The FUTURE IS FEMALE – Celebratory cocktail within the Diversity Charter and Women in Leadership platform at the Swedish Embassy

Prague, 5^th November 2019

 The 5th November 2019 we organized with very kind support of H.E. Swedish Ambassador Viktoria Li “Celebratory cocktail within the Diversity Charter and Women in Leadership platform at the Swedish Embassy under the title: The Future is Female.

The Women in Leadership Platform represent a new joint initiative of BpS – Czech Diversity Charter (umbrella for 77 leading employers from all regions of the Czech Republic) and Vodafone Czech Republic, Thermo Fisher Scientific and other companies and stakeholders, seeks to support and encourage cooperation across sectors in promoting complex and effective approach to gender diversity and women in leadership. It addresses gender equality, equal and fair pay, work-life balance and other relevant aspects in all phases of women’s economic activity along with reference to other roles they perform in their lives (e.g. parenting).

The main topic of event was: How can we support women in leadership in the companies as well as in the public sector in their career development and growth including of development of work life balance and well-being.

The event was excellent opportunity for promoting of Women in Leadership topic together with networking and with celebratory extension of Diversity Charters and accession of new signatories into the Charters community. In this time they came from private sector and public sector as well.      

Welcome speeches were delivered  by Her Excellency Swedish Ambassador Viktoria Li and and Pavlína Kalousová, Chairwoman Business for Society.

Opening remarks on the topic of Women in leadership – why is it taking so long?  

Personal remarks shared by Mrs. Mounia El Hilali – CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Czech Rep., Hungary, Slovakia, Mr. Jonathan Rutherford - Director Enterprise Business an Ex-Co-sponsor for the gender diversity in Vodafone Czech Republic and Mrs. Olga Richterová – Member of Parliament.

At the event participated besides Swedish Ambassador as main organizer together representatives of fifth other Embassies: Norway, (Ambassador H.E. Robert Kvile), Finland, (Deputy Ambassador Johanna Salovaara Dean), Denmark, (Ambassador H. E.  Ole Frijs-Madsen), France, (Deputy Ambassador Tomáš Macek), Canada, (Kim Cowan, political and economic advisor). 

FContext of these opening remarks has reflected current representation of women in the frame of leadership of the private and public companies. This not address not only to the Czech Republic situation, but international dimension as well, highly importance of diversity and gender balance in leadership not only for business, but as well as for the societies. Importance of diversity and inclusion and gender balance in leadership are rising in the light of present crucial challenges in our world. Namely, climate changes, technological revolution and “new movements” of populism and xenophobia. 

We very proud, that during this event we welcomed the new signatories of Czech Diversity Charter:

For Companies:

INVENTI,

Microsoft Czech Republic,

Lidl Czech Republic,

Henkel CZ

First time in the Czech Diversity Charter we welcomed new signatories coming from local government and NGOs as well. For Local government and organisations:

Local Government of Prague 7, represented by Mr. Jan Čižinský Mayor of Prague 7,

Local Government City of Litoměřice,  Ladislav Chlupáč, Mayor and Senator of the PCZ, Lukáš Wunch, Vice-mayor

DofE – The Duke of Edinburgh´s International Award.  

https://diverzita.cz/charta-diverzity-ma-sedm-novych-signataru/

Conference: Single parents at work

7^th of November 2019

In the frame of practice of DCH Business for Society is developing innovative projects for various topics (groups) related to their situation at labour market and in the society as well. Single parents at work is our project which was developed together with Kooperativa Foundation including their support of two cities as pilot practice and guaranteed by two selected specialised NGOs working as counselling points  for single parents related to their career development, assessment of their workability and networking with the responsible companies, which want to employ and support single parents. We also organised and elaborate research between single parents in the three regions of the Czech Republic. Final result was published in the manual for employers as one of the result of the project. English version thanks to the support of Diversity Charter is also available.  

Some of important figures of research and general statistics.

-          Each 2nd couple in Czech Republic is divorced. 

-          More than ¾ of single parents couldn´t find relevant job opportunity,

-          ¼ of single parents is looking for new job opportunity due to lack of employment support in their company

The conference has been a unique opportunity to share projects experience and results with signatories of Diversity Charter and other participant’s from private and public sector. For instance:

-          How companies can support and implement this specific group into their HR and recruitment policies?

-          What are the specific and needs of single parents at work and labour market as well?

-          What kind of activities and what kind of support from the employers they really need?

During the Conference were shared data from exclusive research between the single parents and introduce special brochure – manual for the employers who would like to support single parents employees at the labour market.

In The frame of panel discussion has been involved representatives of NGO organizations, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and examples of best practice - Diversity Charter signatories – companies supported their single parents due to special programs and activities:  As Česká Pošta, Brown-Forman, Accor Hotels and Kooperativa insurance Company.

https://diverzita.cz/51-rodicu-samozivitelu-se-setkava-v-praci-s-predsudky/