Gender equality and female participation in companies: what you need to know
The month of March is widely recognized as International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on the 8th. This date aims to remember women’s struggle for rights and gender equality throughout history, as well as highlighting the importance of female participation in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life. It is an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, reflect on the challenges that still need to be overcome and promote actions that contribute to building a fairer and more equal society for all people, regardless of gender. Gender diversity and female participation in the corporate world are increasingly relevant and urgent issues. Although there has been some progress in recent years, equal opportunities and treatment for men and women in the workplace is still a challenge to be faced. The presence of women in leadership positions is still very low, even in companies that claim to be committed to diversity and inclusion. According to a survey by the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC), only 10% of the boards of directors of publicly traded companies in Brazil are made up of women. In addition, women still face obstacles to advancing in their careers, such as unequal pay, a lack of specific training and development programmes and an organizational culture that doesn’t value women’s skills and abilities. For this reason, the UN created the Global Compact 2030, which plays an important role in promoting equal opportunities and treatment between men and women in the business environment. In this sense, companies that join the Global Compact 2030 have the opportunity to commit to concrete measures to reduce gender inequality in their operations and throughout the value chain. This includes promoting equal pay policies, developing training and leadership programmes for women, creating a safe and respectful working environment for all employees, and collaborating with other companies and organizations to promote gender equality. However, gender diversity is not only a matter of social justice, but also a matter of competitive advantage and long-term business sustainability. Companies that value and promote gender diversity tend to have better financial performance, greater innovation and employee engagement. This is because diversity of perspectives, skills and experiences enriches the working environment and allows companies to better adapt to changes in the market and society. Some initiatives that companies can adopt to promote gender diversity and female participation include: Set clear targets for the presence of women in leadership positions and implement concrete actions to achieve them, such as mentoring, coaching and leadership development programs for women. Implementing recruitment practices that avoid gender discrimination, such as reviewing the requirements for positions, publicizing vacancies on different channels and conducting interviews with a multidisciplinary and diverse team. Promote equal pay for men and women who perform the same jobs, in order to value women’s skills and abilities and ensure fairness and equity in the workplace. Create an inclusive and respectful work environment that values diversity of opinions, perspectives and experiences, and has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination. Encouraging female participation in traditionally male areas such as technology, engineering and exact sciences, through specific training and mentoring programs. In addition, it is important that companies recognize the importance of gender diversity as a strategic and cross-cutting issue, which must be addressed in all areas and levels of the organization. This requires the commitment and leadership of senior management, as well as raising awareness and training all employees in the importance of diversity and inclusion. In short, companies that adopt inclusion and diversity policies, such as promoting gender equity, tend to have higher performance and more positive financial results. In addition, an inclusive work environment can improve employee satisfaction and engagement, contributing to a healthier and more productive corporate culture. Want to know more? Get in touch with our team of experts!
The use of Legal 365 in process management
Legal 365 is a methodology developed by PDK Advogados and its main objective is to help clients make strategic and secure decisions in relation to their legal cases. This is made possible by combining the expertise of the firm’s lawyers with the use of state-of-the-art technology, which results in an assertive analysis of lawsuits and their financial implications. The information on the likelihood of each claim being upheld, the average conviction value and the average duration of similar cases, provided by Legal 365, is valuable for clients, as it allows them to understand the risks involved in their cases more clearly. In this way, appropriate procedural strategies are developed for each type of case, which significantly increases the chances of success and can contribute to reducing the costs involved in maintaining cases and resolving them through settlements. In addition, Legal 365 represents an efficient way of managing cases, monitoring the distribution of lawsuits against our clients in real time, as well as procedural developments that have not yet been published, in addition to providing agile and precise communication with the parties involved. In short, Legal 365 is an innovative methodology that combines technology with the expertise of our lawyers, managing cases efficiently and strategically. This results in greater chances of success and reduced costs, which is extremely important in an increasingly competitive and challenging scenario. Want to know more? Get in touch with our team of experts!
STF decides that it is constitutional to seize driver’s licenses and passports to force compliance with court orders
In the session of 09/02/2023 in relation to ADI 5941, the Federal Supreme Court declared that the provision in the Code of Civil Procedure that authorizes the judge to use alternative measures necessary for due compliance with a court order, such as the seizure of driver’s licenses and passports, the suspension of the right to drive and the prohibition of participation in public tenders and bids, is constitutional. The majority of the plenary followed the vote of the Rapporteur, Justice Luiz Fux, who agrees with the application of the measures provided for in article 139, item IV, of the CPC, as long as it does not affect fundamental rights and respects the principles of proportionality and reasonableness. The Rapporteur stressed that it is unacceptable that the Judiciary does not have the means and solutions to enforce its judgments. However, he clarified that when applying such measures it is important to consider the dignity of the human person and its principles, and so any measure of abuse must be remedied through appeal. On the other hand, Justice Edson Fachin contradicted the rapporteur, pointing out that such measures are unconstitutional because debtors should not suffer sanctions that restrict their freedom and rights for failing to pay their debts, except for maintenance debtors. Want to know more? Our Litigation team is at your disposal!
“Emprega + Mulheres Program” adopts good practices to promote women’s employability
Emprega + Mulher” seal recognizes companies that stand out for their compliance with the measures of the Law, and also recognizes companies that encourage the hiring, employment and advancement of women in areas with low female participation. e companies that seek equality between men and women.. Law 14.457 of September 21, 2022, instituted the “Emprega + Mulheres Program” with the aim of inserting, maintaining and projecting women in the job market. To make the program effective, measures were implemented to support parenthood, qualify women in professional areas, recognize good practices in promoting women’s employability, prevent and combat sexual harassment and encourage microcredit for women. As a measure to support parenthood, the law offers the possibility of childcare reimbursement, flexible working hours and working hours. Parenting refers to those responsible for caring for a child and encouraging its best development. The program offers reimbursement of expenses related to daycare, pre-school or similar service chosen by the employee and is applicable to her or the employee with children up to 5 years and 11 months old. This measure must be implemented by individual or collective agreement. Another proposed measure is flexible working hours for employees who have a child, stepchild or guardian up to six (6) years of age or with a disability.This can take the form of adoption of part-time work, compensatory working hours by means of a time bank, 12×36 working hours, advance individual vacations and flexible entry and exit times, which must also be formalized by means of an individual or collective agreement. In addition, the law also provides for the possibility of suspending a woman’s contract, so that she can qualify in strategic areas with low female participation, such as science, technology, innovation and development, encouraging inclusion in these areas. Likewise, it makes it possible to suspend the contract of the employed father, who can request the suspension after the end of maternity leave to look after the child, helping the mother to return to work. During this period, the father will take professional qualification courses of up to 20h per week, offered by the employer. The measures aimed at improving the working environment are aimed at companies with an Internal Commission for the Prevention of Accidents and Harassment (CIPA) and have a deadline of 180 days to be imposed, i.e. until March 21, 2023. All companies that have a CIPA must adopt the mandatory measures. The mandatory measures propose the inclusion of rules of conduct regarding sexual harassment and other violence, with wide dissemination to employees. It also requires the creation of an efficient reporting channel to investigate the facts and apply sanctions, always guaranteeing the anonymity of those who report it.Likewise, it must mention the inclusion of the issue of harassment and violence in the activities and practices of CIPA and also carry out actions to train, guide and sensitize employees every 12 months. Finally, the law provides for the Emprega + Mulher Seal, the aim of which is to recognize companies that stand out for their compliance with the Law’s measures, as well as companies that encourage the hiring, employment and advancement of women in areas with low female participation and companies that aim for equality between men and women. The Seal distinguishes companies that effectively support female employees in the event of harassment, physical or psychological violence and even implement programs to hire women in situations of domestic and family violence. Do you want to comply with the “Emprega + Mulheres Program”? Talk to the team of experts at PDK Advogados.