DEI en théorie et en pratique : Il n’est pas question d’inégalité sur le lieu de travail

As if everyone in the public and private sectors is ready and willing to swear by the rules of equal pay and advancement opportunities. Of course, diversity policies are applied in the workplace, and there is no talk of gender inequality, right? Soon it will be black and white because the Republic of Croatia is obliged to implement Directive (EU) 2023/970 into national legislation by June 7, 2026, strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.

No matter how much we swear by equal pay, according to official data for 2020, the pay gap between men and women in the EU was 13 percent, in Beautiful Croatia 16 percent, while our neighbors, the Slovenians, had a gap of 3.5 percent.

Everything is changing

The directive also showed that women perform more unpaid work than men due to household chores and caregiving within the family, as well as that they earn fewer paid hours in the labor market because a third work part-time precisely due to these unpaid jobs. This also increases the likelihood that the percentage of employed women will be lower than that of men, which will later result in lower pensions. For all these reasons, for example, the overall earnings gap between men and women at the EU level in 2018 was nearly 37 percent.

All of this will change, and companies will have to be very transparent about salaries, and companies that are leaders in their field have long publicly presented equality in every respect, including pay. Therefore, this year, for the first time, Equal Pay Champion certificates were awarded, and the human resources consulting group Selectio Grupa, after conducting more than 20,000 evaluations of HR systems in some of the most successful domestic companies, awarded as many as 16 certificates in March.

Guided by the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work,’ Selectio has made a crucial step in building transparent pay systems in workplaces across Croatia, and one of the recipients is Hrvatski Telekom (HT).

– For years, we have had around or more than 40 percent women in leadership positions, and the reason is that we at HT believe that someone’s engagement, expertise, and achievements are the only meritorious criteria for career advancement, and therefore we always look at the potential of the person, ability, passion for growth, and desire to achieve better results. The pay ratio between men and women in managerial and non-managerial positions is a clear indicator that HT lives its values, as evidenced by the fact that the pay gap has been reduced. Moreover, it does not exist at all in managerial positions, and for our approach, we received recognition in the form of the Equal Pay Champion certificate. We believe in creating an environment of equal opportunities for all. And that is an integral part of our corporate culture. The fact about representation in leadership positions supports this. It is now 60 percent men and 40 percent women, which is significantly above the average in Croatia, but also the goals set by the European Commission, and we see absolutely no reason why that ratio should not be 50/50 or in favor of women. Creating such an environment where everyone can advance based on their qualities and abilities is our responsibility. And we do it – they told us from HT.

Equal Access to Positions

With a higher ratio of women in its company, dm operates, where women make up more than 80 percent of the workforce.

– Gender equality and equity are extremely important. That is why at dm we offer our employees equal access to managerial positions, and the pay system is exclusively linked to the job position. We have also designed additional education and reintegration programs for mothers returning from maternity leave and for mothers and fathers returning from parental leave – emphasizes Ana Fostač-Krilčić, procurator and head of the Human Resources department and sales region at dm.

In addition to equality, companies also pride themselves on diversity and inclusion, and Fostač-Krilčić explains that dm has aimed to be an example since its inception and show that good business results stem from good relationships with people.

– Our experience has shown that respecting diversity in the workplace increases productivity because each person, regardless of origin, gender, age, race, or faith, brings different, new qualities. Encouraging ideas and creative solutions that align with the experiences and lifestyles of employees enables continuous innovation in business, which is especially important for companies like dm, which have been present in the market for several decades – states Fostač-Krilčić.

It is already well known that diversity is an integral part of HT’s corporate culture, and the company has told us that they strongly believe that their advantages and strength come from within, especially from diverse teams that are a source of innovation, creativity, different perspectives, and experiences.

– Hrvatski Telekom is an initial signatory of the Diversity Charter, the Social Charter, the 30% Initiative, and we have incorporated these values into our Collective Agreement. The issue of diversity is integrated, among other things, into our: Leading Principles, Corporate Values, Code of Conduct, Evaluation and Reward Policy, and Diversity Policy. We believe, operate, and act according to the principle of equal opportunities and possibilities for all, which is confirmed by all the research we conduct and according to which employees recognize that HT provides an encouraging and desirable work environment with career development opportunities for all – the company states.

Access to Benefits

Along with equality and diversity, mental health is also a pressing issue because, unfortunately, there are still many examples in our society and environment where individuals hesitate to openly discuss their mental health, which leads to them being unwilling to share problems even with their close ones, limiting the possibility of timely action and much-needed help. That is why, for example, in the HT Group, they developed the internal program WELL@WORK, dedicated to employee well-being.

– As part of this program, we organize workshops throughout the year and provide access to professional support for maintaining employees’ mental health. The education is conducted by internal and external experts who share advice on how to take care of physical and mental health. For this reason, we received another certificate, Future Resilience, recognition that shows exceptional care for our employees. Creating a supportive work environment is an integral part of our activities aimed at employee well-being. Our platform ‘How are you?’ aimed at raising awareness about the importance of communication with close ones and caring for mental health, was even declared the best social responsibility campaign in all of Europe at the ‘European Excellence Awards,’ and Deutsche Telekom Group recognized it as one of the top five socially responsible projects in the entire DT Europe segment – say HT.

Employees at dm also have access to additional benefits, as the employer wants to help them make their daily lives better, whether in a private or business aspect.

– That is why we launched the internal initiative ‘dm… because I live healthy,’ promoting a healthy lifestyle among employees. Thanks to it, dm is the first drugstore in Croatia with the certificate Company Friend of Health from the Croatian Institute of Public Health. I would also like to highlight that dm has been collaborating with the Center for Inclusive Work Activities for over 20 years to support its mission to enable people with disabilities to take their rightful place in society. Currently, 66 users from the Centers perform work tasks at dm, and through long-term cooperation, the users of the Centers have allowed dm employees to learn from each other, accept the individuality of each person, and create conditions not only for a more pleasant work atmosphere but also for self-discovery – states Fostač-Krilčić.

Thus, there are indeed many good examples of socially responsible business practices when it comes to equality, inclusion, and diversity, and by June 7, 2026, we will find out what rules and sanctions Croatia will set to achieve the principles of equal pay.

The Directive on Equal Pay will also be discussed at the 14th Lider Conference Women in Business, which will be held on December 5 at the Mozaik Event Center in Zagreb. As part of the conference, the presentation of the Lider list of the 300 most powerful women in business and the awards for the top 10 will take place. Secure your place in time via the link.