International companies explained how changes in the private sector can help influence governmental policies, and how societies perceive gender equality and family-friendly workplaces at the Webinar Creating family-friendly and gender inclusive workplaces – an international perspective for Moldova, conducted online, on 25th of October, in Chisinau, Moldova.
"This was the second in a series of webinars conducted this autumn. Their goal is to inspire national champion companies to promote and pilot family friendly workplaces and showcase best practices and lessons learned on piloting family friendly workplaces from companies like Philips and EPAM. This is a new business model where employers team with their employees for the mutual benefit," said Nigina Abaszada, UNFPA Resident Representative in Moldova, said in the opening.
The webinars conducted within the Project “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova” provide support for local companies in assessing the needs to become family friendly using international business expertise.
"Women work three hours longer than men, the pandemic has highlighted many inequalities. Private companies can have a strong impact on employees, public polices and society", said Marie Toulemonde, Gender Specialist, regional manager of the Expanding Choices Programme, UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office.
These webinars precede the Conference on the role of private sector in promoting family friendly policies that will take place in mid-November. The webinar was attended by representatives of 40 Moldovan companies, members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including 5 champion companies which implement family friendly policies: Orange Moldova, Asena Textil, Panilino, Fidesco and Premier Energy Distribution, but also by companies from Albania and by representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova.
Philips representative made a presentation on Improving people´s Life. Starting with our employees, and spoke about certification programme that is applied in Spain for family friendly workplaces.
The experience of EPAM Belarus in implementation of The ParentSmart Programme was shared with local companies. This programme provides vast employment opportunities and allows everyone to ensure work-life balance to meet everyone’s priorities.
The webinars were organized within the Project “Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova”, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and implemented by UNFPA in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
These activities support systemic interventions in the country to respond to new demographic realities helping families and couples meet their child expectations through gender equality policies and better opportunities to ensure work-life balance. Expanding choices through gender-responsive family policies is an initiative which seeks to raise awareness about knowledge, ideas, strategies and tools for private sector companies, the Government and society at large.
