The employers’ organizations can serve a potentially integral role in the promotion of gender equality at the workplace. The project therefore supported the employers’ organizations in their efforts to improve gender equality in the world of work. First, the project cultivated expertise on gender equality issues within the employers’ organizations by creating and organizing “Equal opportunities at the workplace” training sessions. These training sessions were based on a study overseen by the project on corporate social responsibility. The training sessions focus on equal opportunities at the workplace, the prevention of discrimination and sexual harassment and gender-neutral job evaluation techniques. Additionally, the project launched workshops for employers’ organizations on the practical steps employers can take to promote gender equality. Workshops were held on the business case for gender equality, accommodating workers with family responsibilities, maintaining healthy working environments, combating sexual harassment, and furthering equal opportunities and corporate social responsibility at the workplace.

Supplementary materials and tools have likewise been developed and published that assist employers in the implementation of equal opportunities and gender equality in the workplace. These are available on the project’s website (http://csrgender.org.ua) on corporate social responsibility and gender equality. The website provides a wealth of resource materials, news updates and functional tools on how to best promote equal opportunities at work. The site is being administered by the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and will be maintained after the completion of the project cycle.

On 27-28 July 2011 the technical seminar for employers’ organizations on developing a strategy to consolidate achievements of the EU-ILO Gender Equality in the World of Work Project was held. The participants learnt best international practices of equal employment opportunities policies promoted by Employers’ Organizations and shared good Ukrainian practices of equal employment opportunities developed by Ukrainian Employers’ Organizations. Ukrainian employers mastered the methodology of ILO participatory gender audit and successfully completed audits in a number of employers’ organizations. Pilot enterprises successfully developed their gender equality plans and the methodology of gender plans is seen as an effective management tool of a company to institutionalize equal treatment and equal opportunities for male and female workers as well as improve company’s productivity.

Last year, the project initiated a national contest in cooperation with the EU-funded project “Women and Children’s Rights in Ukraine – Communications Component”, offering an “Industry Award” to the employers with the best records of promoting equal opportunities in the workplace. The contest has proven very successful, as wide public coverage of the contest in 2010 lead to unexpectedly high numbers of applicants. This year another Industry Award 2011 will still take place under the auspices of the EU-ILO Project ‘Gender Equality in the World of Work’. Read more about the Industry Award 2011.