The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has advanced its Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) Certification to the EDGE Move level, which demonstrates the progression of internal gender equality at the bank.
The achievement is in line with EBRD's strategic priority of Equality of Opportunity for 2021-2025.
Michelle Phooko, Director Talent and Performance Management at EBRD spoke with EDGE about gender mainstreaming, Equal Opportunity policies, and benefits of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) for future talent.
Progressing and upholding its commitments to gender equality
In 2021 EBRD set its next medium-term strategy, which defined three crosscutting strategic themes, of which equality of opportunity and gender mainstreaming is one.
Making this commitment as an organisation means the EBRD ensures it is also progressing and upholding its commitments to gender equality from an internal perspective. Progressing the Bank's EDGE action plan and achieving the next ‘Move’ level of certification is one way that the Bank has been able to demonstrate the work it has been doing in this arena.
Employees benefit from EDGE Certification
Looking at how EBRD employees benefit from the EDGE Certification journey, Michelle notes that staff appreciate the Bank's commitment to such a thorough certification process, which communicates transparently on its data as well as EBRD's policies and practices.
"This transparency, combined with a public commitment to actionable improvements, allows us to measure tangible progress and hold ourselves accountable to our staff. We also know that our staff value the independent audit, as it ensures a fair analysis and outcome without any potential bias," says Michelle.
Tangible progress for diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Discussing what she thinks workplace gender balance, diversity and inclusion mean to the next generation, such as leaders, customers, and investors, Michelle flags the desire for tangible diversity and inclusion progress in the workplace.
"The next generation will want to see tangible diversity and inclusion progress within the workplace. For the EBRD, this comes back to the Bank’s mission and strategic priority, as we know that without equality of opportunity, pools of talent will remain untapped and unproductive. It is vital that we work hard to ensure we practice what we preach, and that we are transparent and honest in order to attract future talent and remain an attractive employer," explains Michelle.
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EBRD employees benefit from the Bank's ongoing focus on gender equality.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.