The "Equality in the Company" certificate as public acknowledgment to the work carried out by companies committed to equality between men and women

All companies that carry out their activity in Spain can aspire to the “Equality in the Company” certificate. To that end they must prepare, as soon as possible, a corporate strategy focused on achieving equality between men and women in order to have a strong application for the 2016 awards.

The period to submit the applications for the 2015 “Equality in the Company” has finished. Given that a strong application requires a significant amount of planning, only those companies that have prepared these in advance are able to submit their application on time.

The certificate, which in the last five years has been granted to 116 companies of all sectors and sizes, aims to publicly acknowledge those companies that are working hard to promote a genuine equality between men and women.

To grant this certificate, the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality takes into account the implementation and enforcement of any plans and policies related to promoting equal opportunities between men and women, regarding access to employment as well as work, management, organization and internal operating conditions in the company, in addition to the company’s social responsibility.

Although granting this certificate seems to be given strictly as a mark of honour, in reality it provides companies with an advantage when public grants/subsidies or contracts with the public administration are being awarded. Also, the public is, in general, familiar with the symbol of this certificate so it can also be used by the company for commercial and advertising purposes, or to project the image of being a responsible employer in the job market.

The application can be submitted during the second half of the year and only during a one-month period. The short time given to do this means that, in many occasions, companies cannot submit their applications on time. 

In Osborne Clarke we know that many of our clients are committed to gender equality and that they apply innovative policies in this respect. For this reason, we encourage any companies, wishing to be publicly acknowledged for their work in this area, to show their interest in receiving this certificate and work together with us so that we can prepare a strong application for 2016.