies” to our cause. We want to promote this idea of collaboration, of joint work between employer structures, employees, people from civil society and public institutions.”
- Lucile Dupuy

March 8 is also an opportunity to discuss various topics. For example: equality, women's rights, but also potentially gender identities.

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How to mobilize your business around March 8?

Create a highlight around Women's Rights Day by avoiding “social washing”

One CSR Highlight Like March 8, International Day for the Fight for Women's Rights, is an opportunity to highlight the commitments made by the company and to organize impacting actions.

But equality issues must be addressed all year round to avoid social washing:

“Giving a box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses is a pleasure, but you should not limit your actions to that, March 8 is not a holiday.”
- Manaelle Perchet

This day can therefore serve as a “reminder” for companies already committed to women's rights, but it is also a great opportunity to take action:

This highlight is an opportunity to mark the occasion, it is a key moment that only happens once a year: let's take advantage of it!
- Teresa Resta

March 8 is the perfect opportunity to create a strong collective moment.
Discover our tips for a successful Solidarity Team Building Around Your Commitments

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Vary the formats to mobilize your teams around gender equality

Awareness-raising

There are many complementary formats to raise employee awareness and multiplying actions can prove to be virtuous:

• “Classic” formats: workshops to learn about your rights, legal obligations, etc...
• More innovative formats: video games, podcasts, movies...
• Webinars or speeches:

“Komet's awareness-raising events are working very well alongside collaborators.”
- Teresa Resta

To discover other concrete ideas, check out our article 10 solidarity actions to engage employees in a CSR approach.

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Support for associations

• Skills sponsorship and volunteer actions can be offered in order to engage your employees.
• Donations, salary roundups and sponsoring make it possible to have a concrete impact because associations lack funding
• Collections (equipment, hygiene products, food, etc.) are quick and easily activated ways to act.

We must not forget that involving everyone around the subject also means involving refractory people! The key is listening and trying to understand the obstacles.

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Take Action Now

Gender equality in business cannot be decreed, it is built every day with concrete actions.

Chez Komeet, we help companies mobilize their teams around these issues, by creating highlights, by supporting associations and by helping to structure engagement policies.

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